VIII.-The Progress of the English Language, and of the Roman Character, in India. No. V.

Various circumstances have prevented us, during the last three months, from referring particularly to the important subjects at the head of this article. We now proceed to notice both in order.

As it regards the first,-the progress of the English language in India, we are happy to assure our readers, that whether we look to the princes or the people, we feel justified in announcing a decided advance. If we look to the princes of India, or those who are to be its future governors, we see, that beyond the Sutlaj and the Narbadda to the west, and the Brahmaputra to the east at Láhor, Kotah, Naipál, and Manipur, the desire for acquiring a knowledge of English is excited or increased; and if we look to the people, we see that in most of the principal cities-Dehli, Agra, Allahabad, Banáras, &c. as well as Calcutta, the study of this language is every day becoming more extensive and popular.

As it regards Láhor, the following letter from an intelligent native, who accompanied the Rev. Mr. Lowrie as an interpreter, will show how well disposed His Highness Ranjit Singh and the chiefs in the Panjab are to the acquisition of English. As the Rev. Messrs. Wilson and Newton, lately arrived from America, intend on the opening of the river to proceed to Lodiána, to join Mr. Lowrie, there is every prospect that a flourishing English school for the natives of the Panjab will be soon established at Láhor, under the patronage of the Mahárájá himself. On this subject we hope to supply additional particulars in our next, in extracts from an interesting journal of Mr. Lowrie. Láhor, 3rd February, 1835.

"You must have been ere now informed, that I have come to Láhor with the Rev. Mr. J. C. Lowrie, to act as Interpreter to Mahárájá Ranjít Singh. Before my departure from Lodiána, I had the honor to receive a circular, about my acting as agent for the sale of books at Lodiána. I will do my utmost to give them an extensive circulation. I herewith enclose a letter, with a list of books required at Lodiána, for Mr. Ostell, which I hope you will favor me by forwarding to him.

"We arrived at Láhor on the 6th instant, and since that time have had two interviews with His Highness; though he has been treating us kindly, he has not hitherto come round to the object of Mr. Lowrie. There are many youths who are anxious to prosecute English studies, but they require means of education. His Highness has lately sent a young boy of about 12 years of age, to learn English with us while we are here. He has already been studying English for about seven or eight months. He appears to be very sharp and active. He is the son of Jamádár Khushiál Singh, the minister of Ranjit Singh. If a permanent school could be established here, the Panjab would provide better English scholars than any part of India. young men here generally are very smart, and possess an ingenuous mind. A young man, 18 or 19 years old, came here from a distance of 90 miles, to solicit a note from Mr. L., in order to be admitted in the Lodiána school,

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which was immediately given. On its being inquired, how he could live during his stay there, he replied, that for even five or six years his family would support him. At the same moment he departed to Lodiána.

“The Lodiána school is getting on remarkably well. Before we left Lodiána, Mr. Lowrie examined the students in the presence of all the ladies and gentlemen of the cantonment. All the boys acquitted themselves so remarkably, that the gentlemen present were quite surprised at the progress which they had made in so short a time. It is hoped, that if they continue to study with the same ardour and zeal which they have hitherto shown, they will beat the scholars of the Dehli College."

We proceed to Kotah. In our No. for October, 1834, we gave an account of the seminary there established, and the following letter from Mr. Johnson, their tutor, exhibits further particulars of the character and progress of the pupils. From this it will be seen that four of them are near relations of the present Ráj Ráná, and the other two are the sons of respectable Muhammadan and Hindu officers of Government. Several letters, well expressed, and very neatly written, evidence the progress made by these interesting pupils under the care of their active instructor.

Kotah, 26th March, 1835.

Since you wish a particular account of each of the lads, I will commence, if you please, with Indarsal. This youth is the only son of Govardhan Dás, and a grandson of the late Zálim Singh. He is highly to be commended for the extreme docility of his disposition, and for the example of obedience and good-will he sets to his juniors. Karan Singh is the son of Jhujhár Singh, formerly of Bíkánír, and brother-in-law to the late Ráj Ráná Mádhu Singh. Chaman Singh is the son of Gopal Singh, formerly of Jaipur, who was brother-in-law to the late R. R. Madhu Singh, and is the father-in-law of the present R. R. Madan Singh. Fattih Singh is the son of Mahárájá Bhawani Singh of Khátauli, father-in-law to the late R. R. Mádhu Singh. This is the parentage of the young Rajputs.

Shaik Abdullah is the son of Shaik Núr Muhammad, formerly Qázi of Kotah, resident at Pátan, and Birjballabh, of Lálá Mathurá Dás, a bráhman in the service of the Mahárau. The two just mentioned are the most forward of my scholars. Sri Lál, of whom I wrote before, having received employment from the Mahárau, has discontinued his English studies since September last. At the earnest request of some of the boys, I have permitted them to write to you, by way of shewing you their progress hitherto. You will observe that I have purposely allowed them to write in their own style, and I beg to assure you, that the grammatical errors on their slates were so few, that I may say, you have almost the rough drafts before you. As the letters I have the pleasure of enclosing are a fair specimen and catalogue of the attainments of the writers, I need only say, that Karan Singh, and Little Chimnájí, as he is called, are rather in advance of Indarsál, and would have been much beyond him, had not an illness of nearly three months' duration confined them to their houses and beds. They are now recovering their lost time, and I have promised them, that should you approve of it, they shall address you on the next occasion of my writing you. Fattih Singh is a little behind them all.

Paná Lál, now Vakil to the Ráj Ráná, is prevented, he says, by business from following up the study of English, which he so zealously had commenced.

I am happy to say, that Major Ross has twice visited the College for the purpose of examining the students, and the notice taken of them has certainly had a very beneficial effect on them; they look forward to each examination with pleasure.

As it respects Naipál, the prospect is equally pleasing. Even in that secluded corner, we understand, the study of English is making some progress. The minister's adopted son, Colonel Sher Jang, has for some years past had an English instructor, by whose aid he has already acquired the power of talking English very intelligibly; and General Mátabar Singh has just got up a respectable native named Rám Nárayan to instruct his eldest son in English, and has agreed to pay him 200 rupees per month for that purpose. Sher Jang's teacher, before mentioned, we are informed, is a very meritorious, industrious person; and has now a small band of scholars, composed of the sons of the chiefs of Naipal, whom he is instructing in English. He has himself long enjoyed the kind instructions of Mr. Hodgson, the learned British resident at the court of Naipal, and now, we understand, with a thirst for knowledge highly creditable to himself, attends upon him as often as permitted, to enlarge his knowledge of Geography, or to "discover his way through the hard passages of Chamber's Life of Alexander, Sherer's Life of Wellington, and other interesting works, which he is in the habit of expounding to the inquisitive minister. Think of this veteran statesman," says our correspondent, "relieving the toils of Government, by listening almost nightly for an hour to the story of the prowess and policy of the Grecian and British heroes!"

Nor is the prospect, as it regards Manipur, at all less gratifying. The Rájá, as our readers are aware*, is but a child, and much must depend on the education he receives, as to whether he become a blessing or a curse to his subjects. With a view to deliver him, as far as possible, from the danger to which an Indian prince, without a good education to restrain the indulgence of his passions, is particularly exposed, the Supreme Government have agreed with his guardian to pay one half the expense of an English teacher; and an intelligent native, educated at one of our best seminaries, has just been despatched, who will we doubt not, under the judicious superintendance of Captain Gordon, the Political Agent at Manipur, diligently and successfully prosecute this object. It is wisely intended by Captain G. as far as possible, to extend the benefits of the tutor's services to the most respectable youth of the place, so that we may soon hope to see not only the Rájá himself, but also a class of Manipur nobles, engaged in the prosecution of English literature and science.

Our readers will hear with pleasure, that encouraged by this general desire to acquire our language on the one hand, and desirSee CALCUTTA CHRISTIAN OBSERVER, for June 1834.

ous to foster it on the other, the Committee of Public Instruction are about to establish Schools for instructing the Natives in English, in connection with the vernacular languages, (a connection, which we hope to see made still more intimate*,) at Patna, Dháká, Hazáribágh, Gawahati, and other places, where the inhabitants have hitherto had but very scanty means of enjoying this advantage. From each of these schools branch seminaries in time will doubtless be established, and thus a beneficial influence be communicated by them to all the surrounding dis

tricts.

It also gives us sincere pleasure to observe, that the judgment of the great body of civil authorities having been found decidedly in favour of the substitution of the vernacular languages for the Persian, it cannot be doubted but that the Government will very soon direct the disuse of the latter in its official business. It is indeed by very many functionaries entirely disused already, equally to the satisfaction and advantage of the great body of the people. In this case, the English will become indispensable for a proper acquaintance with public business, as well as the only available medium of a liberal education; and not only the thousands throughout India who have leisure, means, and inclination to learn a foreign language, in addition to their own, as an accomplishment, but also the hundreds of thousands who look for support and employment to the Government, will direct their best exertions to the acquirement of a competent knowledge of our language and literature.

From several of our correspondents, in confidential situations, we find, that the resolution adopted by our late Governor General to correspond with the native states in English, is found an admirable means of giving dignity and popularity to our language. One of them remarks, that when a letter from a Gentleman high in office was presented to the Rájá of an independent state, a short time ago, he remarked with evident surprise, that though the letter was English, the seal was Persian! Were the seals of all our public offices, and were all the coins we issue, inscribed with English characters, as has been urgently recommended by most intelligent public officers, it would vastly increase our moral influence, and greatly aid the rapid dissemination of a language and character which it would then be seen the Government preferred to that of their Mahammedan predecessors.

But we must hasten to notice the progress of the Roman alphabet. This, we are happy to say, is steady and satisfactory.

See some excellent remarks on the importance of a more assiduous cultivation by Natives of their own language, in connection with English, in the FRIEND OF INDIA, April 23, 1835.

Every month supplies fresh books, published by direction of the original projector of the scheme; while the announcement from another quarter, of a Dictionary in the Roman character†,which we beg leave to recommend to our friends, and of a new edition (the third) of Mr. Yates' Hindustáni Grammar, shews at once the confidence with which the progress of the Roman character is anticipated by the publishers, and patronized by the public. The easy and complete introduction of the system, during the quarter, into the General Assembly's Institution, the most important Missionary Seminary in Calcutta, is also very satisfactory. It also particularly gratifies us to perceive, that the members of Government are gradually becoming satisfied of the practicability and advantage of introducing it into the public records, and it is stated that the Sadar Board at Allahabad have given orders, that any of the native officers of Government, who shall in six months be unable to write the vernacular language in the English character, shall be liable to dismissal. Our correspondent, it will be seen, judging from the general desire manifested to acquire the character, and the success of all who have attempted it, apprehends that there is no fear of a single individual losing his situation in consequence of the execution of the order. Were a similar order given to the native officers of every department in Bengal and Hindustán, accompanied, as it would be with advantage, by the present of a set of writing copies, and of a Vocabulary of all the words most commonly occurring in official documents, in the character of the province and the Roman character in opposite columns, to each individual who would be liable to be affected by the change, we venture to say, that no person, with sufficient understanding to carry on the duties of his office, would suffer any loss. We need not point out to our readers how extensive and universal would be the gain!

While on the subject of the Roman character, it becomes a duty to express the obligations felt by its friends to the conductors of the periodical press, for the fair discussion regarding it allowed by all, and the warm and generous support given to the object when first attempted by others. While all have rendered their columns accessible to the discussion of its merits, the Editor of the ENGLISHMAN has sanctioned and adopted the system in that paper, and in other publications under his superintendence; and the Editor of the HARKA'RA has justified and recommended it to the utmost of his power. The following communication, from a correspondent in the latter, is so appropriate to our pages, that we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of inserting it.

*See Monthly List attached.

+ See Advertisement on the cover of the present No.