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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1887.
There Ranjit Singh administered justice and râja of Nepal had despatched these forces to settled the disputes of the chiefs, giving to the conquer the said districts, that they had been last named the estate of Ilias Rao. Sahib snccessful, that very many chiefs had submitted Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, cheerfully to them, and that only Sansar Chand was yet bowed to the decision, whereon Ranjit Singh holding out, but would shortly surrender. He again became his guest in PatialA. When he nevertheless desired the alliance of Ranjit reached Lödiâng on his return journey to Singh, and promised him double the nazarána Lahôr, the chief of Jind. requested him to he had hitherto been receiving in this part of bestow upon him the town of Bahlolpar, the country. Ranjit Singh scornfully rejected promising to pay an abundant nazarana and the proposal and continued his march to the the MahÁraja graciously complied, spent some relief of Sansêr Chand, but when the informatime with him in the chase, crossed the Satluj. tion arrived that an epidemic had broken out and continued his march with the intention among the Gorkhås, and that those of them of returning to Lahôr.
who had not died were fleeing for their lives, 21. When Ranjit Singh had departed from he went in pursuit, determined to attack them. the Satluj and was approaching the Biyâs, Fath Amar Singh, the Nepali commander, having Chand, the vakil of the MahArhja Sansar Chand, heard of this intention sent an humble message overtook him, and reported that large forces of submission to Ranjit Singh, who in his turn consisting of savage barbarians from Nepal, replied that he was not desirous to fight an led by Amar Singh, had invested Kangra enemy who had been overtaken by so great a and were devastating it, whilst Sansar Chand calamity, but that he would nevertheless attack himself was being closely besieged by the Amar Singh, unless he forthwith evacuated the Gorkhas. Ranjit Singh accordingly marched country. The Nepali forces accordingly retired, to encounter the Nepalis, and when he reached and Sansår Chand being free to leave his fort, the mountains the commander of the Gör. waited upon Ranjit Singh with valuable gifts. khas sent a messenger to state that the Maha
(To be continued.)
CORRESPONDENCE. BENGALI LITERATURE AND NOMEN. may be suitable for MSS., a distinct department CLATURE.
in the British Museum as in most great libraries), To the Editors of the "Indian Antiquary." will be that names of authors must always form SIR8,-With reference to the notice of Mr. the basis of a scientific catalogue. Possibly the Blumhardt's Catalogue of Bengali Printed need suggested might be best met by a subject Books in the library of the British Museum,' I | Index added to future volumes of the series of should be glad if you would allow me space for a Catalogue of Oriental Printed Books. few explanations, in justice to that gentleman's This brings us, secondly, to the question of the very thorough and conscientious work.
names themselves. Here again, a reference to First, then, it should be clearly understood that the General Catalogue and especially to the late Mr. Blumhardt's catalogue in the Department of Dr. Haas's Sanskrit Catalogue, so much used and Printed Books, like Dr. Rieu's in the Department appreciated by scholars, will show that Mr. of Oriental MSS., forms & volume in a series. Blumhardt had to deal with a system already Catalogues have been already published for the more or less fixed. The grounds on which this printed literatures of Sanskrit, Chinese, and Japa- system has been adopted have been set forth both nese, and in these no subject arrangement has in Dr. Haas's work, and on page viii. of Mr. been adopted. Indeed, it is difficult to see how such Blumhardt's preface. Your critic does not, it an arrangement could be made to square with our Beems to me, at all answer the weighty argumenta vaat Goneral Catalogue now in course of printing. there adduced, but simply makes an appeal to Separate subject catalogues may be issued from ordinary Anglo-Indian experience and memory. time to time, and a successful experiment has I would venture, in reply, to put it to your readers been recently made in this direction; but I be- whether the opinion and usage of educated lieve that the verdict of those most experienced natives, uncorrupted by foreign influences, be not in large collections of printed books (whatever of more real importance than that of the most
ante, p. 227.
