Page:Madras Journal of Literature and Science, series 1, volume 6 (1837).djvu/165

1837.] torn receive the assurance that, on this ground, I very readily coincide in the propriety of his laying his hand a little heavily upon me, at the close of his note, to which in due order I purpose to add some further explanation.

I would now briefly notice in the same order the topics adverted to by Professor Wilson. The Madura St'hala Purana, of my Translations, and the Madura Purana of his documents are the same work. The "Pandion Chronicle," of my work, a name given by myself for distinction sake, is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, not to be found among the Mackenzie MSS. any more than the original of the "History of Kamata Governors;" but of this last the translation by Mr. Wheatley indicated No. 23 in the list at the end of article, is no doubt from that original. I have by me a rough translation on country paper of that MS. in Mr. Wheatley's own hand-writing, and, from respect to his memory, I went so far as to have a fair copy made from it, for the use of the press; until, in the actual comparison of the original and translation, I found the latter too paraphrastic to represent the original on my plan of proceeding, which was to give the original and translation on parallel pages, and to annotate or paraphrase afterwards: a mode of proceeding which I still decidedly prefer; because the errors of an annotator, if he fall into such, can be corrected, but a verbose, or paraphrastic, or indeed any thing except a close and literal, translation, corrupts the springs of knowledge at their source, and introduces error in its most specious, and with difficulty to be distinguished, form. I have the most perfect respect for Mr. Wheatley's talents and fidelity in saying so—for it was only in the just principles of translation that he erred; nor have I a particle less of entire respect for Professor Wilson in saying, that he has been susceptible of error, and in some instances I think has been mistaken from this source of erroneous deduction.

Adverting to the comparative antiquity or otherwise of "the chronology of Pandyan history," I now very readily state, as the result of more extensive enquiries, since I published the two volumes of translations, that I am prepared to yield considerably in the claims of antiquity which I had assigned to some events in the Pandya history. Something must turn on the question, whether the foundation of Madura was antecedent to the visit of Rama of Ayodhya to Ramesuram as the Madura Purana asserts, or whether it was posterior, as Professor Wilson, guided by a translation from one manuscript, had stated. I would however just in this place, leave the matter as Mr. Wilson has left: it remarking only that a single inscription of any grant by Kuna-Pandiyan with a distinct date, should we be able to meet with such a thing, would do more towards settling the question than a volume of mere dissertation.