what are called Sema, and esteemed sacred in the empire of Siam, as Monsieur Loubere mentions, who has given a drawing of them (vide part iii. p. 114). At the bottom of the great cave, at five feet distant from the lower columns, is a solid dhagope, forty-nine feet in circumference, marked k in ground-plan and sections: there is another resembling this, with some additional ornaments, immediately on the right hand after returning out of the area, inclosed in a circular excavation (vide 7 in the ground-plan), the whole interior surface of which is divided into pannels filled with figures of Boudha, which do not materially differ from what have been before described. From hence turning round an angle of the rock to the eastward (vide general plan of the hill at D.) is a long and winding ascent by steps cut in the rock, leading to many smaller caves along the edge of a deep gully, down which flows a stream of water from the hills. There are ranges of caves on both sides of this gully at different heights, as was found most convenient, communicating by steps one with the other; and at some distance above are the remains of an artificial embankment erected across the gully, which once formed a capacious reservoir, and at the same time a general communication between the two sides. Amongst the caves there is one on the southern side called the Durbar cave (marked E in sketch of the hill) that chiefly deserves notice: it has eight pillars, forming an open verandah in front, at the east end of which is a small temple with a large figure of Boudha in it. The pillars dividing the verandah and inner apartment are of different architecture from any in the other excavations. The inner apartment is seventy feet long by thirty deep; in its walls are several doors leading to small separate caves beyond. It would require much leisure to take accurate note of the numerous excavations besides that are dispersed over different parts of the hill, many of which are now very difficult of access from the euphorbias and other shrubs that have grown up in front of them; they seem to have been executed wherever the rock presented a convenient facing: I went into many of them, and observed much uniformity in their general plan with the Durbar cave, though on a much smaller scale: in most of them are figures of Boudha and his attending ministers, but differing little from those below, except in being more rudely carved: there are long inscriptions before some of them that might be easily copied; otherwise I think the most accurate investigation will find in them little worthy of attention. There are detached ranges of steps cut in the rock nearly up to its summit, which, from frequent use in former days, or from the inclemency of the seasons, are now difficult to be traced. There is also on the east side of the hill a broad, long, and level terrace that commands a very fine prospect of the surrounding country, near which are six or seven large tanks hollowed in the rock, out of which appear to have been cut a number of square stones of equal dimensions, which lie in confusion around; these either formed, or were intended to form, some kind of edifice, as there are marks in many of them of their having been clamped together by lead or other metallic fastenings. (Signed) HENRY Salt. VI. ON THE SIMILITUDE BETWEEN THE GIPSY AND By Lieutenant FRANCIS IRVINE, of the Bengal Native Infantry. Read 29th February, 1808. IT has been ascertained that among those tribes which, under the name of Gipsies, Egyptians, and Zingaros, traverse the various kingdoms of Europe, there are current various words and phrases not in use among the other classes of the community. This peculiar phraseology may be called gibberish or jargon; but it is not to be supposed that any description of men speak a language without some consistence and character. It does not appear to be altogether what is called professional cant, or a debased and vulgar species of the tongues vernacular in their respective countries of domiciliation. The character of the tribe for dishonesty may suggest another solution; that it is a fabrication for the purposes of concealment and fraud. Even a less urgent motive, the caprice of idleness and power, has induced men to tamper with language. We are told by Captain Vancouver, that when he visited Otaheite for the last time, he found the new chiefs of the island had fixed new names on various objects. He naturally enough used the old ones, until he was given to understand, that though his ignorance excused him in the beginning, it would be taken ill should he persist in not employing the new phraseology. Still it may safely be asserted, that the tendency of language, in its principal feature, is to continuance, not to change: one generation instinctively adopts the speech of another, nor alters it but through ignorance or inadvertency. Even such dialects as are occasionally fabricated for a purpose, are deduced from some real spoken one by a certain rule and analogy; for otherwise their invention would not be easy or obvious, nor their reception ready or rapid. The methods pursued are two; of which the first and most obvious consists in distorting the sounds usually significant of certain objects and actions. Not to mention other instances, the various tribes of Nuts in Hindoostan appear from Colonel Richardson's account to employ this artifice. The second consists in assigning new meanings to known sounds; and, besides some doubtful instances in former times, has been resorted to in our own by the sect of Weishaupt, the united Irish, and the royalist conspirators against the consular government of France. The depredators on the river Thames would also try their ingenuity in this way; and Mr. Colquhoun gives the following specimen of their skill. Sand signifies Sugar. Vinegar signifies Rum, &c. Malt Tea. Beans Pease Coffee. It is not improbable that the Gipsies have enriched their language in both these ways. Thus, in the last, the English Gipsies call themselves travellers; and smuggling is said to be styled a free trade. Those of other countries probably take the like liberties with the languages there spoken; but there appears to be a residue of their dialect, which cannot be proved to spring either from the debasement or the adaptation of the vernacular tongues, or of any one of them. This remainder, which seems common to all the tribes, however dispersed, must have a common source, to be discovered elsewhere; and a question arises, What has been the original country of these wanderers; of what language is theirs a fragment, pure, debased, or artificially disguised? Opinions are various: but the majority of inquirers lay it down as probable, that the original Gipsies were in early times a race of wanderers in Hindoostan, wherein they practised itinerant arts similar to those they now exercise. They would speak a dialect of the language then vernacular, but probably an impure one, until propelled by a roving spirit, or fugitives from the vengeance of the law, they migrated into other countries. In them their long and intimate intercourse with the natives has caused the local tongues to supplant the greater part of their national speech, and to tinge even the remainder, which has been preserved through the wandering habits and imperfect domiciliation of the race, and from the terms composing it being in general expressive of ideas familiar to their life and ever present to their thoughts. Yet, diligently examined, it will betray its Hindoostanee character, and thence the Hindoostanee original of the race. I chanced to find in the Preston East Indiaman, in the outward-bound voyage 1805, a recruit for the Company's European force, named John Lee, who had spent some part of his life amongst the Gipsies, and knew their language. I possessed at the time some scanty knowledge of Hindoostanee, and had been instructed by Dr. Gilchrist in the use of his accurate orthographical key, well adapted for the notation of sounds; and being aware of the theory just mentioned being maintained, I thought an opportunity offered of putting it to the test. I accordingly interrogated the Gipsy on his language; but the words yielded by his answers were few in number, being about one hundred and forty in all. And And yet I judge them no inconsiderable part of the Anglo-Gipsy language, and nearly all my informant remembered. As I proceeded, I found the same word to occur in various senses: thus kosht was any thing of wood; yagenguree, any instrument connected with fire; jookil was dog, fox, or jackall; and machuker, cat, rat, mouse or monkey indifferently. His answers too would sometimes vary: but what follows I conceive to be the just and general result of repeated inquiries. In the list subjoined, the first column is of Gipsy words alphabetically arranged. They are written in Dr. Gilchrist's orthography, except that the a here used is the sharp English, and not the broad Hindoostanee letter, and ng final is sounded as in the English word sung, not as in the Hindoostanee word sung, a stone. After the Gipsy words are added their meanings in English, or the principal of them. In the next column are Hindoostanee words of the same or a similar signification. They are written according to Dr. Gilchrist's system, and all rest on his authority except the Sunscrit word kastch, wood, to be found in the 8th Discourse of Sir William Jones. To this and another Sunscrit word I add an S to distinguish them; and in like manner an F and an U respectively, to denote words certainly Farsee or Urubee*; but words springing from the old * Persian or Arabic. |