vations, which, however easily made, are of no service in the improvement of a Version; one observation drawn from practical knowledge, and supported by authorities brought forward from works of repute, contributing more to illustrate the true nature of any language or dialect, than a thousand general observations, unsupported by examples.

"They also beg such as are sufficiently acquainted with these languages, kindly to examine the construction, and to point out particular instances wherein they think it improper; in doing which, it will be of great utility to adduce examples of a different and superior mode of construction, drawn either from valuable works or from practical observation.

"They further entreat that Gentlemen will examine the rendering of particular passages, and kindly instance such as may appear to them inadequate, or obscure. In doing this, they beg leave to suggest the still more urgent necessity of adducing emendatory passages and phrases; which, they trust, will appear evident, when it is considered, that, in the New Testament particularly, there must occur many ideas which are almost wholly new in these languages: and it can scarcely be expected, that in dialects as yet so little cultivated, there should be found all those terms in divinity which the Greek Language furnished in such abundance. Many phrases and terms, therefore, must be created for the occasion, or accommodated as nearly as possible: and hence, though a term may be uncouth, if we would express the idea, it must still be retained until a better can be found. Important service will, therefore, be rendered by any Gentleman suggesting terms or phrases more adequate, or better understood, in the room of any which may appear objectionable; as, by this method, a number may be brought forward, from which a selection may be made to the highest advantage. And it may be hoped, that, by this course, should those who are best able thus kindly contribute their aid, the various Versions of the Scriptures in the Languages of India may ultimately be brought to a considerable degree of perfection."

This was afterwards succeeded by the following Circular Address, subjoined to the Seventh Memoir of the Missionaries, 1820:

"The Brethren who form the Committee for conducting Translations at Serampore, having been for many years engaged in the Translation of the Scriptures, have felt convinced, in proportion as they have applied to this work, that in no way can the best interests of India be more effectually promoted than by a Version of the Scriptures being given, if possible, in the dialect of every Province and Tribe in India, notwithstanding the difficulties which attend the completion of the work.

"With these difficulties it is impossible that they should be unacquainted, engaged in the work, as they have been, for so many years. But if difficul ties are suffered to deter from an undertaking of this nature, there can be little hope that light will ever be diffused throughout India, or that the numerous Tribes of Eastern Asia, which comprise a full half of mankind, will ever enjoy those blessings with which Britain is so highly favored. They have found in the course of their work that the dialects of India and of Eastern Asia, numerous as they appear, may almost be traced to two sources, the Sungskrita and the Chinese; and, therefore, that a knowledge of these two languages sheds a prodigious degree of light over the various languages of India. This circumstance, among other things, enables them to view the difficulties in the way of accomplishing it as easily surmountable, by a course of steady perseverance; particularly if steps be taken to bring into operation that knowledge of the various dialects of India already possessed by our countrymen here. They humbly trust that the College

recently established at Serampore, in which Native Youths of talent and ability, conversant with the various languages of India, will be instructed in the languages wherein the Scriptures were originally written, as well as in their own classic tongue, will prove highly important in this great work, which can be brought to due perfection only by efforts continued through a succession of years. But they feel assured that assistance of the most important kind may also be obtained from their countrymen in various parts of India; and it is with the view of respectfully soliciting this assistance in the Improvement of the Versions of the Scriptures they have already published, that you are now addressed.

"This request they feel encouraged to make, from the consideration that the Word of God is equally the portion of all Christians, by whatever name or denomination they may be known. It is indeed to men that this glorious revelation is made; and every man who loves his race, is bound to interest himself to the utmost of his power in causing to be made for his fellow-men of every nation, a faithful and perspicuous Version of the Divine Writings. The Committee for conducting Translations at Serampore, therefore, wish to interest in this important work every friend to the Scriptures in India who feels willing to contribute his aid in the improvement of even a single Version; with whom they wish to exchange ideas on the subject in the most free and candid manner, for the sake of improving the various Translations of the Divine Word which they may conduct.

"How to secure this, so as to bring to bear on the Sacred Writings that knowledge of the dialects of India now possessed by Gentlemen who reside in its various provinces, has long been with them matter of serious consideration, particularly as they wish to include the assistance of Learned Natives in various parts of India in examining and judging relative to the style of such Versions as are made in their respective dialects. The unavoidable distance of those so capable of affording this assistance, from them and from each other, increases the difficulty of frequent communication. They, however, humbly trust that the following plan will obviate most of the difficulty which exists in the present case. They respectfully propose

"1. That every Gentleman willing to correspond with them on the subject of Translations,be entreated thus to contribute his aid to the improvement of some one of the Indian Versions, and therein to obtain the aid of every Learned Native over whom he has influence.

"2. That such Gentlemen be not called on to incur any expense in examining any Version of the Scriptures; but that, whatever expense they may thus incur, be defrayed by the Committee for Translations at Serampore.

"3. That an interleaved copy of any one Version of the Sacred Scriptures, or of a single book in the language with which any Gentleman may be best acquainted, be sent him, on his kindly requesting it.

By thus combining all the help procurable in examining the various Versions, as editions are successively printed, most of the Translations of the Scriptures will, they trust, ultimately be brought to a happy degree of perfection. But whether it be sooner or later, the Committee feel determined, by Divine assistance, never to withdraw their attention from this object till it be accomplished. They beg leave to observe, however, that in thus attempting to promote this important work, they have no wish to interfere with any friend who may be already conducting a Translation in any of the dialects of India; on the contrary, to every such friend they cheerfully tender that assistance they respectfully solicit from others; their grand wish being, to see the work accomplished, by whomsoever it be done. "They therefore respectfully_entreat your assistance, Dear Sir, and that VOL. XXVIII. NO. LVI.

Pam.

2 B

of any friend near you, whether European or Native, in examining any one of the Versions they have already brought through the press; a copy of any part of which, interleaved, and particularly of the Version in the Language, shall be thankfully sent you, on your kindly intimating your wish."

The following Extracts are from the latest Publication received from the Missionaries-their Ninth Memoir of Translations. After giving a list of the different Versions printed, with the date of each, they say

"From this view of the Translations, and of the time when they were respectively begun and finished at press, it will be evident that none of them have been brought hastily through the press. Seven years have formed the shortest period which has been occupied, even by those in which the terminations were the nearest akin to those in the neighboring dialects; and with the exception of the Bengalee, which, as the first, occupied almost undivided attention, it was not till those in the chief cognate languages of India (the Bengalee, the Hindee, the Mahratta, &c.) had been finished, that the secondary Versions were suffered to pass through the press even in so small a space as seven years. The chief cognate branches, it will be evident, occupied, in general, above ten years each; and to those wherein the discrepancy was very great, (as, for example, the Chinese, the Telinga, and the Kurnata,) nearly twelve were given. It is however a fact, that above threefourths of the words in most of the secondary cognate languages were understood, in all their bearings, through the Sungscrit, the Bengalee, and Hindee, before those secondary languages were begun; and in some of them even seven-eighths of the words, to say nothing of the construction, the liom, and the usual figures of speech, in which there is little variation throughout the whole of the Indian family."

"An assemblage of Pundits, learned in the various languages of India, and engaged in making new Translations from Versions already existing, afforded (to the Missionaries) advantages for ascertaining the correctness of Versions when made, which are not easily met with elsewhere. Each of those, who carefully perused another Version for the sake of ascertaining the exact meaning of every passage, became a more unexceptionable witness to its accuracy or its incorrectness, than any Native can possibly be who cursorily examines only a few passages. While the latter can do little more than testify to the correctness of the idiom and the general perspicuity of the language, the Pundit, after spending month after month in examining it in order to obtain the literal meaning of each sentence for practical purposes, is a voucher for the accuracy of the rendering in a way that no Native beside can be, till he become acquainted with the original text, or at least obtain a very thorough knowledge of the Scriptures in some other way. As it is impossible that any one of these Pundits could guess beforehand what sense the European Translator might wish him to find in the Version he examines, (for this would have been equivalent to guessing, in nearly every instance, the exact meaning of the original,) it must follow, that the meaning he brought out of each passage, and expressed in his own rough draft, was precisely the meaning he found in that Version: and this, brought to the European Translator, enabled him at once to judge of the Version thus examined.

"This may be illustrated by an example. The Bengalee Version of the New Testament being the first that was finished, when the Orissa Pundit commenced his labors some years after, as he understood Bengalee nearly as well as his own vernacular tongue, he of course took the Bengalee Version

to assist him in making his own rough draft for examination. This, brought to Dr. Carey, enabled him at once to see how far he himself had given the exact meaning of the original in the Bengalee Version, and wherein he had failed. This not only assisted him in rectifying the mistakes in that Version, but enabled him to discern what mistakes were chiefly to be guarded against in future Versions of the Scriptures. Hence, when several of these Pundits have reciprocally read different Versions, and in this way have given undoubted proof of the sense in which they understand them, this has carried more conviction to the mind respecting their accuracy when the sense given has agreed with our own idea of the meaning of these passages, and has assisted us more in discerning those passages which had been inadequately rendered, than all the other helps we have as yet been able to obtain, either from other Natives or Europeans. And as each Version has occupied from seven to twelve years in its formation and its passage through the press, neither time nor means have been wanting to enable us to make up our own minds respecting the merits of each long before it has been sent into circulation. We are ready to indulge the hope, therefore, that although all first Versions must necessarily be imperfect, each of these already named is sufficiently accurate and perspicuous to become, under the Divine Blessing, the means of salvation, as well as the Bengalee, Sungskrit, and Hindee Versions, which God has been pleased already thus to honor. But, while we have this hope, we deem it important to second editions of these Versions, to obtain, from every quarter we are able, the opinions both of other Natives and of Europeans respecting them; and, if possible, critical remarks on particular passages, in the manner described in the Circular Letter on that subject, published in the Appendix of the Seventh Memoir."

Surely, in all this, the man who feels a real interest in the circulation of the Scriptures and the spread of Divine Truth will see abundant cause, not for cavil and accusation, but for thankfulness and joy and future Laborers will doubtless speak of the honored and excellent men now at Serampore, as the Translators of our own Version have spoken of those who had preceded them :

"Therefore, blessed be they, and most honored be their names, that break the ice, and give the onset on that which helpeth forward to the saving of souls. Now, what can be more available thereto, than to deliver God's 'Book unto God's people in a tongue which they understand?"

And doubtless they may be able to add, at the same time—

"Yet, for all that, as nothing is begun and perfected at the same time, and the latter thoughts are thought to be wiser; so, if we, building on their foundation that went before us, and being holpen by their labors, do endeavor to make that better which they left so good, no man, we are sure, hath cause to mislike us: they, we persuade ourselves, if they were alive, would thank us.”

The Committee of the Bible Society are charged with "arrogating to themselves the credit of all that is thus done by the Baptist Missionaries in India." How they do so, does not appear. They print a list of Languages in which Versions have been made; but of the Bible Society they only say, that it has "either directly or indirectly promoted the distribution, printing, or translation of the Scriptures" in these languages? Is this arrogant ?-Is it untrue?

But there are two important points respecting Indian Versions, which have been overlooked by the Reviewer.

1. There exist Auxiliary Bible Societies at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and Colombo, all engaged in promoting the translation and circulation of the Scriptures, in direct connexion with the Society in London. These Societies have rendered important service in the editing and publishing of some of the most important Indian Versions-the Persian for instance, Hindoostanee, Malayalim, Teloogoo, Tamil, Goojurattee. To Calcutta and Madras, large Libraries have been sent out by the Committee in London, selected under the inspection of Professor Lee and other men of learning, for the use of Editors and Translators. These consist of all the most important Critical and Exegetical Works, from Walton's Polyglott, down to the modern works of the most distinguished Scholars of Germany and other countries.

Having mentioned these Societies, I cannot but quote one passage from the last Report of that at Madras, on account of its complete accordance with some of the remarks made above, on imperfect Versions. This Society has been reprinting the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and Isaiah, of the old Tamil Version of Fabricius, though fully sensible of its imperfections: on which they observe

Although it is an object of paramount importance with your Society to obtain and circulate the purest and most faithful translations of the Sacred Scriptures, nevertheless, as long as it is the only existing source from which the spiritual wants of Native Christians can be supplied, it is assuredly its duty, as it doubtless ever will be its earnest desire, to provide them with such means of nourishment as it has pleased an All-wise Providence to place in its hands."

2. The Committee of the Bible Society have voted 5000l. for the Translation Department of that very College at Calcutta, founded by Bishop Middleton, of which the Reviewer speaks so highly. And they voted this sum the moment they heard of its 'establishment, rejoicing to support such an Institution by any means within their power. The Grant has been suitably acknowledged at a Public Meeting of the Society for Propagating the Gospel; and part of it was drawn for by the late lamented Bishop above mentioned.

The establishment of this College seems to afford one instance of the great results to which even weak and imperfect attempts at what is good may in the end lead. For it owes its rise, if we may believe the Reviewer, to the Bishop's meditations on these very same "ill-digested measures of the Earl-Street Committee's Translators," of which we have heard so much.

There is one more charge which requires notice. It is this: