Indian Antiquary Vol 56

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 15

JANUARY, 1937 ]
DRAVIDIAN LINGUISTIO STUDIES IN THE COMPANY'S DAYS
9
Sanskrit words, or tat-bhavam, derived from Sanskrit." The Desya (native words) may be divided into pure Tamil and derivatives from Tamil. The study of the language was greatly facilitated in this generation by the Grammars of Mr. Spring of the Madras Civil Service and of the Rev. Mr. Peet of the Church Mission Society, and by the good and useful dictionaries of Malayalam and English, and English and Malayalam, compiled by the Rev. Mr. Bailey of the same Mission. In 1842 Government patronage was solicited for the work of Mr. Bailey,67 Both Government and the College went only a little way towards meeting the need for printed books for the use of students.
With regard to Kannada, the want of a good dictionary was supplied early enough, in which the Madras College had a good share. A better dictionary, both Kannada and English, and English and Kannada, was published in four quarto volumes by Mr. Reeve of the London Missionary Society in 1882. The copyright of Reeve's work was acquired by the Company on the recommendation of the College Board in 1831.68 Reeve commenced his labours as far back as 1817.. He emphasized the affinity between Telugu and Canarese, and he made the fullest possible use of the Telugu Dictionary of Campbell and the Sanskrit Dictionary of Wilson. He had to encounter, as he saysło, the full force of adverse conditions-"the rareness of ancient manuscripts, the endless blunders of drivelling and hireling transcribers, the paucity of duplicates for collation, and the comparatively small number of men to be found among the natives, POBBessing appropriate philological information, soundness of judgment or zeal for literary research and improvement, have occasioned no inconsiderable suspense, annoyance and embarrassment." Records of 1849 tell us of the Government's recommendation to the Court of Directors that help should be given to the Rev. Mr. Moegling in publishing certain works of his in the Kanarese language". The same author was later promised aid in publishing the Basava Purana and the Chenna Basava Purdņa; but the Court of Directors considered that "the aid of Government should be confined to original works or to publications calculated to be useful to junior civil servants, and the expense of which was moderate."
Works undertaken on behalf of the Madras Government, like Ellis' Mirasi Tenure, Robertson's Glossary in Tamil and English of words used in the law-courts, may also be mentioned in this connection, as having helped in linguistic studies to some extent. Mr. Richard Clarke of the Madras Civil Service collected a great volume of materials relating to terms used in Government records, including Muhammadan law-terms; and his valuable MSS. were useful to Professor Wilson in the compilation of his valuable Glossary. The publications of the Madras School Book Society, started in 1820, formed a most enlightened development of vernacular literature. The abolition of the College of Fort St. George in 1854, and the con. stitution of Board of Examiners instead, closed a most useful side of governmental activity. Now that the critical study and promotion of the vernaculars is in full progress, it behoves us to remember gratefully and cherish the good pioneer work done by missionary enterprise and both directly and indirectly by Government agency also which was promptly and willingly taken advantage of by Indian scholars and students. Further material for the elucidation of this interesting subject lies imbedded in the Records of the Public Department in the Madras Record Office.
67 Public Consultations, 29th Nov. 1842. 58 Grammar and Dictionary of Karnata, by J. McKerrell, M.C.S. (1820). 6 Public Consultations, 2nd Jan. and 12th March 1824 ; and 28th June 1831.
70 Preface, p. ii, and Kittel, A Kannada-English Dictionary, (Mangalore, 1894), (Preface). Pp. vii and viii.
11 Public Consultations, 31st July. 73 Proceedings in the Pub. Dept. of the 16th Nov. 1852 (Dispatch Nos. 19-21).