Art. XVI.—On the Origin of the Indian Alphabet

Extract

This subject was first mooted by Sir William Jones in the Asiatic Researches. Some of the most distinguished Scholars have at different times expressed opinions, totally irreconcileable with each other. New direct or indirect fragments of evidence have been contributed, sometimes narrowing, sometimes widening, the arena of the controversy. Last year Mr. Isaac Taylor summarised the facts of the case in his Book on “The Alphabet.” I myself contributed a paper on the subject to the Indian Section of the Sixth Oriental Congress at Leyden, in September 1883, which led to a lively discussion, occupying the best part of two days of the Session. In January of this year I again, brought the subject before this Society, and I now place the whole case before the Members of the Society in the pages of our Journal.