The Modern Vernacular Literature of Hindustan

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. I have been the more Willing to exclude these last from our present consideration as they have been already exhaustively dealt with by Garcin de Tassy. I may add that by Hindiistan I mean Raj'putana and the valleys of the J amuna and of the Ganges as far east as the river Kosi, and that I do not include under that term either the Panj ab or Lower Bangal. The vernacular languages dealt with may roughly -be considered as three in number, Mar'wafi, Hindi, and Bib in, each with its various dialects and sub-dialects. One omission must be mentioned with regret. I have refrained from including the large number of anonymous folk-epics and of folk - songs (such as ja fears, and the like) current throughout Northern India. These can only be collected on the spot from the mouths of the people, and, so far as I am aware, that has only been systematically done in the province of Bihar. I have therefore, after some hesitation, determined to exclude all mention of them from the work, as any attempt to describe them as a whole could only have been incomplete and misleading.

I have been the more Willing to exclude these last from our present consideration as they have been already exhaustively dealt with by Garcin de Tassy. I may add that by Hindiistan I mean Raj'putana and the valleys of the J amuna and of the Ganges as far east as the river Kosi, and that I do not include under that term either the Panj ab or Lower Bangal. The vernacular languages dealt with may roughly -be considered as three in number, Mar'wafi, Hindi, and Bib in, each with its various dialects and sub-dialects. One omission must be mentioned with regret. I have refrained from including the large number of anonymous folk-epics and of folk — songs (such as ja fears, and the like) current throughout Northern India. These can only be collected on the spot from the mouths of the people, and, so far as I am aware, that has only been systematically done in the province of Bihar. I have therefore, after some hesitation, determined to exclude all mention of them from the work, as any attempt to describe them as a whole could only have been incomplete and misleading.