OINT)N S 48 ed might be given in Bengali was vetoed by the Indian members of his committee on the ground that anything said or written in the vernacular would be despised in consequence of the medium through which it was conveyed. With these estimates of the Vernarular language of Bengal iess than a hundred years ago contrast the description of it give recently by Mr. J. D. Anderson as one of the great expressive language of th world capable of being the vehicle of as great things as of any speech of men. A language capable of undergoing so great a tri isformation in so short a time must surely nave been sound at the roots. What if the seed which was garnered and cultivated hy those gardeners in the philological field-Rajendralala Mitra, K. M. Banerjee, Ramakamal Sen, Ls v archandra Gupta, Pinkimchandra Chavterjee, Dinabaudhu Mitra, Askhaykunar Datta to mention but a few It is a matter of Coinmon knowledge that Rach Vernacular literature as flourished at the beginning of the 19th century was it verse rather tan in prose and was the possession of the nasses rather than of the classes. A peculiar interest a...aches therefore to any specimens of this literature which can now be collected. I have just read Rai Bahadr Dinesh rhandra Sen's translations of a ballad of a stern Rengal entitled Mahta.' Here is a delightful specimen of the seed from which modern Bengali has sprung. It is charming in Ringish; but from the point of view from which I have written above it is the language in which the ba}lad is sa ung that is of paramount interest and importance. Mahu a is hut one of a large number of balads now being translated and com - inented on with the untiring interest of the enthusiast, and the skill of the expert Schill r by Rai Bahadur Dineshchandra Sen. And it is obvious that in addition to the philological interest attaching to such a collection it must possess also a special interest in respect ofits subject-matter. And he le the Englishman un acquainted with the technique of the is engali language can appreciate tie ballads to the full in their English translation. For it is in such compositions that or e finds sketched with an unconscious and for that reason perhaps an all the truer pe: ), intimate pictures of the life of a people. And since these ballads are believcd to cover a period of roughly three hundred years from the 16th century onwards, they should throw much light surely upon the political history of Bengal, For it was during this period that Moslemy influence was pushed eastwards, the Mosle in capital transferred by Nawab Islamkhan from Rajmahal to lacca and colonies of Moslem feuds burons planted out in the eastern districts. In short these ballads should prove a mile of wealth alike to the philologist and the historian and las but not least to the administrator who seek to penetrate the inner thought and feeling of the people.' Ertracts from a letter addressed lily His Earrellency Lord Lytton, Gore nor of IBengal, to Maharaja Sir Prodyot kumar Tago e— It is clear from these publications (Easterly Bengal Ballads) that the lilie of research now being pursued by Dr. Sen is of great interest and importal ce. If as Dr. Sen states these poems range in date from the l(5th to tie 19th century they must obviously possess great literary and historical significance. A glance at the poems so far puhlished shows that they throw much light on the social history of that part of Bengal, where they took their rise. Their importance as additional material for the history of the rise and development of modern Bengali needs no emphasis. Dr. Sen asserts that he has evidence that a considerable volume of ballad-poetry still remains to be collected from the singers and other sources, not only in My mensingh but also in other districts of Bengal. The financial difficulties of the University however make it impossible for Dr. Sen to arrange for a systematic research for these ballads on a reasonable scale. It is obvious that with one solitary worker in the field collecting the ballads progress must be slow. Dr. Sen has therefore appealed to me for financial assistance to enable him to prosecute these researcher with additional agents and on a systematic plan, For this purpose a sum of Rs. 5,000 is required immediately while a larger amount still will be required to meet the cost of printing the ballads subsequently. A total surn of Rs. 15,000 would place the work 69
