. Its great fcarcity, independent of the errors and defects confeqwent to its being the firſt attempt to form an English and Afiatic Grammar *, we believe, ever made, renders the prefent work not lefs neceffary. . In giving the Malay words in the Arabic character we have followed the excellent example of RICHARDSON and GILCHRIST in their Perfian and Hin- dooftanee Dictionaries; and it is, in fact, the character uſed by the Malays themfelves. In languages where all the letters are founded as in the Ara- bic, Perfian, Hindooftanee, and Malay, a knowledge of the character, which of either may be learned in twenty-four hours, is alone neceffary to enable the fcholar to pronounce, with the utmoſt preciſion, any word that may come before him, whereas if the words were given in the Roman only, as is the cafe in HADLEY and BOWREY, we ſhould feldom find a word pro- nounced exactly in the fame way by two different perfons. In our grammatical department it may be objected that we have forced the inflexions of our nouns and verbs into a reſemblance to thofe of Eu- ropean languages, beyond what the ſimplicity of the Malay will admit of: we muft, however, infift, that although we have made ufe of words as auxiliaries, which grammarians might not confider as ſtrictly fuch, ftill a ten years' acquaintance with the Malays and their language authorize us in adopting the words and arrangements, which, we are certain, will be un- derftood and are uſed by them. J. Howison. Since which Arabic, Perfic, Hindooftanee, Moorish, Bengalee, Shanfcrit, and feveral others have made great progrefs. By the late conqueft in the Myfore, of which country the Tamoul is the current language, it likewife appears probable, that a Grammar and Dictionary of this tongue would be very ferviceable to the Company's fervants employed within its extenfive regions: and even this dialect is not entirely unknown at Madras and Bombay.
