th e Y u e tsh i fo llow in g th em , d iv id ed w ith th em th e c o u n trie s
to th e so u thw a rd o f th a t riv e r. A C h in ese g e n e ra l accomp
a n ie d th e Y u e tsh i in th a t e x p ed itio n , a n d th e d a te is said
to be fu lly e sta b lish e d . I t is j u s t p ro c e ed in g th e one h u n d
re d an d tw e n ty s ix th y e a r b e fo r e -C h ris t, a n d ex a c tly
co in cid es w ith th e e ra w h e n th e P a r th ia n k in g P h ra h a te s is
said to b a v e b een k ille d in b a ttle a g a in s t th e S cy th ian s.*
T h e se c o n c u rrin g te s tim o n ie s, G re e k , In d ia n , a n d Ch in ese,
jo in e d to th e co n firm a to ry ev id en c e afforded b y coins a n d
in s c rip tio n s , leav e little ro om fo r d o u b t th a t c e rta in trib e s o f
S cy th ian s, m o st p ro b a b ly o f th e T u rk is h ra c e , fo r reaso n s
w h ic h w ill a p p e a r wh en we come to th e h is to ry o f th a t p e o p
le , co n q u e re d th e G re e k d ominions in B a c tria some tim e
b efo re th e C h ris tia n e ra , an d fo u n d ed a p ow e rfu l k in g d om
in th e c o u n trie s b o rd e rin g o n th e In d u s . T h is coil elu sio n
h ow ev e r is b u t a sle n d e r fo u n d a tio n fo r th e h y p o th e tic a l
system which has b een fo u n d ed on. if b y K la p ro th , who in
h is p re d ile c tio n fo r th e Y u e ts e h i-o f th e Ch in ese a n n a ls,
m a k e s n o difficulty in in tro d u c in g a s lig h t a lte ra tio n in th e ir
n am e in o rd e r to b r in g i t som ew h a t n e a re r to th o se o f th e
G e tæ , G o th s, M a ssag e tæ , J u te s , J a u ts , and J a ts , with wh om
h e was d e te rm in e d to id e n tify th em . P ro fe s so r L assen h as
o b se rv e d th a t th e su b s titu tio n o f Y u e ti fo r Y u e tse h i is quite,
u n a u th o ris e d , a n d th a t th e A rc h im a n d rite H y a c y n th , th e
R u s s ia n tr a n s la to r o f v a rio u s Ch in ese w o rk s, who; k n ew
n o th in g o f th is b r illia n t d isco v e ry , o r, as L a ssen ' te rm s
i t , o f th is m o n om an ia o f M . K la p ro th , alw ay s w rite s th § |
n am e Y u ed sch i as d id D e G u ig n e s. I h av e in a fo rm e r
divisio n o f th is w o rk shewn how c h im e ric a l is th e n o tio n
th a t th e G o th s w e re d e sc e n d e d from th e n a tio n s o f E a s te rn
T a rta ry , from wh om K la p ro th d e riv e s th e ir o rig in . T h e
su p p o sitio n , th a t th e J a ts o r J u ts u p o n th e In d u s a re th e
d e sc e n d a n ts o f th e Y u e tse h i, does n o t a p p e a r a lto g e th e r so
p re p o s te ro u s ; b u t i t is su p p o rte d b y no p roof, e x c e p t th e
v e ry tr iflin g on e o f a s lig h t re sem b la n c e in n am e s. T h e
* The most important of these notices were given long ago by De Guignes,
in a memoir ‘‘ Sur quelques évènemens qui concernent l’histoire des Rois Grecs
de la Bactriane et particulièrement la destruction de leur royaume par les
Scythes.” M. de l’Acad. des Inscr. et Belles Lett. Tom. 25.
p h y sical c h a ra c te rs o f th e J a ts a re e x trem e ly d iffe ren t from
th o s e a ttrib u te d to th e Y u e tse h i a n d th e k in d r e d tr ib e s b y
th e w rite rs c ite d b y K la p ro th a n d Abel R em u sa t ; b u t a
c h a n g e o f abode from th e h ig h re g io n o f T a rta ry to th e h o t
p la in s o f th e In d u s , a n d a re sid e n c e in th e la t te r fo r tw o
th o u s a n d y ë a rs , m ig h t b e su p p o sed a p ro b a b le cau se o f such
a n a lte ra tio n .*
S e c t io n I I I .4 #O f the different Languages and Nations of
India.
Paragraph 1 .—G e n e ra l O b se rv a tio n s:— L a n g u a g e s o f
H in d u sta n .
T h e o n ly m e th o d o f o b ta in in g a c o rr e c t id e a o f th e su b div
isio n s o f p e o p le i n In d ia , a n d th e re la tio n s o f d iffe ren t
tribes- to each o th e r, is b y c o lle c tin g in fo rm a tio n re sp e c tin g
th e ir la n g u a g e s a n d d ia le c ts. T h e firs t n o ta b le a ttem p t th a t
was m ad e w ith th is d e sig n was th e c e le b ra te d E ssay o f M r.
Co.lebrooke.ron th e S a n s k r it a n d P r a k r i t la n g u a g e s, well-
k n ow n a ll th o se, .persons who h av e p a id b u t a s lig h t
a tte n tio n to In d ia n h is to ry . A lth o u g h some o f th e opinions
expressed I in th is E ssay h av e b een ^ co n tra d ic te d b y th e
re s u lta ^ o f' la te r" re s e a rc h e s , a s h o r t .notice o f its c o n ten ts,
w ith wh ich some o f my re a d e rs may b e u n a c q u a in te d , w ill b e
th e b e s t in tro d u c tio n to th e rsu b je c t.
T h e Hindfi g ram m a ria n s a n d c ritic s, says M r . C o leb ro o k e ,
d is tin g u ish th r e e la n g u a g e s, o r r a th e r th r e e sta g e s o f th e
la n g u a g e sp o k e n in I n d i a ; th e s e a re , firs t, th e S a n s k r it;
seco n d ly , th e P r a k r i t ; th ird ly , th e M a g a d ’h i. T h e m e a n in
g o f th e s e te rm s is th u s ex p la in e d b y M r. C o le b ro o k e :—
I . “ T h e S a n s k r it la n g u a g e is a h ig h ly p o lish ed a n d c u ltiv
a te d to n g u e , w h ic h was g ra d u a lly re fin ed u n til it b ecame
fixed in th e classica l w ritin g s o f m a n y e le g a n t p o e ts, m o s t
* According to Klaproth and Abel Remusat these natives of Central Asia are
reported to have been of sanguine complexion, with blue eyes. The Ja ts, as
we shall see ip a following section, are a small, ill-formed race of blacks.