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JUNE, 1903.] EARLY PUBLICATIONS OF THE SERAMPORE MISSIONARIES. 241
THE EARLY PUBLICATIONS OF THE SERAMPORE MISSIONARIES.
(A Contribution to Indian Bibliography.)
BY G. A. GRIERSON, C.I.E., PH.D., D.LITT., I.C.S.
THE
HE Missionary Carey landed in India on the 11th November 1793. His first translation of the Scriptures was into Bengali, the printing of the New Testament being completed on the 7th February, 1801. Between that year and the year 1832 more than two hundred and twelve thousand volumes in forty different languages issued from the Serampore press. For these languages types were designed and cut for the first time, ranging from moveable metal types for Chinese, to types in the Sâradâ character for Kâśmiri. Not only were there published translations of the Scriptures, but also texts, grammars, and translations in various languages.
The Missionaries issued during this period ten memoirs, each giving an account of their translation work up to date. These are now very rare, and as the dates of the various publications have often been wrongly quoted, I give the following abstract of the contents of each. I have to acknowledge the assistance kindly given to me by Mr. Crayden Edmunds of the British and Foreign Bible Society, by Messrs. Tawney and Blumhardt of the India Office Library, and by the Rev. J. B. Myers of the Baptist Missionary Society.
I first give an abstract of the information afforded by each Memoir, spelling Oriental words in the way in which they are given in each case. I then give a classified list, arranged according to languages, of all the works dealing with Oriental languages which issued from the Serampore press between 1801 and 1832. This has been compiled partly from the Memoirs and partly from
other sources.
First Memoir.
Neither the Baptist Missionary Society nor the British and On page 117 of Vol. I. of the Baptist Magazine for 1809 an abstract of its contents. The following is mainly taken
No copy of this is available. Foreign Bible Society possesses a copy. there is, however, what appears to be from it.
Bengalee. 2000 New Testaments distributed. 1000 copies of the Pentateuch (1802) and Hagiographa (1803) printed. Prophets (printed 1806) and Historical books in the press. N. B. From independent sources we know that the printing of the first edition of the Bengalee N. T. was completed on the 7th February, 1801. It was preceded by the Gospel of S. Matthew, to which were annexed some of the most remarkable prophecies in the Old Testament respecting Christ' (500 copies, 1800), which was the first Biblical translation to issue from the press.
Ootkul or Oreeya. Nearly the whole of the N. T. and a part of the O. T. translated. The former in the press.
Telinga (i. e., Telugu). Translation of N. T. in progress.
Kernata.
Ditto
ditto.
Mahratta. Translation of N. T. nearly finished, and of O. T. in progress. The former is in the press.
Guzzerattee. Translation of N. T. in progress. Printing commenced.
Hindoosthanee. Two versions were found necessary; in one of which the Books of Job, Psalms, and the Proverbs, and almost all the N. T. wait for revision and in the other, the Gospel by Matthew is nearly printed.
Seek (i. e., Panjabi). Translation of N. T. advanced to the Gospel by John. Sungskrit. The four Gospels printed.
