Page:Bengal Celebrities.djvu/5

 PREFACE. This book, as its name implies, is an attempt to bring to the notice of the world, the 'ives, the character and the works of the most distinguished sons of "Bengal, living and dead, commencing with Hrji Mahummud Moshin. No body is more conscious than the publisher, cT the imperfections of this little work. He has reasons to fear that he has, of course unwittingly, left out names which had a claim to be incorporated in this record, and he is fully alive to the meagreness of the biographical notices that appear in the following pa^,es. Me earnestly hopes, however, that he may be regarded as having mrde an attempt in the right direction. One of the first conditions of the development of a national spirit and of a national self-respect, is the appreciation of the great men of the rmJon. A dic.ionary of national biography for India has yet to be written. The publisher hopes he has made an humble beginning, wHch, with due, encouragement, may enable him or others gradually to build up a full and accurate record of the lives of Indian worthies. He can only say that he has spared neithet pains nor expense to collect the materials wh'ch he now places before the public, and to print the illustrations which, he may be pardoned for hoping, ' may deserve to be looked upon as the nucleus of a national- picture gallery for Bengal. With these few words of introduction he is content to leave the hook to speak for itself. He himself regards it not as the complete execution of an idea, but only as a partial commence- ment. It rests with the public, with his own compatriots in parti- cular, to give him such encouragement and assistance as may fit him for & full realisation of his scheme, namely the production of of a fairly full and comprehensive record of the lives of men who have glorified the country and rendered it services that should not be forgotten by any children of the soil. The publisher's grateful acknowledgments are due to Babu Hiralai, Chakravarty m. a. h. l. without whose help this work could not hnve been brought out