Indian Antiquary Vol 17

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 31

JANUARY, 1898.]
MISCELLANEA.
25
for philologists, but an indispensable auxiliary to of the National League and of boycotting has the researches of other students.
spread even to Old Irish MSS. In the present (d) Jan. toth, Professor Rockhill's Life of paper M. H. D'Arbois de Jubainville demolish Buddha forms the text of a short but favourable Dr. Zimmer's Glossarium Hibernicarum e review by M. Feer. The same number contains codicibus Wireiburgensi Carolisruhensibus aliis an article by M. F. Geo. Möhl, dealing with the editarum supplementum. Dr. Zimmer is roundly Etymologisches Wörterbuch der slavischen Spra. accused of plagiarizing from Dr. Stokes without chen, by the great Slavonic scholar, Professor
Slavonic scholar, Professor acknowledgment. Franz Miklosich, who is already well-known to 6) April 25th.-An important article by M. A. the readers of the Indian Antiquary for his Com- Barth in this number deserves a longer notice parative Grammar of the Gipsy dialects. The here than the above. It is a review of Dr. present Etymological Dictionary of the Slav Gustave Le Bon's Les Civilisations de l'Inde. Tongues is an epoch in the history of Slav Dr. Le Bon was despatched two or three years philology; for, while it is a concise résumé of the ago by the French Minister of Public Instruction progress hitherto aooomplished in this direction, on an archæological mission to India, the formal it at the same time opens out a vista of new result of which took the shape of a report in researches, showing clearly what remains to be | 5 volumes folio, with more than 400 plates and done, and marking down the points which are photographs. The present work is an abstr doubtful or obscure. As for the purely lexico. placed at the disposal of the general public, but graphical portion of the work, it is developed in an abstract free from dryasdust details, a recital the most complete and thorough manner. The animated, often brilliant, and frequently discussvocabularies of fifteen Blav Languages have ing general questions in a manner always been abstracted and arranged, and every word interesting, though sometimes with doubtful compared and analyzed in the most minute detail. justice. Derivatives and compounds are arranged under In these days profusely and handsomely illuroots, with a system and clearness which render strated books about India are by no means rare. easy the reading of the longest articles. Omis- In France alone, it is sufficient to mention the sions are rare and of small importance.
travels of MM. Grandidier and Rousselet, pub. (6) Feb. 7th. - Another member of the neo- lished by Hachette, of which the artistic portion grammatical sohool is dealt with in this number is irreproachable. But none of these books come by M. V. Henry, in a review of Professor K. near the perfection attained in Dr. Le Bon's Brugmann's Grundriss der vergleichenden Gram
volume, either in the number and systematio matik der Indogermanischen Sprachen. This choice of the plates or in their admirable execuimportant Comparative Grammar of the tion. It is to be regretted that these beautiful Indo-Germanio Languages has attracted so illustrations are not accompanied by a real text, much attention, and been so widely and favour. and it is tantalizing, as one looks through them, ably reviewed throughout the civilized world, that to catch glimpses of the work which it would a very brief notice of M. Henry's verdict will
have been so easy for the author to write, if he suffice here. He concludes his article as fol.
had chosen to narrate and desoribe more a work lows :-"It will be seen that this work, which has charming, instructive and useful to all, to the already become a classio, marks a halting place specialist and to the general reader, and readily in the Science of Language, of equal importanoe saleable withal, for every one would find therein with the Grammar of Bopp and the Compen- something interesting. But, adds M. Barth, wo dium of Schleicher. Its place is allotted in are not dealing with the book which Dr. Le Bon all philological libraries next these venerable monu. could have and ought to have written, but with mente, to which we owe every respect, but which that which he has written. It is well described no longer fulfil our requirements.”
by its title. It is an attempt to realize the dif. The same number contains a contribution to the ferent civilizations which have succeeded each dispute between Dr. Zimmer on the one side and other in India from the earliest times to the Dr.Whitley Stokes and others contra. Surely the present day. What could have induced him to irritabile genus of scholars seems to flourish more attempt so great a voyage, furnished as he was, it Atrongly amongst Celtic philologists than in any ! must be confessed, with rather scanty baggage ? other branch of linguistic study. The contagion Perhaps the lightness of the baggage is itself
* Les Civilisations de l'Inde, par le Dr. Gustave Le Bon, chargé par le Ministère de l'Instruction publique d'une mission archéologique dans l'Inde. Ilustrated with 7 chromolithographs 2 maps and 350 engravings
and heliographs after photographs, water colours, and papers of the author. Paris, Firmin Didot and Co., 1887, vii. 743 pp. 4to.