of the Malays with reference to the Tenure of Land." He also edited three Malay Fairy Tales, "Sri Rama," "Raja Donan," and "Raja Ambong," taken down by him from the lips of Malay rhapsodists, and published with a translation and with notes from his pen. In 1893 he was elected Vice President of the Society, and his official duties as Colonial Secretary from this time forward prevented his contributing to the Journal, though he continued to take the liveliest interest in the Society's work, and was able in many ways to give it material assistance.
The work he did for the Society is not, however, to be only judged by what he did under its auspices and in its name. He contributed to the Royal Asiatic Society's journal some interesting notes on Malay legends, and he wrote a Manual of the Malay Language which has done much to facilitate a scholarly acquisition of the idioms in which he took so deep an interest. He was in some measure acquainted with Arabic and Sanskrit, but will best be remembered for his work in connection with the indigenous elements of the Malay Language, its traditions and folk-lore. He collected a fine library of Malay MSS., which he has bequeathed to the Royal Asiatic Society. A great. advocate of scholarly method, he did much to draw attention to the material that exists, in Dutch and other foreign languages, for the proper study of Malay. Indeed it was his view that an intending student of Malay should commence by learning Dutch; and there is no doubt that, with our limited literature on local subjects, his advice is worthy of consideration. That he was much influenced by Dutch scholars is often clearly traceable in his writings; and he had frequently to fight single-handed in defence of views which anyone acquainted with Dutch studies en the subjects would have at once admitted to be sound.
It is most difficult to exactly measure the extent of Sir William Maxwell's influence, as a scholar, upon his contemporaries and successors. He is constantly referred to by Dutch writers, and (except on one point) always with authority. His work on Malay Proverbs drew attention to the possibilities of a most interesting study, and led to the publication of at least one other valuable contribution on the same subject, from the pen of Mr. H. Clifford. His edition of Malay Rhapsodist tales also
