Page:A descriptive catalogue of Bengali works.djvu/57

 READERS. 49 READERS. Learning the Practice of Letter Writing has always been a favorite study of Hindus ; 1,800 years ago a book with this object was compiled in Sanskrit at the Court of Vikra- madityea by Bara lluchi. In 1802 Ram Bosu of Seram- pur wrote the Lipi Mala, a guide to letter writing, containing a number of models for letters, treats also of business, reli- f'on, and Arithmetic, the style shows how corrupted by ersian the Bengali was then ; 4 editions have been published. In 1818-20 at Serampur were published Nitibdkea, A. B. pt. 1 and 2, containing select Extracts from Scripture. In order to teach writing by dictation well the Serampur Missionaries published a little work in 1818, containing in an aphoristic form short sentences involving important facts in Geogra- giy, Astronomy, Natural History, Ethics — to be written by ctation. In 1822 was published HAUGHTON'S SELEC- TIONS, pp. 198, 10 Rs. containing 10 stories, from the Tota Itihas, 4 from the Batrish Sinhnsan and 4 from the Punish Parikha, with an English translation and Vocabulary. About 1833, appeared the English Reader No. 1, with a Bengali translation, containing 28 lessons on moral subjects, useful to boys for the matter, but quite literal and unidiomatic. In 1833 was published BLAIR'S READING EXER- CISES, pp. 156, with the Bengali meaning of the diffi- cult words prefixed to each lesson. In 1834 came out the English-Self Instructor, Ingraji Atma Shihharthd^ pp. 64, giving the meaning and pronunciation in Bengali of English lessons, an interlinear translation and Scripture Reading Lessons. In 1838 Baidanath Acharjea of Kanchrapara composed a work Agyan Timir Nasak % pp. 107, 2 Bs. which treated of Hindu castes, the Shastras, Astronomy, Geography, History of England, he blends together Puranic, and European know- ledge. In 1840 appeared the Balbodhini, pp. 237, contain- ing; Spelling Lessons with the names of all the castes and titles of different Brahmins, as Exercises, along with Arith- metical tables and a short vocabulary. In 1842 appeared the Prashaskti Prahashika by Krishna Lai Deb, compiled origi- nally in Sanskrit by Bararuchi at the Court of Vikramadityea ; gives rules according to the Shastras: for writing letters— the color and size of the paper, the titles of letters, mode of address ; — some curious things are in this work such as a per- son is to write to a young girl on red paper with red ink, to a great man on gold colored letters, to a man of middle