Indian Antiquary Vol 49

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 60

56
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
bullocks etc., and their breeding farms." Here he himself has gone against the royal business routine fixed in the Arthasâstra on which he has laid so much stress. The Arthasâstra nowhere enjoins that a king himself should look through the affairs in the vraja. Moreover, this word in the Arthasâstra does not necessarily mean a royal' vraja, but it refers rather to a common vraja from which the Collector-General is to collect revenue. Then again, we ask why, should Aśoka particularly mention the vraja, i.e., the stables for "cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, asses, camels, horses, and mules" (Arthasástra, p. 60), and not the stalls where his elephants were kept which were undoubtedly not less important. This leads me to think that a road, which is one of the meanings of vraja according to Sanskrit lexicons, exactly fits in with the context. If we read it now together with what I have already said about the word vinita, the sense of these two words, vacha and vinita, becomes clear. And I have no doubt in my mind that Aśoka in his declaration means to say that whether the king is on the road for a short walk or journey or being carried to a long distance by the help of successive arrangements of carriages the reporters should report the people's business to him. 5
MISCELLANEA.
AN EARLY REFERENCE TO PORT CORN. WALLIS, IN THE NORTH ANDAMAN ISLAND.
(Madras Courier, 22 Dec. 1790.)
The Honorable Commodore Cornwallis was at the Andamans, on board the Crown, when the Atalanta came away; and it appears by the account she has brought, that a new Harbour had been discovered in one of the small Islands to the North East, extremely capacious and commodious; much more so than even the former one which has been hitherto occupied and known by the name of Port Cornwallis [ now Port Blair ]. The name therefore will probably be now transferred where it is best. deserved, and the new Harbour established [ now known as Port Cornwallis ].
[ MARCH, 1920
The natives of the Andaman Islands appear unfortunately to be of an untractable disposition,
not easily made sensible either to benefits and the kindest treatment or to the superiority of Force. On the boat of the Crown landing on the little Islands mentioned above, a small number of them appeared; and notwithstanding every friendly demonstration, attempted a determined resistance; and actually wounded with their Bows and Arrows some of the Seamen.1 A few of them, however, who were taken, being treated with all possible lenity and dismissed with friendly assurances, it is hoped they may acquire a disposition more favorable both to themselves and us; and that there may be no inconvenience whatever from a contrary spirit to the establishment of so good & Harbour in a situation so eligible.
R. C. TEMPLE.
"Gost hddhvanivahá vrajah."-Amara, III, 3. 30; Sasvata, Poons, 1918, v. 626; Medini, Cal., 1897, Janta, 16; Vivaprakdia, Benares, Janta, 3; Kesavasvdmin, Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, 1176.
5 [It may help the discussion to note that I recollect the well-known native magistrate of Mandalay, U Pe St, helping European officials in 1887 to deal with cases in open Court lying on his face while being shampooed, The Burmese Court continued many very old Indian customs.-ED.]
1 The tribe met with was the Akakora Tribe of the Northern or Akayerewa Division of the people. The cause for hostility to strangers is explained in Census of India, 1901, Vol. III, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, p. 44.