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July, 1873.^ REVIEWS. 203 or by the aborigines ? An answer to these questions would lead to further interesting investigations. I have seen many Venetian coins in this zilla, but they are rapidly disappearing; tho natives, valuing them for the extreme purity of the gold, convert them into jewels. I have designated the images on the rock “ Jaina,” and not Buddhistic, and my reason for so doing is that each inscription designates the image above it a “ Tirru Meni,” the usual term for a Jaina saint. Puthiampulhar, 23rd January 187*2. REVIEWS. Narma Kosa (f»isUl) : A Dictionary of the Gujar&ti Language: by Narmadft Sankara. The author of this dictionary has been for many years well known to Gujaratis as a writer of both prose and poetry. He has a knowledge of Eng¬ lish, is a diligent student, an enterprising author, and has made successful efforts to give his country¬ men the benefit of his studies. He now appears as a lexicographer, and presents to the students of Gujarati a goodly quarto of 619 pages, double columns and close print. The book has been long promised and earnestly expected. Years ago we had several instalments in parts, which gave us up to the word jetht madha Yet the present work is not a continuation of these parts. The old matter has been recast and the work completed on a slightly abridged scale. To keep the work within pre¬ scribed bounds, many words and forms of words ( *i"t ) have been omitted. Tho author informs us that not only all proper names, but many generio or class names of animals and plants, and also lechnical terms, have been excluded— omissions greatly to be regretted. Yet some agri¬ cultural terms have been retained, and some rustic words have been given as examples of a class. Of Sanskrit words, and words of foreign origin, only those are given which are in common use. He has also endeavoured to include words used by the older writers. We must thank the author for giving us this information. We know what to look for, and must not be disappointed when we miss in the dictionary words we may occasionally meet with in reading and conversation. No doubt the Btudent will regret many of these omissions; for we naturally go to a dictionary for rare words and uncommon forms of words. Yet, both for the number of words illustrated and for the fulnoss of the meanings given, this dictionary leaves all its predecessors far behind. It will at once take its place as a most valuable help to the Gnjar&ti student. Foreigners will be troubled at first by finding that the explanations are given in Guja- r&ti, but this trouble will ultimately facilitate their progress. We cannot help regretting that the author has not seen fit to introduce a little philology into his book. Tho source whence a word, or a leading word, has been derived is indeed indicated, but notliing more; no attempt is mado to show the connection of words ono with another, nor to exhibit tho historical and logical relations of the various meanings of words. Ho has, indeed, taken pains to give U3 fully tho meanings of words, but tho arrangement of those meanings might have been different and better. Wo hopo tho author will, with his characteristic energy, turn his attention to this matter in pre¬ paring any future edition of his valuable book. In two particulars ho adopts rather a peculiar system of orthography. As Gujar&ti is commonly written, anuswdr uniformly represents the fivo nasal sparia consonants 7,3T» Narmada Sankara discards the anuswA? and uses the con¬ sonants : for ms, m**i, &c. ho writes m^s>m>**i» &c. Whatever may be said in favour of this, we fancy tho convenience of the common mode will carry tho day. But a greater innovation is tho introduction of a point under a letter to re¬ present a light h or aspiration after tho letter so marked. He gives a list of some seven hundred words, or more, in which this point is introduced. Wo fear the author rather overrides his hobby, but he has a good excuse for proposing this ortho¬ graphy. The Gujar&tis have not yot fixed upon a uniform way of representing h in the body or at the end of a word. They sometimes omit it alto¬ gether, sometimes insert it with or without the vowel of the preceding letter. Thus we have m* &o. These words our lexi¬ cographer proposes to write >ii, ttii, &c. Time will show whether this will be generally re¬ ceived. There is this to be said for it, it helps to show the syllabification of a word:, for in¬ stance, seems to bo a word of three syllables, but is considered to be of only two; so also are counted as words of only two sylla¬ bles. The author in his preface and introduction gives us some interesting information. Passing by several autobiographical notices, we remark that