his daughter in her day of distress? Is it probable that Mati Lal's step-mother should not be cared for by her father? And is it probable, we ask, that the other relatives, however distant, of Mati Lal's mother and sister, should be so unmindful of them as to leave them beggars on the streets?

Barada Prasad seems, questionless, to be our author's favourite character. His exact morals have been painted couleur de rose, and his beneficence has been ostentatiously displayed. We do not, we confess, much like that gentleman. His prosy lectures on morality are very tedious and very common place. His religion is, evidently, of the Calcutta Bramho Samuj type. The hopes to ascend into heaven by the ladder of his own virtues. In our eyes he looks very like a self-righteous Pharisee. Ram Lal and Beni Babu of Bali both partake of the infirmities of their teacher. Bacharam, with his nasal accent, seems to us to be less pompous and more simple than the whole of the fraternity to which he belonged.

Thak Chacha is, undoubtedly, the best drawn of all the characters in the novel. We shall never forget our first introduction to that Mohammedan gentleman, in the house of Baburam Babu,-just fresh from his morning ablutions and prayers-with the copper badna in his hand-talking the language of knavery, and boasting of his successful achievements in the school of chicanery. All his after-thoughts, all his after-acts, are consistent throughout. He is a finished knave. But whether the contemplation of such a character by the readers of the novel is as beneficial as its conception is creditable to the author, we must be allowed to doubt; though the end of that character, to be sure, may impress us with the lesson that vice cannot be successful in the long run.

We regret that our author has, in telling a very good story, adopted a very barbarous style. We are not admirers of that high, inflated, pompous, and half-sanscrit style which is in vogue at present. Still we are advocates of pure Bengali. However common the words, let them be at least Bengali words. Our author has used a large number of Hindustani words. Such words, except when relating the proceedings of a court, might well have been avoided. We regret this circumstance the rather, as owing to this fault the book will not, we are persuaded, be popular with a certain class of people. A golden mean might have been easily struck between the high style alluded to in the above, and the vulgar style in which most parts of the book are written. That the author could write in a purer and more elevated style, if he chose, we have not the slightest doubt. He has himself given us a proof of that in the last part of his book, the style of which is purer and chaster than that bulk of the volume.

On the whole we think very highly of the performance before us. Our author's quiet humour reminds us of Goldsmith, while his livelier passages bring to our recollections the treasures of Fielding's wit. With our whole heart we wish success to the author of the first novel in the Bengali language.

For the benefit of such of our readers as are uninitiated into the mys

teries of the Bengali language, we shall now translate into English one or two passages of the book before us.

Every rich Babu has a Baitakhánά or saloon, in which he is always surrounded by people variously engaged. The following is a description of parties in the saloon of Baburam Babu :—

"Baburam Babu of Baidyabati is sitting like a Babu. Harey is shampooing his legs. In one corner two Bhattachargyas are discussing theological subjects. To-day a gourd may be eaten-to-morrow brinjals are forbidden-to drink milk with salt in it is the same as to eat beef-such are the edifying subjects of their clamorous disputation. In another corner a party is playing at chess; one of the players, putting his hand on his head, looks serious-he is about to lose the game-one checkmates him. On one side, one or two persons are tuning musical instruments, the tanpoora making the sound of meo, meo. On another side, Mohurrirs are squaring accounts. In front, are standing creditors, ryots, and mahajans. Many cases are being decreed and dismissed. The Baitakhana is overflowing with people. The mahajans are saying, “Sir, some of us gave you goods about four years ago, and others three years; by not receiving money up to this time, we are not a little inconvenienced-we have been coming a great many times-our business is at a stand." Petty retail-dealers—the oilman, the fuel-man, the sweetmeat seller and the like, weeping, said, "Sir we are ruined-we are like the fish cyprinus chrysoparus, early destroyed-if you do so, how can we live ?-The ligatures of our legs are loosened by coming frequently to your house--our shops are shut up-and our wives and children are starved to death." The Dewan is now and then saying, "Go to-day-you will of course get your money-why do you talk so much?" If any one becomes very clamorous in his demands, Baburam Babu looks fiercely at him, abuses him, and sends him away from the assembly. Big Bengali Babus take articles on credit through the length and breadth of the land, and get fever when payment is demanded; the money is in the box, still if payment is not put off from day to day, the Baitakhana is not filled with people."

In the following extract is described a magistrate as he exercised authority in the mofussil some forty years ago. It is extracted from the trial of Barada Babu :

* *

"The clock had struck three. The people were vexed beyond measure. There is no end of business in a Mofussil Court. People weary themselves to death by going to and fro. The Amlahs were about to go home, when the sound of the wheels of the magistrate's carriage was heard. All immediately cried out" The Saheb is coming." The amlahs stood in their respective places. As soon as the Saheb entered the court, all bowed down to the ground. The Saheb whistled as he went up and set on the bench. The hookabardar brought the hookah. The Saheb reclining in his chair and putting his legs upon the table, smokes and wipes his face with his handkerchief wet with lavender. The court is filled with people. Under-writers are taking down depositions of parties. He who has the biggest pocket has the best case. The Sheristadar, covered with shawls—a khirkidari turban on his head, reads heaps of petitions in a sing-song manner. The Saheb now reads the morning's newspaper, and now writes his private letters, and so soon as a petition has been read, asks "Well, what's the matter ?" The Sheristadar says whatever he likes. The voice of the Sheristadar is the voice of the magistrate."

Here is a description of the house of Thak Chacha and of his wife Thak Chachi :

“Thak Chacha's house was in the extremity of the town. On two sides were two tanks overgrown with weed (salvinia cuculata), and in front was the sacredplace of a Mahomedan Pir. Inside the house was a granary of paddy, and in the yard geese and fowls wandered about day and night. Before day-break all sorts of budmashes came in shoals. To gain his end, Thak Chacha underwent various transformations. Sometimes he spoke softly, and sometimes angrily—

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

sometimes he smiled, and sometimes he frowned-now he talked like a saint, and now he acted like a bully. Business over, after bathing and dining he used to sit by his wife and smoke in his hookah of bidri. It was at such times that the husband and the wife spoke together of their joys and their griefs. Thak Chachi was greatly respected by all the women of the neighbourhood. They all had the conviction that she was well versed in charms, incantations, amulets, conjurings, enchantments, and other occult practices. Hence many women held private consultations with her. Like god, like goddess-Thak Chacha and Thak Chachi were an incomparable pair. The former made money through sheer force of genius, the latter by her science."

We conclude with a fight, the like of which, we fear, may be witnessed any day in the Mofussil :—

"Mati Lal is engaged in boisterous merriment with his boon companions, and the Naib, spectacle-bestrid, opening the day-book, is writing and drying the ink, when all of a saying, "Sir, the rascally planter is ruining us. sudden some ryots came running and bawled aloud, himself, and is ploughing the land on which we have sowed. What a sowing The rascal has come down the rascal is spoiling! The scoundrel is harrowing up our ripe corn!" The Naib, collecting about a hundred men hastened to the spot, and saw the planter --a solah hat on his head--a cheroot in his mouth-a gun in his hand-cheering on his men. The Naib went near and timidly uttered one or two words. The planter cried out-"Drive him away! drive him away! beat him! beat him!" immediately the two parties began plying their latties. The planter was about to fire on the Naib, when the latter adroitly hid himself alongside a hedge of thorn. The party of the zemindar was worsted in the fight, and a few men were killed. The planter went away, with colours flying, to the factoryhouse, and the ryots, who had taken advance-money from the planter, returned to their several homes weeping and saying, The planter, on returning to the factory house, opens a bottle of Soda-water "what a fate! what a fate!" and drinks it with brandy, whistles, and sings-his dog playing pranks before him. He knows in his innermost soul that it is impossible to do any thing to him. The judge and magistrate often dine with him. The Amlahs of the police and the adawlut, in consequence, look upon him as Pluto himself. Besides, should there be an investigation of the matter, he had nothing to fear, as a case of this sort, so far as regarded him, could come up only in the Supreme Court."

Padártha Juán Darpan, [The Mirror of Natural Science.]

Is a small treatise compiled by Babu Raj Krishna Adhya, a teacher of the Chinsurah Free Church Institution, for the use of vernacular schools. The subjects treated in it are, air, clouds, rain, dew, steam, fogs, snow, thunder and lightning, meteors, ignesfatui, the rain-bow, storms, earth-quakes, volcanoes, springs, and rivers, the phases of the moon, and solar and lunar eclipses. intelligence with which the above-mentioned subjects are treated reThe flects credit on the writer; but the style is unnecessarily high. If the writer aims at popularity he should adopt a more simple and easy style.

Swapna Darshan, [A Dream.] By Behari Lal Chakrabartti.

As our author was taking repose of an evening, he dreamed a dream in which the genius of India appeared to him and described in highsounding words the forlorn state of his fatherland. We regret we cannot felicitate our author on being a "glorious dreamer.

Khrishta-Dharmma-Sar [The Essence of the Christian Religion.]

Is a translation of a Catechism prepared by the celebrated Revd. Thomas Charles of Bala. The translation is good, and reflects credit on Babu Dwarika Nath Banerjea, the translator. From the English preface attached to it, we infer that it has been published under the auspices of the mission of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists at Sylhet. The Catechism may be characterized as a short compendium of Christian theology. It is divided into ten sections, the subjects of which are as follows :-Creation and the Creator, the Fall of man, the person of Christ, and the Covenant of Grace, the work of Christ, Faith, the Holy Spirit, manifestation of Christ in the believer's soul, the law of God, means of obtaining God's favour, and the last day. We wish the scripture-proofs had been quoted in full, instead of being merely indicated by numerical figures. As it is, the little book must be very useful to those native Christians (and they constitute by far the great majority) who are unacquainted with the English language. We wish it all success.

Padyete Rachita Jishu Khrishta Charitra, [The Life of Jesus Christ in Bengali Verse]; Calcutta ; Baptist Mission Press,

1858.

THIS book, which is exactly 200 pages long, published under the auspices of the Calcutta Christian Tract and Book Society, contains a versified account of our Saviour. It is nothing else but a harmony of the Gospels, put into the commonest of Bengali verse called payar. The versification is in general good, though we have not been able to discover a single spark of poetic fire in the dull mass. Robert Hall would have characterized it as "a continent of mud." yet we dare say, the book will be of some use. The Bengali, who is passionately fond of poetry or rather of jingling rhyme, will read it through. What we want however, is not a versified but a truly poetical account of Christ, and a poetical account moulded and fashioned by the genuine spirit of oriental poetry. A poetical account of Christ written in the spirit, and after the model of the life of Krishna in Shrimadbhagbat would be an inestimable boon to the cause of Christianity in India. Such a book would produce greater effect than all the tracts and books which the Calcutta Christian Tract and Book Society has issued since the date of its institution,

Shiber Brittanta, [Account of Sira, &c.] Calcutta; Baptist Mission Press. 1858.

THIS volume, also published by the Calcutta Christian Tract and Book Society, consists of six tracts on six different Hindu

gods and goddesses; the first tract is on the worship of Siva; the second, on the worship of Jagannath; the third, on the worship of Durga; the fourth, on the worship of Kali; the fifth, on the divinity of the Ganges; and the sixth, on the worship of Krishna. All of them have been written by Babu Bipra Charan Chakrabartti, Catechist of the Church of Scotland Mission, Calcutta. As the tracts are written in an easy and popular style, and are filled with quotations from the Hindu Shastras, they are, we think, calculated to be useful in demolishing error. We have received two small pamphlets containing hymns; one composed by Babu Biprahcharan Chakrabartti, author of the tracts noticed above; and the other by Babu Kali Das Chakrabartti, Catechist of the Free Church of Scotland, Calcutta. All that we can say regarding them is, that as first attempts, they are very creditable. We must, we fear, reject cart loads of hymn books composed both by Europeans and natives, before we can have a hymnology worthy of the Church of Christ in Bengal.

Padmini Upáklyán (Padmini―A Tale of Rajasthan.) By Ranga Lal Banerjea. Calcutta. 1858.

In the last Report of the Vernacular Literature Society, occur the following sentences:- "Their (the committee's) standing premium of Rs. 200 has been advertized continually, and several original works of more or less merit have been forwarded for their approval, but none have yet been judged of sufficient merit to receive the prize. The best among them was the Padmini Upákhyán, a tale in verse, by Babu Ranga Lal Banerjea. Although this was not equal to the standard which they had fixed, and had also the draw-back of not being in prose, yet, as it possessed decided merit in some respects, they resolved, if the author published it, to grant him a certain sum as an encouragement." Two reasons are specified in the above lines for rejecting the Padmini Upákhyán ; first, it was not equal to the standard which the Committee had fixed; and secondly, that it was in verse. For the second reason we have no quarrel with the Committee of the Vernacular Literature Society. Tastes differ. All people do not relish poetry; and Lord Bacon tells us that some of the fathers called poetry demonum." But we have a quarrel with the Committee on the score of the first reason- "It was not equal to the standard which they had fixed." What is that standard? And who were the adjudicators ? "It was not equal to the standard which they had fixed," we verily believe, for the poem, we suspect, is considerably higher than that standard. Seriously, if the Committee refuse to accept compositions of the merit of the tale before us, they may wait a quarter of a century before they find a single book suited to their taste.

"vinum

The subject of the poem before us is taken from Col. Tod's Annals of Rajasthan. The readers of Indian history are familiar with the stirring story, but it will bear being told again.