92 অসমীয়া ব্যাকৰণ আৰু যাত the sword and captivity. All men of rank, the heads of the Great Ahom and priestly families. had retired to one district, Goalpara, having, with little exception, lost the whole of their property.' ” From this brief sketch it may well be imagined what the state of our literature was during this troublous time. Many valuable manuscripts were destroyed and lost and literary pursuits altogether stopped. In 1853 Mr. Mofiatt Mils reported the state of our country thus :- | "A number of Bengalees came into Assam when we took the province (ie., the six districts of the Assam Valley), and from the uneducated state of the Assamese it was necessary to give them service. But there are now in Seebsagar and Gowhatty many young men of high family and good character who have qualified themselves for employment, and it is most discouraging to them to see most of the high and even some of the inferior offices filled by foreigners". Through their influence, is stated above, Bengalee was introduced as the court language and medium of instruction in the public schools. The Assamese resented this. Their feeling at the time is thus described by Mr. Moffatt Mills :- | “The people complain, and in my opinion with much reason, of ; the substitution of Bengalee for the Vernacular Assamese. Bengalee is the language of the court, not of their popular books and shastras, and there is a strong prejudice to its general use. It is because instruction is imparted to the youths in a foreign tongue that they look only to Government for employment. Assamese is described by Mr. Brown, the best scholar in the province, as a beautiful, simple language, differing in more respects from, than agreeing with, Bengalee, and I think we made a great mistake in directing that all business should be transacted in Bengalee, and that the Assamese must acquire it. It is too late now to retrace our steps, but I would strongly recommend Anandaram Phukan's proposition to the favourable consideration of the Council of Education, vi... the substitution of the vernacular language in lieu of Bengalee, and the completion of the course of the Vernacular education in Bengalee. I feel pursuaded that a youth will, under this system of tuition, learn more in two than he now acquires in four years. An English youth is not taught in Latin until he is well grounded in English, and in the same manner, an Assamese should not be taught a foreign language until he knows his own. “The American Missionaries have published some cementary edu- 1see Report of A G. Mofat Milk Judge, Sudde court, Mymensingh, dated 24th July 1853, on the Province of Assam : para. 13. Ibid.. para. pl. • fbid.. paras, 9193. Anandaram Dhekial Phulan. His presentation is given in the appendix to the above report,
