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with Mr. (now Sir) Edward Gait, who was then engaged in collecting materials for the purpose of compiling a critical history of ancient and modern Assam. Lt-col. P. R. T. Gurdon justly remarks,—“ Hem Goswami was of great assistance to sir Edward Gait in his work of historical research in which the former's knowledge of Sanskrit and acumen for digging and delving in a previously unknown field supplied a collaborator with just the equipment that Sir Edward required.”¹ The services which Mr. Goswami rendered to Sir Edward have been well appreciated in the letter which the distinguished historian wrote to the present writer soon after Mr. Goswami's death, in which he said,—“It is over thirty years since I saw Hemchandra Goswami. He was then quite a young man, but already took much interest in Assamese history and literature. He helped me a good deal in hunting up references to ancient Kamarupa in the Puranas, Tantras, etc. He also, as you have already noted, collaborated with Col. Gurdon in editing Hemchandra Barooah's Assamese Dictionary. His death will be a great loss to his country.”

 Mr. Goswami was commissioned by Mr. Gait to translate into English an Assamese chronicle recovered from the family of Juvaraj Keshavkanta Singha, grandson of Chandrakanta Singha, the last reigning king of Assam. Mr. Goswami's masterly translation of the chronicle which bristled with untranslatable archaisms at once brought him to the notice of the Local Government, and he was appointed on 17th May, 1887, as Sub-Deputy Collector, though he was not a graduate, As for Sir Edward Gait he has duly acknowledged Mr; Goswami's services in his Report on the progress of Historical Research in Assam, published by the Assam Government in 1897. 1. Col Gurdon's letter to the present writer dated June 19th, 1928, published in the cotton College Magazine for February, 1929.