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THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST. 307 Delegates of the Clarendon Press and the Secretary of State for India, an account of my stewardship.
There was in the beginning, as it could hardly have been otherwise, considerable delay. The help of really competent scholars had to be secured, and some time had to elapse before they could prepare their translations. The first volume therefore could not be published before 1879, and now in 1882 the number of volumes published amounts to fourteen only. It would be too long to explain to you all the causes of delay. I lost by death the valuable assistance of Professor Childers, who had undertaken the translation of important parts of the Buddhist Canon. Illness prevented Professors Cowell and Pischel, and likewise Dr. Rajendralal Mitra from fulfilling their promises, while similar causes delayed very considerably the work entrusted to Professor Bhandarkar, Rev. S. Beal, Professor Jacobi, Professor Kielhorn, and Mr. K. T. Telang.
Under these circumstances the execution of the work I had undertaken became, at one time, extremely precarious, and I had to apply for assistance to other scholars in order not to disappoint the Delegates of the Press and the Indian Government. That assistance was readily granted, and I have now the satisfaction of informing you that I still hope to be able to fulfil all I had promised, and to fulfil it within the stipulated time.
Fourteen volumes are now finished, eight more are in the Press, and the translation of the remaining two volumes is sufficiently advanced to be ready by October 1884.
Looking at the work that has been done and will be done by the end of 1884, it may be seen that all the great religions of the East have been fairly represented, although twenty
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