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results of the labours of Englishmen in this department), and a few essays, in which there is not a single stretch of thought, but a great deal of abstract, and still more of trash.* Ill

* With the exception of Moonshee Mohanlal's "Journal,” Messrs. Hirji and Jehangir's" Residence in England," Mr. Dosabhoy Framji's "History of the Parsis," and some tracts of Bal Gangadhar Shastri, we have nothing on this side of India to show even as readable compositions. There are, no doubt, highsounding "moral essays," "social dissertations," and "civil administration" and "religious" essays-one or two in English, the rest in the vernacular; but they are all compilations, if not dishonest plagiarisms-part from this author, and part from that. It is the conviction of the writer of these pages, that almost all works and essays printed in the vernacular are tinged with a degree of dishonesty disgusting to any honest reader. Often, entire books are plagiarised, and no mention made of the authors; and when the writer is deliberately dishonest, but also intelligent, he endeavours to avoid detection by indenting upon different authors at the same time. The writer has seen a book of moral essays, with the name of the pretended author prefixed, which, even on a superficial reading, reminded him of "Chambers's Moral Class-book" (already translated into Gujarati as well as Marathi), and the late Rev. Mr. Nesbit's "Discourses." That this practice of indenting upon English authors is not unconscious, is obvious from the fact that the author (we mean of the dishonest plagiarisms) does it with a view to obtain favourable reviews, and tries, in the whole run of his argument, to avoid detection as much as possible, by introducing a sentiment of his own in a line or two here and there. Some five years ago, a most audacious deception of this kind was attempted on the public, and had very nearly escaped all notice. A collection of essays was published in Gujarati, with the name of the would-be author affixed to it,

fares it, then, with any young man who ventures to dispute their dictum, or pursue earnestly a course of reform and enlightenment in his own way; for whenever he touches any one

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without any mention-even so much as a passing allusionbeing made to the aid derived from another writer. No doubt the work, as reviewed by our Gujarati papers, and judged by the public, was a surprisingly useful one-as much so as Bacon's Aphorisms," which it resembled in many respects. But the only credit due to the audaciously dishonest appropriator was, as subsequently discovered, that he had translated word by word a small English work published in the last century, and now quite out of print!

While advancing such facts as these, it needs not to be stated that the man who felt no moral restraint from such a bold piece of contemptible dishonesty and cheatery with the public, though he affects much, is possessed of but little English learning; and, in his translation, we hesitate not to assert that he has altogether spoilt a fine, thoughtful English treatise, from want of a clear comprehension of the philosophic strain of the essays. The English work, so dishonestly and ignorantly ransacked, was doubtless translated with the view of getting either a name, (but what name is there in being a mere translator?) or making up a little fortune by way of literary profit. Even with this practice, we have not a long list of prints to show. The prospect in Calcutta is, however, far more cheering, and the writer of these pages has been assured by his Baboo correspondent that there are occasionally very creditable works published in his city. The number of different tracts and works already published in the Bengalee language he believes from minute inquiry is not far short of thirteen hundred; while here, in Bombay, with all the dishonest pretensions on the part of our older students, we cannot show one-fourth of that number.

OUR WOULD-BE SAVANTS.

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of these arbitrary savants, or their cherished views, the effect is much the same as that caused by catching a gander by the tail-when the whole flock, geese, ganders, goslings, one and all, show a fellow-feeling, and hiss and cackle together. And thus it is that any further progress is checked and retarded in this country.* As for their manner of spending their time, it consists almost entirely in just reading the newspapers, chatting at a library, visiting friends, going to the gardens, where a rich patron is willing to fatten them on rich viands, and besot them on rare wines, without putting them to any expense; writing an article or letter once or twice a month in the papers, speaking disparagingly of the educational department, or jeeringly of the sleeping secretary and members of this association and that; meeting at the bandstand; reproaching the fool-hardiness of a European official in exacting

*It is not to be understood that the whole of our older batch of students have betaken themselves to such a contemptible course of life. There are several exceptions: all that is here meant is an exposition of the state of affairs generally. While this work has been passing through the press, the writer has read of a similar state of social terrorism being rampant also in Calcutta. Discussion is yet rife on this topic, with which the readers of newspapers are doubtless familiar.

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from a Parsee cabinet-maker the respect of an approach with unshod feet, and glorying in the courage of a young Parsee in at once retaliating with the whip an insult offered to him thinking of becoming volunteers to defend the Queen and her throne; and thus talking and dreaming-et hoc genus omne,-these complete the discreditable but faithful picture of their days, months, years, and lives! The spirit of improvement from within is totally absent; and it is a sad truth we state, that when one of these, a boasted first normal scholar, occupying a very respectable position, had to write a common statement of facts, in the form of an English letter to his superior, he could not confide in his powers and education, but came down a mile and a half to consult a gentleman or two on his good grammar and bad idiom! The fact of a graduate of our medical college having once walked down from Poona to Bombay, in order to submit orally the report of the dispensary under his charge, from utter incapacity to write it, is too well known to excite any degree of surprise in the reader; and he may also take this as a well authenticated fact that even one from among those the people are apt to consider as the cele

CONCEIT AND IGNORANCE.

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brities of Bombay, could not, in a conversation with us, say whether or not Macbeth was Shakspeare's composition, whether or not Hercules ever cleared the Augean stables, whether or not Alexander was a celebrated personage of the fourth century B. c.; and confidently stated that Voltaire was Shakspeare's contemporary, that Buonaparte was born in France, and that he dismembered the kingdom of Poland! It is with no feeling of self-glorification, nor with a desire to speak ill of his countrymen, that the writer of these pages reveals his observations. The task is disgusting to him, and the thought of such an intellectual nonage casts a gloom over his heart: but he would much rather be voted unpatriotic, than be guilty of flattering the self-conceit or the unfounded claims of his educated countrymen. Truth, however mournful, and self-condemnatory, must be told; and it is with this conviction in his mind that he states that this confederacy of blockheadism and vanity exerts the most pernicious influence in retarding earnest progress and sound enlightenment among us. That every silly roisterer, who has the accident of being thrown upon the world before others, and of having acquired what is called