বিদ্যাকল্পদ্রুম (দ্বিতীয় কাণ্ড) [খণ্ড-১] | Vidyakalpodrum (2nd Kanda) [Vol. 1]

Xi My plan in historical narratives is to adopt as simple a style as possible. Where words are required that are not in common use, I draw from tke Sanscrit, if that can be readily done, without having recourse to.fat-fetched inven- tions. Where an idea can be easily expressed by a Pergian or Hindoostani word, alrcady current, I make no scruple to adopt it, incase no Sanserit or Bengali word can be found equally apt for the purpose. Where Persian or Hindoostani words have been almost naturalized in Ben- gali, I do not fastidiously reject them, even though there may be corresponding Bengali words with the same mean- ing. In such cases I use the Bengali and the Hindoos- tani indifferently, only taking care not to shock my readers না চি a EE Pen as mene ot T also requested Mr. Lodge, the Inspector of Government Colleges and Schools, to send the work in sheets to the Schools in the Muffusil for any suggestions the pundits might have to offer. ‘The follawing letter from the head master of the Midnapore School to the address of Mr. Lodge reports the result of this test: -— ; “With much pleasure Lacknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ond instant ac. ompanied by a few pages of the intended Evevelepedia Bengalensis. Ihave read the Bengal translation of it, and made our Pundit and the vernacular School Teacher do tbe same ; and to ascertian whether they clearly understood it, required them to explain almost every sentence, which they did very well; there is only one word (খণ্ডিত) to which theyewere at a Inss to attach the correct idea, and it must be acknowledged that it 1s seldom used to convey the meaning it is intended to represent, that of garbling, and without a cireumlocution there is no word in th® Bengali language that can express the idea. With the excep- tion of this single observation, which is scarcely worth mentioning, there is nothing else to be remarkesl) on. The Pundits here speak highly of its language aud consider it purely idiomatical. “The work appears to be written in very piain and simple language, in- telligible almost to every native who pretends to the least knowledge of his literature, and although sot a close translation, it conveys the sense of the English very faithfully. I think the work might with much benefit to the Zillah Schools be intro- duced in them. It will give the boys a great deal of useful information and prepare thene for subjects they will afterwaeds learn in Raglish 5 and as there is no translatiqn in Beng@i of the Histery of Rome that 1 knaw of, except part ofat in the Epitome 8f Aneient History by Mr. Pearson, which has not afforded satisfactibn on account of its idiomatical defects, the pre- sept work will bea desirable addition to the existing Bengali literaturg especially if the forthcoming parts be written iu as plain and simple a style as the specimen youhuve kindly sent me, and which | herewith return.”