papers on Madhava Kandali, in Cheta, volume Iv, and the other on Hema Saraswati, in Milan, Volume II, the two poets being predecessors of Sankar Deva, who acknowledged his obligations to the first in lines which have been immortal like Dunbar’s tribute to Chaucer and Shakespeare's more famous one to Marlow.
4. A short history of Assamese language and literature was compiled by Mr. Goswami when he was a student of the undergraduate classes of the Presidency College. This was read at the second anninversary of the Assamese Language Improvement Society, Calcutta, held under the presidency of Rai Bahadur Gunabhiram Barua, and published as a serial in the Jonaki, Vol. III, The author pointed out the three distinctive stages in the history of Assamese literature, which have been elaborated for the purpose of the "Typical Selec- tions" into six periods. According to the earlier division the first period ranged from the earliest times to Sankar Deva; the second from Sankar Deva to the British occupation of Assam; and the third is the modern period characterised by the influence of the Western contact, The author describes the salient features of each age and concludes with an appre ciation of the two leading litterateurs of the day, Rai Bahadur Gunabhiram Barua and Hemchandra Barua. This portion has been incorporated in Asamiya Sahitya Chaneki, Volume III, part 2, pages 827-542. This series of articles represented the first systematic attempt to trade historically the growth of Assamese language and literature, and gave early promises that its author was a competent person to undertake investiga tions on the subject, and they have been justified by the subsequent achievements of Mr. Goswami.
5. Another valuable contribution of Mr. Goswami was the publication of the texts of some old Assamese copper-plate and rock inscriptions with historical prefaces. The bulk of these articles was contributed to the seventh and eighth volume of Alochani, and included the texts of the inscrip-
