Having taken a brief survey of the nine schools of philosophy existing in this country, I proceed to state some of the points on which the Bráhmans of the first six systems are agreed and thus brighten the interest of this exposition.

They say that he has attained the summit of knowledge who has garnered his stores of wisdom from this number of sciences and by fathom­ing their depths, satisfied the desire of his heart.

The first division consists of the Ṛig Veda: the second is the Yajur Veda: the third is the Sáma Veda; and the fourth, the Atharvan.

These four are considered to be divine books, as already mentioned. Each of them treats of four matters:—(1). Vidhi, precept and its cogency; (2). Arthaváda,* praise and its recompense; (3). Mantra, invocation and prayer which are profitable in particular cases; (4). Námadheya, appellation of important acts. Each of them also treats of three things:—(1). Karma, exterior works; (2). Upásaná, religious meditation; (3). Jṅnáná, perfected knowledge.

The fifth, the Puráṇas. Eighteen distinct works are styled by this name. They explain in a clear manner the difficulties occurring in the four Vedas above mentioned, and each of them treats of the following five subjects:— (1). The creation of the world. (2). The dissolution thereof. (3). Genealogies of various families. (4). Account of the fourteen Manvantaras. These are fourteen Manus or holy spirits who, during the whole life of Brahmá, will appear successively for the guidance of mankind, and sustain by their power the burden of the world. The life of each is seventy-one times the four ages, a revolution of the four ages being four million three hundred and twenty thousand years.* They likewise mention the fourteen Indras associated with them, (for they say that during Brahmá's life, fourteen deities will successively rule the celestial regions), and the actions by means of which they attain to this dignity. There are further the legendary narratives of celebrated monarchs.

The names of the Puráṇas are:—(1) Matsya. (2). Márkaṇḍa. (3). Bhavishya. (4). Bhágavata. (5). Brahma-vaivarta. (6). Brahmáṇḍa. (7). Brahma. (8). Váyu. (9). Vámana. (10). Vishṇu. (11). Váráha. (12). Agni. (13). Nárada. (14). Padma. (15). Linga. (16). Kúrma. (17). Skanda. (18). Garúḍa.*

There are eighteen other books called Upa-puráṇas, explanatory of the foregoing, which are said by some to be of recent origin.* Their names are:—(1). Sanatkumára, originally Saura, so called from the name of its compiler. (2). Náradíya. This was also the name of a Puráṇa and the same may be said of some others. The Upa-puráṇas in fact, contain accounts not given in the Puráṇas, and they are styled by the designations of their originals. (2). Nárasinha. (3). ´Sivadharma. (4). Durvásasa. (5). Kápila. (6). Mánava. (7). ´Sáukara.* (8). Auśanaśa. (9). Váruṇa. (10). Brahmáṇḍa. (11). Kálí and also Káliká. (12). Máheś­vara. (13). Nánda. (14). ´Sámba. (15). A´ditya. (16) Páráśara. (17). Bhágavata. (18). Kúrma.

The sixth of the sciences is called Dharma-´Sástra, (institutes of the law) or doctrine relating to good works. This is also taken from the Vedas, and accompanied by a multiplicity of detail. It is also called Sṃriti,* and has a similar number of divisions. The principal subjects of these books are three. The duties of the four castes regarding religious worship, the duties of administration, and the expiation of sins.

The names of the eighteen codes of memorial law (smṛiti) are as follows:—

(1). Manu. (2). Yájṅnavalkya. (3). Atri. (4). Angiras. (5). Uśanas (6). Gautama. (7). Paráśara. (8). ´Sankha Likhita. (9). Vishṇu. (10). Háríta. (11). Vasishṭha. (12). Yama. (13). ´Sátátapa. (14). A´pastamba. (15). Kátyáyana. (16). Vṛihaspati. To these some have added the following two. (17). Vyása. (18). Daksha.*

The names of the eighteen Upa-smṛiti or minor law codes are—

(1). Angiras. (2). Jábáli. (3). Náchiketa. (4). Skanda. (5). Laugákshi. (6). Káśyapa. (7). Vyása. (8). Sanatkumára. (9). Shatrzu.* (10). Janaka. (11). Vyághra. (12). Kátyáyana. (13). Játukarṇya. (14). Kapinjala. (15). Baudháyana. (16). Kaṇáda. (17). Viśvámitra. (18). Sumantu.

The seventh is ´Sikshá (Phonetics), the science of letters.*

The eighth is Kalpa, ceremonial, a science which treats of ten kinds of duties from the beginning of marriage to the time when the son is invested with the Brahmanical thread; viz., the marriage; cohabitation: the third month from pregnancy to the fifth: the sixth to the eighth: the birth: the naming of the child: carrying him out to see the sun: feeding him: cutting his hair: investing him with the sacred thread. At each of these times special prayers and important ceremonies are required.

The ninth is Vyákaraṇa, the science of grammer and linguistic analysis, upon which are based the rules for the composition of letters. Firstly, they reckon fifty-two letters under three kinds. Fourteen are vowels (Svara) which are both letters and diacritical accents, and can be pronounced without extraneous adjunct: These are, a (<Sanskrit>): á (<Sanskrit>): i (<Sanskrit>): í (<Sanskrit>): u (<Sanskrit>): ú (<Sanskrit>): ṛi (<Sanskrit>): ṛí (<Sanskrit>): li (<Sanskrit>): lí (<Sanskrit>): (diphthongs) e (<Sanskrit>): ai (<Sanskrit>): o (<Sanskrit>): au (<Sanskrit>). Thirty-three letters are called Vyaṅnjana,* consonants which cannot be sounded without a vowel. These are k (<Sanskrit>): kh (<Sanskrit>): g (<Sanskrit>): gh (<Sanskrit>): ṅn (<Sanskrit>) which is a letter having a nasal sound produced by the throat and nose, ch (<Sanskrit>): chh (<Sanskrit>): j (<Sanskrit>): jh (<Sanskrit>): ñ (<Sanskrit>): ṭ (<Sanskrit>): th (<Sanskrit>): ḍ (<Sanskrit>): ḍh (<Sanskrit>): ṇ (<Sanskrit>): t (<Sanskrit>): th (<Sanskrit>): d (<Sanskrit>): dh (<Sanskrit>): n (<Sanskrit>): p (<Sanskrit>): ph (<Sanskrit>): b (<Sanskrit>): bh (<Sanskrit>): m (<Sanskrit>): y (<Sanskrit>): r (<Sanskrit>): l (<Sanskrit>): v (<Sanskrit>): ś (<Sanskrit>): sh (<Sanskrit>): s (<Sanskrit>): h (<Sanskrit>). There are five other letters, one of which is called Anusvára, sounded like kaṇ with a quiescent nasal. Another is visarga (a surd breathing), like the final h in kah, A third is called jihvá­múlíya, a letter between an h and a kh, and occurs as a medial and is sounded from the root of the tongue.* The fourth is called gaja-kumbha kṛiti, a quiescent medial letter approximating in sound to a bhá. The fifth is ardhabinda, a quiescent nasal, like a suppressed nún (<Arabic>).*

Such is the exposition of the Sanskrit alphabet as far as I have been able to transcribe it. Some points which it has been beyond my power adequately to explain I have but alluded to. The last five letters are employed with vowels and consonants alike, and each consonant is capable of being vocalized with the fourteen vowels. At the present day the fourteen vowels (svara) are called mátra* and two being commonly omitted,* twelve only are employed. Each written letter is separate and unconnected with the next. Letters are of four kinds. If without a moveable vowel a letter is called (vyáṅnjana). If it be a simple short vowel or if it add one mátra to a quiescent long vowel, it is called hrasva.* Twice the prosodial time of a short vowel is called dírgha, and if longer than two (i. e. three mátras) it is called pluta or prolated.

Eight modes of utterance are reckoned, viz., from the middle of the chest: the throat: the root of the tongue: between the teeth: the nose: the palate: the lip: and the crown of the head. There is considerable diversity of opinion in all that they discuss but I have chosen the most gen­erally accepted view. Before the writer had gained any acquaintance with this language, he considered the grammatical structure of Arabic to be without a rival, but he is now more fully aware of the immense labours of Hindu philologists, and the powerful regulative influence of their system.

The tenth science is Nirukta, (etymology), a detailed commentary of Vedic texts.*

The eleventh Jyotisha* is on astronomy and its wonders.

The twelfth Chandas* is on metre and the classes of verse.

The last six are called Angas,* that is to say that a knowledge of these six is necessary to the comprehension of the Vedas.

The thirteenth is the Mímáṃsá of which the three kinds have been already mentioned.

The fourteenth is the Nyáya which has been summarily treated among the sciences.

The fifteenth is the A´yur-veda, the science of anatomy, hygiene, nosology and therapeutics. It is taken from the first Veda.*

The sixteenth is Dhanur-veda, the science of archery and of the use of various other weapons, taken from the second Veda.*

The seventeenth is Gíndharva-veda, the science of music, vocal, instrumental and practical, taken from the third or Sáma-veda.

The eighteenth is Artha-śástra, treating of the acquisition of wealth and its profitable employment.* These four are termed subordinate or Upa-vedas.

The arts and sciences cultivated throughout the extent of Hindustan are too numerous to mention, but somewhat of them shall be briefly reviewed as an acceptable offering to the curious, in the hope that it may prove interesting as well as an incentive to inquiry.