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pleted in this character, and a commencement made in the printing.

9. The Sungskrit-In our last we acquainted you with our having begun a translation in this extensive, copious, and highly venerated language. We now can add that the whole of the New Testament is printed off, and that we have proceeded as far as the middle of Exodus in printing the Old. The New Testament contains somewhat more than 600 quarto pages, and the expense of printing this edition of six hundred copies, (which in our last was by mistake said to be a thousand) has been about 4000 Rupees, or 500l. Both the translating and the printing of the Old Testament are advancing with a considerable degree of vigour.

10. Relative to the Burman Our brother Chater and F. Carey are assiduous, in studying the language. The former has begun translating, and the latter was about to commence. Under the direction of our Burman pundit, we have cut a neat fount of Burman types; so that every thing is ready for printing as soon as our brethren shall feel warranted to send any part of the scriptures for the press.

11. Relative to the Chinese-The encouragements given to the study of this language by three of our youths, have not only contributed to their proficiency, but, with other circumstances, have tended to accelerate the translation. Providence has furnished us with a Chinese foundery, if it may be so termed. More than eighteen months ago we began to employ under Chinese superintendence, certain natives of Bengal, for many years accustomed to cut the patterns of flowers used in printing cottons, and have found them succeed beyond our expectation. The delicate workmanship required in their former employ fits them for cutting the stronger lines of the Chinese characters, when they are written, and the work superintended by a Chinese artist:*

Some months ago we began printing a newly revised copy of the gospel by Matthew, to the middle of which we are nearly advanced. The difficulty of afterwards correcting the blocks causes us to advance with slow and careful circumspection. The whole New Testament will be printed in octavo, on a size resembling that of Confucius, so common, and so highly venerated among the Chinese. Two pages are cut

* Of the execution, the public in India have ere now had an opportunity of judging, by the appearance of the first volume of Confucius, printed with an English translation, and commentary, in a quarto of 724 pages; and which at the time of this Memoir being drawn up, (namely August 1809,) waited only for a preliminary dissertation on the language. A few copies without the dissertation have arrived in England. ED.

on one block. When printed off the page is folded, so as to have the two blank sides inward, in the manner of the Chinese. The blocks are made of the wood of the Tamarind

tree.

We have retained another learned Chinese (at 41. per month, besides his board, &c.) to superintend the cutting of the characters, and to examine the translation with brother Marshman. After brother M. has gone through it in various ways with Mr. Lassar, he carefully examines it again with this learned Chinese alone, causing him to read it, and give his idea of the meaning of every sentence and character. As he has not the least previous acquaintance with the sense of the passage (not understanding English) brother M. has an opportunity of marking the least deviation from the original, and of canvassing such passages anew with Mr. Lassar, which is done previously to their being written for engraving. As this man boards with us, he has no connexion with Mr. Lassar; and indeed from a disposition common to the generality of the Asiatics, he is sufficiently disposed to find fault with his work if opportunity offers. This however is kept within due bounds by brother M.'s examining the dictionary with him for every character to which he ascribes a sense different from that in which it is used in the copy under revision. In the translation of the New Testament we are advanced to the epistle to the Ephesians.

12. Such is the state of the translations at the present time. In reviewing it you will perceive that in the Bengalee, the work is completed; in Sungskrit and Orissa, the New Testament is printed, and a commencement made in the Old; in Mahratta and Hindosthanee, the New Testament is nearly half printed; in Guzeratte, Punjabee, and Chinese, a beginning only is made in the printing; in the Telinga and Kernata, the New Testament waits for revision; and in Burman, we have types prepared, and a translation commenced.

13. Previously to our sending the last Memoir we had completed founts of types in the Bengalee, Nagree, Orissa, and Mahratta characters, besides the fount of Persian which we received from England. To these three more have since been added; namely, the Punjabee, the Chinese, and the Bur

man.

14. In our last we laid before the public an account of all that we had received for the purpose of translations from the beginning, with the manner in which it had been disbursed. There then appeared in our hands a balance of 12371r. 5a. 6ft. We now lay before you for publication a continuation of the accompt.

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*There is a mistake in the former Accompt, which makes the balance about 7d. more than it ought to be. The balance of that accompt in pounds should have been 15461 88. 3d. 1-4.

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15. At the close of the last Memoir, it was intimated that the expenses we had incurred in printing a part of certain versions, and providing materials for printing others, had in a great measure exhausted the balance which appeared to be in hand. Since that time we have to be thankful for supplies from various quarters; particularly, for a legacy of 10,000 Rupees left to the fund for translations by our late worthy friend Mr. William Grant, which is now expended, and of which we received between six and seven thousand Rupees, and since then for 10001. out of a donation of 20007. voted for translations by The British and Foreign Bible Society.

These unexpected and seasonable supplies, together with a few donations from individual friends in India, have enabled us to go on with the work to this day: and by a letter just arrived from Hull, we learn that Mr. Fuller in his tour thither, and into Scotland in the autumn of 1808, had collected for the translations upwards of two thousand pounds more. For all these interpositions we feel grateful; not only to our fellow-christians, for the confidence in us which their liberality implies, but to our God, whose providence in favour of the translation of his word may, we hope, be considered as a prelude to the success of the gospel.

16. The balance of 7031. 18s. Od. which remains in our hands, is already absorbed in the expense incurred by the verVOL. IV-No. IV.

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sions of the Old and New Testaments now in the press; to say nothing of the founts of types we cast, and which, for reasons mentioned in the former Memoir, we do not carry to the account of the translations.

17. We are aware that numerous imperfections will unavoidably attend a first edition of any version; but without this a second and more correct one could not appear. When we consider the labour of selecting appropriate words, often of ascertaining grammatical rules, and in some instances of almost forming a system of orthography, we feel that the first attempt, notwithstanding its imperfections, has surmounted the greatest difficulty; and while it almost ensures a second speedily following, the labour attending the revision with an increased degree of knowledge is so gradual, easy, and pleasant, that compared with that of first wading through the stream, it scarcely deserves the name. This will particularly be the case when a method is adopted which we have in contemplation; namely, that of sending a copy of each version to every gentleman of our acquaintance, in any degree conversant with the language in which it is printed, and requesting his candid remarks upon it. From the aggregate of these remarks, we hope to avail ourselves for the perfecting of the work.

18. In our last we laid before you a sketch of the probable expense attending the completion of the translating and printing of the Old Testament in one, and of the New Testament in nine languages; namely, in Sungskrit, Mahratta, Orissa, Guzerattee, Kernata, Telinga, Seek or Punjabee, Burman, and Bengalee. As we must of course be able, after a lapse of two years, to form some clearer opinion, so as either to confirm or correct this sketch, we shall take a brief review of it. It was stated respecting these ten translations, that the sum of 3000 Rupees annually for the space of four years would suffice for the translation of them; and that about 46,000 Rupees more would complete the printing of them. On examining the Cash Accounts for the two last years, you will perceive that after the expense of the Chinese iş deducted (which was not included in the ten) we have not possessed the means of applying 3,000 Rupees annually to these ten languages, but about 2000 only. For this sum of 4000 Rupees, three of these ten versions have been revised previously to their being actually printed off, and five more of them brought to the press. It is probable therefore that though the printing should require several years longer, yet the expense of revising and completing the other translations may be covered by little more than the remaining 8000 Rupees of the statement.—

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