Part of a Letter from the Reverend Mr. George Lewis, at Fort St. George; to the Reverend Dr. Arthur Charlett, and the Late Dr. Edward Bernard; Concerning Some Indian Manuscripts, Lately Sent to the University of Oxford

in the mean time (if at leisure) shall be pleased to give us. V. Part of a Letter from the Reverend Mr. George Lewis, at Fort St. George; to the Reverend Dr. Arthur Charlett, and the late Dr. Edward Bernard; concerning some Indian Manuscripts, lately sent to the University of Oxford. Reverend Sirs, In pursuance to your joint Letter, bearing Date the 3d of July, 1695. I have procured you some of the Manuscripts of these parts, wherein it hath been my Care to get such as were of good Note and Esteem among themselves. They are in several Languages and different Characters. The Names of the Particulars I send you in a Note enclosed. If hereafter it should be my Fortune to meet with any of their sacred Books, as the Vedum, Vedantum, Shastrum or Porane; I shall take care to send them when a Convenience offers. There comes by the King William Three Volumes of China Books, stamped on Wood, which is their so much vaunted way of Printing. These are sent to Mr. Gilbert Dolben by his Brother here: And Three sent to Dr. John Evans, by a Friend come on the Madras Merchant. I presume, they'll be all presented to your University. Of these you may have what Quantity you shall command, Books being plentiful in China. Mr. Mr. Elihu Yale, late Governor of this Place, got a learned Bramine to translate out of the Sanscreet into the Tulinga Language some of their Sacred Books. But the Bramine in some measure abus'd him. However, he translated the whole Body of the Gentio Laws into the Tulinga; as likewise their Account of the Creation of the World, taken out of the Shastrum or Porane, I am not certain which. This Book is writ in a fair Character, and upon good Paper, and upon his arrival in England, is design'd a Present to your University. A Catalogue of the Books sent. A. The Ramainum or History of Ram, in the Sanscreet Language, and the Grandum Character, i.e. the Character us'd by the Malabar Bramines. A 2. The Ramainum in the modern Gentio or Tulinga Language. B. The Bohar'tum, or History of Virada Raz, and other wise Princes in these Parts. An ancient History. Tulinga. B 2. Other parts of the Bohar'tum. Tulinga. B 3. More parts of the Bohar'tum. Tulinga. C. Parma Teogee Velasum, a Book treating of Religious Matters, and held in great Esteem. Tulinga. D. Kisna Velasum, or the History of Kisna, in the Arwa or Malabar Language and Character. E. Contains three Books in the Tulinga. 1. Anosha Sanikum. 2. Aish Rama Basum. 3. Aishwa Meda Parwum. F. A Gentio Book writ at the Request of an English Chief in those parts. Containing 1. The Tulinga Alphabet, and their way of compounding and making Syllables. 2. An erroneous and imperfect Account of the Coast of Coromandell, and of the Kings of Golconda. 3. Some of their ancient Stories or Fables; all in a fair Character. In the Gentio Book, written Paper, are enclosed several loose Papers, as 1. Aurang Zebe's Picture, with the Year of the Hegira he was born in. 2. A Lion in Arabick Characters, with the plain Reading. 3. An Arabick Writing, said to be found in Alexander's Closet. 4. Several Specimens of the best Hands here, in the Persian Language. 5. Certain Characters upon a Seal, understood by nobody in these parts. 6. Several Hymns or Sacred Songs in the Persian and Hindostan Language, sung in Honour of Husen and Hasan, Suns of Ale, by the Eranee Mohametan, on the first ten Days of the Month Meharum, when they commemorate the Martyrdom of those two Saints. 7. A Letter in the Shekasteh or short Writing, the usual Hand Persian Letters are writ in, which for the Excellency of the Character, I thought fit to send among the rest. The above-mentioned Reverend Dr. Arthur Charlett, Master of University-College, Oxford, having (as on many other Occasions) favoured the Royal Society with a Sight of these curious Manuscripts, it appeared by a Sample or Specimen of the Leaves and Fruit of the Ampana Hort. Mal. Tom. i. p. 13. Fig. 10 or Palma Malabarica, flosculis stellatis, fructu longo squammato. D. syen. ib. Or Palma Coccifera folio plicatili flabelliformi formi major. Ampana H. M. Raii Hist. p. 1366. Shown to the Society by Mr. James Pettiver, one of their Members, that the several Leaves of all these Books were made of the Leaves of this Palm wrote on by a Stile. VI. An Account of what happened to a Child on swallowing two Copper Farthings. Communicated by Dr. Edward Baynard, Fellow of the College of Physicians. I Living then in Worcester, my Son William Underhill, aged about Three Years, swallowed by accident two Copper Farthings, but half a Year one after the other. Upon the first Farthing, he eat nothing for ten Days, and complained of a great Pain at his Stomach, and dri-vel'd as if he had been salivated; and often said he had a nauseous venomous Taste in his Mouth, the Farthing not coming from him in half a Year. After the swallowing of the second Farthing he began by Degrees to lose his Limbs, his Breast growing narrow, and the Child Consumptive; who was after perfectly cured by the Bath, and his Breast dilated and grew broad as before. This happening about Ten Years since, these are most of the Particulars I can remember. Witness my Hand, Her. Underhill.