Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished dataDuka, Tivadar
History
Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished data
Duka, Tivadar
Kőrösi Csoma, Sándor, 1784-1842
“I hope that my sojourn in this inhospitable country, for the express
purpose of mastering its language and examining its literary stores,
will not have been time unprofitably spent, and that the Grammar and
Dictionary may attest the sincerity of my endeavours to attain the
object I have determined to prosecute.
“The structure of the Tibetan language is very simple. There is only
one general form for all sorts of declinable words. In the verbs there
is no variation in respect to person or number. The orthography is
uniform throughout Tibet, but the pronunciation differs, especially
with reference to the compound consonants.
“My selection of the English language,” remarks Csoma, “as the medium
of the introduction of my labours, will sufficiently evince to the
learned of Europe at large the obligations I consider myself under to
the English nation.”
We have two more letters which reflect on the events of this epoch in
Csoma’s life—one from Prince Eszterházy, the Austrian Ambassador at the
Court of St. James’s, and the other from Mr. Döbrentei, secretary to
the Hungarian Literary Society at Pest; both are addressed to Mr.
Prinsep, expressive of acknowledgments for the kindness and protection
shown to their distinguished countryman.
The Prince’s letter is dated the 4th of August 1835, and will be read
with interest. One more act of generosity of the Indian Government
towards Csoma de Körös is acknowledged here by the Ambassador, and it
is but justice that the same should be recorded.
The Prince writes:—
“Sir,—In reply to the letter you addressed to me of the 25th
January last, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the
two boxes, containing each twenty-five copies of the Tibetan
Dictionary and Grammar, prepared for publication by the Hungarian
traveller, Mr. Alexander Csoma de Körös, and printed at the expense
of the British Indian Government under the auspices of the Asiatic
Society.
“These fifty copies being destined by Mr. Körösi to be presented to
the different public institutions of His Imperial Majesty’s
dominions, I lose no time in assuring you that the learned author’s
intentions shall be faithfully fulfilled.
“The enclosed letters and the Oriental works you have sent to the
Aulic Councillor von Hammer have also been forwarded to their
destination.
“I have not failed to inform my Government of the liberality with
which the Indian Government has replaced the sum of 300 ducats
transmitted through this Embassy to Mr. Csoma de Körös, which had
been lost by the failure of Messrs. Alexander & Co.; and
anticipating its intentions, I seize with great pleasure this
opportunity to express to you, and through you to the Indian
Government, as well as to the Asiatic Society, the high sense I
entertain of the kind protection afforded to my learned countryman
in His Britannic Majesty’s dominions in India.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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