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JUNE, 1873.]
EARLY TAMIL BOOKS.
181
.
showed us a transcript of a Malabar [Tamil] book was printed at Tranquebar in 1714. The other entitled Christiano Wanakkam, ' Christian Worship, part, completing the New Testament, came out printed in 1579 at Cochin, in the College of the in 1715. Mother of God,' for the use of the Christians on Tamil type continued to be cast in Halle for the the Pearl-fishery Coast. And so, no doubt, was purpose of aiding the Indian mission work. As another Malabar book, which we have seen in the we have already seen, Ziegeubalg's Grammatica possession of a Romish Christian at Tranquebar, Damulica, a small quarto of 128 pages, was printed of which the title is: "Doctrina Christam, a ma- there in 1716, which, though superseded by other neira de Dialogo feita em Portugal pello P. Marcos modern grammars, is interesting as the first attempt Jorge, da Companhia da Jesu : Tresladada em lin. to reduce the principles of the language to the gua Malavar ou Tamul, pello P. Anrique Anriquez rules of European science, and is valuable for the da mesma companhia. Em Cochin, no Collegio matter it contains. But the work was written in da Madre de Dios, a os quartoze de Novembro, de Latin, and never having been reprintod has beAnno de MDLXXIX.".
come very scarce. Two other works were also As transcripts began to be made so long ago as printed at Halle in Tamil for the use of Native the early part of the last century, it is hardly pos. Christians in this country: one in 1749, the Horsible to expect that any copy of these early-printed tulus Paradisaicus translated from the German of books may now be found, especially as the paper John Arndt, one of the most spiritual and search then used was not likely to be of a very durable ing writers of the Pietists as they were called, and kind.
printed in four parts in small 8vo, comprising 532 Ziegenbalg, in the preface to his Tamil Gram- pages; and the other a translation of another pomar (Grammatica Damulica] which he printed at pular German book by the same author, de Vero Halle in 1716, mentions that Tamil types had been Christianismo, which appeared in 1751, and concut at Amsterdam in 1678 for representing the sists of 399 pages of the same size as the former. names of some plants in the large work Horti Both these books obtained wide popularity in this Indici Malabariciy which appeared in six large country, and copies of them were to be found some volumes, but, whether from inexperience or care- ten or twenty years ago in old Native Christian lessness, the characters were so dissimilar to those families, where they were treasured as heirlooms. of the language, that he says the Tamils them- Founts of Tamil type were all this time also cut selves did not know them to be Tamil. The at- in India, and a long series of publications in the tempt, however, made at Halle in 1710 to produce language was issued from the Tranquebar Press. Tamil types seems to have been more successful As it is not intended to furnish a Bibliographical for Ziegenbalg's Tamil Grammar was printed there Index in this paper, I omit the mention of these. in 1716, and the Tamil characters are represented In 1761 the Madras Government presented the pretty fairly in it, though there was great room Vepery missionaries with a Press taken at Pondifor improvement. Fenger, in his "History of cherry from the French, and in 1793 the Christhe Tranquebar Mission," thus records this at- tian Knowledge Society in London sent out a tempt :-"The people there, though unacquainted Press to the Vepory Mission, and stores were conwith the Tamil language, succeeded in making tinued to be furnished from England by the So. some Tamil lettors, which they hastily tried, and ciety. The Vepery Mission Pre88-or as it is now sent out to Tranquebar; where the first part of better known as the Christian Knowledge Society's the New Testament, as well as other things, was Press, Vepery, Madras-has from that period, with printed with them. This sample, the very first two intervals of cessation from 1810 to 1819 and thing ever printed in Tamil characters, was the again from 1861 to 1866, been in operation with Apostles' Creed: and the friends in Halle, when varying degrees of activity, and is now the forethey despatched it with the printing-press, re- most agency in South India for the accurate and quested soon to be requited by a copy of the New elegant printing of Christian books and tracts in Testament in Tamil" (p. 87). The translation the vernaculars. of the New Testament into Tamil had been com
C. E. K. menced by Ziegenbalg on Oct. 17, 1708, two years Madras, April 21, 1878. after his arrival in the country, and brought to completion on March 21, 1711. Meanwhile the
NAKED PROCESSION. supply of Tamil type from Hallo enabled him to At the Sifihastha jAtra, lately held at Nasik, bring out the first part of the New Testament, one of the religious or quasi religious ceremonies containing the Gospels and the Acts, which is a procession of naked devotees, men and women.
Notices of Madras and Cuddalore in the last Century from the Journals of the Earlier Missionaries, p. 106. London: Longmans, 1868.
