Indian Antiquary Vol 55

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 71

MARCH, 1926 )
BOOK-NOTICES
59
of his observations there and in Sumatra only serve readers also, of Historical Research, be appointed, to what the appetite for more. Collet was evidently and I feel sure that soon students will collect a man of independence of character and close around them and the documents of Maratha History observation, and also full of desire to learn what he be made available for all the world to study. At any could of tho natives of the countries in which his rate those who are inclined to back the study with lot was cast. Indeed one quotation from his funds will in this way find a definite object on letters of a conversation with an educated Hindu which to spend money practically as well as usefully. in 1712 is so good that I am extractingit separately Mr. J. C. Sinha has some useful information on as a note for this journal, as it is too long to quote the attempts of Warren Hastings to reform the in & book-notice. In fact it seems to be more than currency in his day: followed by Mr. S. V. A pity that letters that promise so highly should be chari on famine relief in the Carnatic between allowed to remain indefinitely in MS., and I sincerely 1770 and 1800, in the course of which he arrives hope that Miss Collet may find an opportunity of at the opinion that the relief of a starving population printing them in extenso.
is really a matter for the Government and not for Then follows Mr. J. J. Cotton with an entertain private individuals. ing notice of George Chinnery the artist, in which Next comes a fine paper by Prof. C. S. Srinivas. ia collected a quantity of information well worth achariar upon Robert Orme and Colin Mackenzie. digesting. Here again I have found two matters The former is, of course, now chiefly known by his which I am separately extracting for the journal: great work on the military transactions of the 18th firstly an account of a masoolah boat and secondly century and his enormous collection of MSS., of a catamaran in the first years of the nineteenth but here we have his life and all its human expe. century. After George Chinnery we retum to the riences of ups and downs. Colin Mackenzie was Marathas again and have to follow well-known a man of a different type, steadily rising in his writer on the affairs of that people-Rao Bahadur profession till he became Surveyor General of India D. B. Parasnis, who makes out a strong ca se indeed and always collecting. He intended to make a for further research into contemporary document, catalogue raisonné of his immense collection, as found in the Maratha Records, relating to but died before it was possible to make one. It the History of South India. Inter alia he writes: is still largely unexplored. "on previous occasion I have made a reference | Mr. B. N. Banerjee, in an important paper on to Janardhan Shivaram, the Peshwa's Vakil at "Some Original Sources for a Biography of Begam Pondicherry. Some of his letters have now been Sombre," he describes the sources, in English, published in the volumes of the Itihas Sangraha, Marathi and Persian documents of the story of this and they testify to the ability and statesmanship of great lady, whom he rightly describes as "a wonder. the writer. Unless these letters are translated into ful woman who played Do inconspicuous part in the English, they will not be of much use to students later history of India." In the course of his remarks of history no knowing Marathi. I would therefore he hints that probably somewhere in England may suggest that the Commission arrange for the trane, still exist her own manuscript diary. At any rate, lation of these valuable documents. They are her adopted son Dyce Sombre wrote: "Some equally important as, if not more important than, notos I had made of Her Highness the Begam's tho'diary of Anand Ranga Pillay, the interpreter memoirs with some intention of publishing them of Dupleix, which the Madras Government have
hereafter, and which I had collected with great care ; recently published in English." The fact is that but unfortunately they were taken away from me there is so great a mass of MS. matter relating to with some other papers." Maratha history in existence which ought to be in a short article on "the Bargt invasion of Unearthed and properly edited, that many sugges. | Bengal," in which an account is given of the Ma. tions have been made as to how it might be done. harastra Purana, & poem which describes that Here is another.
terrible Maratha raid. Only the first canto hovever, I have had occasion on other matters to draw at. of a remarkable poem has so far come to light, tention to the Biblical saying: "Where the car- and Prof. J. N. Samaddar looks for help in discover Case is there shall the eagles be gathered together." ing the rest of it. Then follows Dr. S. Krishna. I propose to use it again here. Create the Library swami Aiyangar with "An Account of the temple and the Professor, and pupils will gather round them. at Madura," which incidentally contains a good It has always been thus. So I suggest, as a proposi- deal of history. And after him comes Mr. R. tion attractive to the wealthy donor interested in Sathyanatha Ayyar with a paper of great general the history of his country and people as well to the interest on "Some Jesuit Records and their His. official similarly interested, that the documents of torical Value," and it is good to see the auther Maratha history be collected, so far mis possible, speaking highly of the early Jesuits in South India by the Bombay University and by other suitable as to their possession "of the essential requisites centres with arrangements for their proper care, and for producing good historical documents"; and that at each such contre a professor, and if possible one is grateful to an Indian who is able to write :