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180
- THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
JUNE, 1907.
BOOK-NOTICE. BUCH DAS RÄGÄWAN, DER KÖNIGSGESCHOOXTI. DIN In the Introduction, besides the necessary GRECHICHTS Da Mon-KÖNIGN IN HINTISINDIEN particulars concerning the manuscript, Pater NACK BINEM PALYBLATT MANUSKRIPT AUB DEX
Schmidt gives an abstract of its contents and a MON ÜBERRETET, MIT EINER EINFÜHRUNG UND, NOTA VERSEHEN, VON P. W. SCHMIDT, S.Y.D.. Vienna,
Bummary of the information available about 1903. (Reprintod from the Bileungsberichte der Kass.
other Mon MSS. at present known to exist. Akademie der Wissenschaften.)
Forchhammer in 1880 made a list of 53 Mon MSS.
which are said to be now in the Bernard Free PATER W. SCHMIDT's researches into the Mon- Library in Rangoon, and besides these there are Khmer dialects are well known. In 1904 a few catalogued in European collections. Owing appeared his Grundsüge einer Lautlehre der to the Mon character being practically the same as Khasi-Sprache, and in the following year his the Burmese, these last have usually been classed Grundzüge einer Lautlehre der Mon-Khmer as belonging to that language, -scholars in Mon Sprachen.' In these works he so carried on the being so rare in the West, that apparently no one enquiries begun by Logan and Forbes and placed has yet been found capable of reading them. Now on & scientifio footing by Kuhn, that we have that attention has been drawn to the fact, it is now a definite knowledge as to the mutual possible that other works in the same language relationship of the various members of the may be found in Europe un libraries, similarly group.
hidden under a Burmese classification."
While we can most heartily congratulate It will be observed that the works to which Pater Schmidt on being privileged to introduce reference has just been made deal only with one | Mon literature so successfully to British studenta, aspect of the subject, - the Lautlehre, Phunetics,
it is not easy to repress a feeling of patriotic Pater Schmidt was quite aware that even more
envy that the first serious attempt at dealing important from a philological point of view would
with an important Oriental language, spoken by be a comparative study of the laws of the word
nearly 175,000 British subjeuts, should have formation, in its widest sense, of these languages.
appeared in Vienna, and not in London or But for this purpose trustworthy texts of two or
Rangoon. One resouroe there is, and I hope it three of the principal forms of speech were an
will be soon adopted. This is to translate Pater absolute neceesity, and while such were forth
Schmidt's excellent work as quickly as possible coming for Khmer, for the other leading tongue
80 that it may become accessible to scholars in Mon, nothing was available beyond three short
India who are not aoquainted with the German fables in the Haswell-Stevens Grammar and a few language.
GEORGE A. GRIERBON. translations from English of doubtfal value. Pater Schmidt was therefore compelled to refrain from carrying his researches further till, through RRADERS of the Indian Antiquary, who interest the kindness of that accomplished authority on themselves in Iranian studies, will bo glad to Malacca languages, Mr. C. O. Blagden, he came learn that Professor Bartholomae has issued into possession of the manuscript of the work,
a supplement to his monumental Alliranisches the name of which heads this notice. It is partly Wörterbuch which appeared in 1904. It appears a life of the Buddha and partly a history of the
under the title of Zum altiraniachen Wörterbuch Mon Kingdom from the middle of the 12th to the
Nacharbeiten und Vorarbeiton, and is published middle of the 18th century, A.D., mostly written at Strasburg by Karl J. Trübner. in the Mon language. He lost no time in editing The book, which contains about three hundred it, both in the native and in the Roman character, pages, includes not only additions and corrections and has supplied in addition & valuable 1 to the main work, but also replies to criticisms Introduction, Translation, and notes. In and a special exoursue of 68 pages devoted to a Appendixes, he gives lists of words which do not consideration of the vowels and vowel signs in the appear in any. Mon vocabularies hitherto Iranian manuscripts lately discovered in Turfan. published. These words amount to a consider- It is hardly necessary to say that the importance able number, and as he has succeeded in of the subjects dealt with, and the eminence of ascertaining the meanings of most of them, the the writer, 'render the book indispensable to all Appendixes form a substantial addition to Moustadunts of Old Iranian literature, lexicography
G, A. G.
