iv. . being always in Assam, the manners and customs of the people were least affected by anything Bengali. But with the advent of the British a large number of Bengalis came into the Province, seeking employment. Their education and acquaintance with the methods of British administration made them more suited for employment in the new Government. These people found it difficult to transact the business of the Government in the vernacular of the Gountry, while their false pride prevented them from acquir- ing a knowledge of it. It was their interest, therefore, to represent the Assamese language as a corrupt form of their own vernacular with a view to get it replaced by Bengali, it possible. They had nearly succeeded in their attempt; but for the timely intervention of the noble missionaries at Sibsagar and some patriotic Assamese gentlemen it would have been crushed out of existence long long ago, we learn from the General Report on Census of India, 1991, that the same game was played with Uriya. It has been stated . there,-" For some years an attempt was made to degrade riya into a dialect of Bengali so as to exclude it from schools and public offices, but fortunately history and philology prevailed over political ambition and the elder language has held its own against its hybrid sister.” | The same Report has the following words about the Assamese language,—“ Assamese has had like Uriya the experience of resisting an attempt of the ambitious Bengali to reduce it to a patois, and thus open a wider field of employ- ment to the studious youths of the lower Provinces, and like [riya, too, Assamese has been hitherto successful"। It is । Jamia Moist Mills who know the ponditions of prose and Agam to well, being Art Commisioner of the Ori Division, and then apecial oicer appointed by the Bangal Government to investigate into the administration of a thus wrote- The peoppomplain, tnd in my opinion with much reson, at the substitution of Bangla for o vernoul Assamese Bengales in the language of the courts, not at the popular baoland vsra, and the is song prejudice to i gohonal up, l is basure usuation is imposted o the youth in a tora tongue that the only look to Govern.
