PREFACE. THE appearance of a new history of India requires some words of explanation. If the ingenious, original, and elaborate work of Mr. Mill left some room for doubt and discussion, the able compositions since published by Mr. Murray and Mr. Gleig may be supposed to have fully satisfied the demands of every reader. But the excellence of histories derived from European researches alone does not entirely set aside the utility of similar inquiries conducted under the guidance of impressions received in India; which, as they rise from a separate source, may sometimes lead to different conclusions. Few are likely to take up these volumes unless they are previously interested in the subject, and such persons may not be unwilling to examine it from a fresh point of view: if the result suggests no new opinions, it may at least assist in deciding on those contested by former writers. In the choice of difficulties presented by the expression of Asiatic words in European letters, I have thought it best to follow the system of Sir W. Jones, which is used by all the English Asiatic Societies, as well as by Mr. Cole brooke, Professor Wilson, and various other writers. But as I do not, in general, attempt to express the aspirates, gutturals, or other sounds which are peculiar to Asiatic languages, I have not found it necessary to copy all the minutiae of Sir W. Jones's orthography, or to distinguish particular consonants (as k and c), which, in his system, would represent very different sounds. The following list will explain the powers given to each letter: A' as in far, father. A as u in sun, study; o in son, version; and a itself in unaccented syllables, as in collar, Persian. E' as in there; or as a in dare. E sometimes as in bell, then; but much more frequently the indistinct sound of e in her, murderer, &c. I' as in machine, or as ee in deer. I as in hit, imminent. O' as in holy, alone. O as in obey, symphony. It is the ó shortened (the other short o, as in hot, moss, is not known in Asiatic languages). U' as in rude, true; or as the double o in pool, foolish. U the same sound short, as in pull, fuller. Y as in young, year. W as in war, will. Ei as in height; or as i in bite. Eu as in Europe, feud. Oi as in boil, joiner. Ou as in house, sound. The consonants are the same as in English: except that g is always hard, as in God, give; ch always as in church (not as in Christian, anchor); s always as in case, solstice (not like z, as in phrase); and t always as in tin, Latin (not like sh, as in nation). |