decease, before he bad woes to the Assamese manuscripts he collected during his deputation in 1912-14, and before he studied them minutely and systematically for compiling his : Typical Botecton for aa%e0 %erature and his Deeptive Cataloge of A&&d৪e Manscript, it has an intrinsic value of its own, as it embodies the trained and careful opinions of two very responsible and eminent Assamese litterateue whose naries are bound to go down to posterity, and beGause, in the absence of the constructive and critical history of Assamese language and literature from the nature pen of Mr. Goswami which was to adorn the first volume of his peat Betecto, this sota aiforda the nearest available approach : to what he would have written We have here opinions which he might subsequently modify or retain. But the broad and general outline which be adopted in this not was virtually followed by him in the divisions of the periods for the Tweat Sleelaoza, Having regard to the lengtl of time that intervened the compilation of this note and the death of Mr. Goswami, it is, however, evidently necessary that his opinions and state= ments in certain places should be treated with due caution and discri- mination before they are accepted or declared a his last word. 4. K. Bayaa.] ON ASSAMESE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, 1. Tar BaaigsT BEGINNIN OF TH JANUAGs, The Assamese language, which belongs to the Eastern Group of the Indo-Aryan vernacularg, is a direct descendant of the Sanskrit language, which was the speech of the first Aryan settlers of the Brahmaputra Valley, Rev. Mr. Brown, an eminent scholar and the first grammarian of the Assamese language, has ascertained after a careful examination of the language, that no less than 63 per cent. of its words are derived from Sanskrit.1 No doubt its vocabulary has an, । B. Noshan Brown who founded a branch of the American Baptist lasion in A n in 1986 4 great authority on Indo-china language, as well as Assamese educed by hi numerou contribution to tas J.sh, in his biophy it by re, Bzown we readi r, Brown admire tho Asamese language; ite open are- able vocalisation, it picturaque sanatic characte, ite quint indestions and idioms, bcam almost native to him. Above all hs delighed in a ma family likene to the buropean tongue. Ha indicated it independence of Bengali, and maintinued ita das descent from the Ancient duri" , A, B
