the Datta, or son given,' and the Aurasa, or legitimate son,' are not comprehended under the designation of sons: any other kind of son is accordingly forbidden by SAUNAKA for the Kali age." Thus VRIHASPATI declares.

Part of the passage here quoted is inserted by KULLUKA, in his gloss on MANU, ix. 68.

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The Sanskrit expression in the original for others besides the Datta and Aurasa' is Dattaurasetareshám. The word itara,other,' here retains its own pronominal inflexion, as standing in a compound, not a Dwandwa; for in Dwandwa compositions, all pronominal adjectives (sarva, &c.), take the termination of common adjectives ending in a. Ex. YAJNAWALKYA, book i. dist. 1.

varnáśrametaránám no brúhi dharmánas'eshatah

Explain to us fully the duties of the castes, the orders, and the rest." This remark is expressed by PANINI, in an aphorism (I. 1. 31), which is referred to by VIJNÁNESWARA, in his commentary on the passage just quoted.

"2d Query.—Is it an indispensably cogent precept, that a man destitute of male progeny must adopt a Dattaka? or is it left optional?

"Answer.-To insure deliverance from the hell named PUT, for the sake of affection and love, on account of the oblation of the funeral cake and water, and for the honour of their names, men of all castes should, in failure of a legitimate son, always adopt a Dattaka, as a substitute for a real son. Such is the opinion of all persons conversant with the codes of law. Otherwise, guilt is incurred; and through the neglect of this precept, by omitting to discharge his debt, celestial bliss cannot, according to the ordinance, be enjoyed by the father in a future state."

Proofs.—1. "A man who is without male offspring should always take care to adopt a substituted son, on account of the oblation of the funeral cake, and the pouring of water."—ATRI.

2. "By a man who is destitute of male children, a son who is duly qualified must with care be adopted, on account of the oblation of the funeral cake and water, and for the honour of his name."-MANU.

3. "A Bráhman, as soon as he is born, is under a threefold debt: he owes holy study to the primeval sages, sacrifices to the gods, and offspring to his ancestors. That man only is free from debt, who is father of a son, a performer of sacrifices, and a student of scripture.”—Upanishad.

The belief that the continuance of deceased ancestors in a state of happiness after death depends on the regular performance of funeral rites by an uninterrupted line of male descendants appears to be one of the most deep-rooted and most essential points of the religious faith of the Hindús: it, in fact, forms the basis of their legal institutions concerning marriage, family affairs, and the distinction of castes; and it involves the leading principle of their law of inheritance, and of the division of property. In accordance with the prevailing fondness of the Hindús for

allegorizing etymologies and playful allusions to the fancied origin and primary signification of important words, observable, already, in some of the most ancient works of the Sanskrit literature, the most familiar term for a son,' putra, or puttra, has been interpreted as having reference to the dogma just stated, and originally signifying "a deliverer or rescuer from hell." This derivation of the word putra is alluded to in numberless passages, not of treatises on law only, but likewise in poetry and in other works, wherever the mutual ties of parental and filial relation are spoken of. An exceedingly strange manifestation of the dogma which it is supposed to imply, occurs in the first book of the Mahábhárata, where the ascetic saint JARATKARU, the only male survivor of an illustrious race, is described as accidentally arriving, on a pilgrimage, at a subterraneous cave, in which he beholds, with dismay, his departed ancestors, deprived of their heavenly abode, and just then sinking down into the dark subterraneous regions, in consequence of his own disregard of domestic and family duties t.

The three debts mentioned in the passage from the Upanishad, the discharge of which becomes incumbent upon a Bráhman from the moment of his birth, are frequently alluded to. Passages from the Vedas, perfectly similar to that given by our author, are cited by KULLÚKA, in his gloss on MANU, iii. 45; by RAMAKRISHNA TIRTHA, in his Commentary on the Vedántasára, p. 11. ed. Calc.; by VISWANAT'HA, in his Commentary on the Nyáya-Sutras of GOTAMA, iv. 59; and in the Introduction to the Dattaka-Mímánsa, p. 1. ed. Calc.

* From 66 PUT, Hell," and the verbal root TRAI, "To save," supposing the diphthong ai of the latter element to have been shortened into a, on the same principle according to which the root GAI, "To sing," is shortened into GA in the derivation sámaga, "Who chaunts the Sáma-veda." According to the fashion of the native grammarians, the alleged derivation of puttra might be expressed thus :-putas tráyate, iti puttrah, analogous to that of sámaga: sámáni gáyati, iti sámagah.

+

Tán abravit sa drishtvá tu JARATKARUH pitámahán :
Ke bhavanto 'valambante garte 'smin vai adhomukhah?

YAYÁVARÁ náma vayam rìshayah s'ansitavratáh,

Santanasya kshayát, brahmann, adho gachchháma midiním.

"Jaratkaru, beholding them, thus addressed the deceased ancestors : · Who are you, hanging in this cavern, with your heads foremost ?'...... The ancestors replied: "We are sages of renowned sanctity; our name is the YA'YAVARAS; owing to the extinction of our race, O Bráhman, we must go downwards under the earth.'"-Mahábhárata, vol. i. fol. 24. b. in the MS. given to the Royal Asiatic Society by Colonel Tod. The same story occurs again at fol. 41, a.

"3d Query.-What is the definition of the son given?

"Answer. That son, whom, in a season of distress, his mother and father give to the adopting party, should be understood to be a dattaka, or son given, conformably to the division of the codes of law."

Proofs.-1. "That son of the same class, whom, with his consent, his mother or father, at a time of distress, bestows by solemn libations, is called the son given."-MANU.

2. "He whom his mother or father bestows, is the son given."-YÁJNA

WALKYA.

In translating the above passage from MANU, ix. 168, we have adopted the adverbial construction given by KULLUKA to the term prítisanyuktam, "with his consent:" Sir WILLIAM JONES has translated it, If he be affectionate." The text of YAJNAWALKYA is found in the Institutes of that author, book ii. dist. 133.

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ART. XII.-Biographical Sketch of the late CAPTAIN JAMES McMURDO. By JAMES BIRD, ESQ., M.R.A.S., F.R.G.S. &c. &c.

Read 5th April, 1834.

In presenting to the Royal Asiatic Society the late Captain McMURDO's account of Sindh*, embracing the government, productions, and commerce of that country, with the customs and manners of its people, I am entrusted with the pleasing duty of briefly sketching the biography of its estimable author, and of stating in what manner I obtained authority for publishing the statistical information here communicated.

In an article written by Dr. McADAM, and published in the Third Volume of the Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay, the character of Capt. McMURDO has been so happily delineated, by an intimate friend, as to leave little room for addition or improvement. To that gentleman I am indebted for this permission to bring before the public the posthumous Paper now presented; and he who has eulogized so warmly, but so faithfully, the character of one whom he knew intimately and ardently admired, will feel satisfied, I doubt not, that the labours of his friend, and their value, cannot be better made known, or appreciated, than under the auspices of this Society.

The subject of this Memoir was the youngest of four sons; who, by their father, Major McMURDO, of the Dumfriesshire Militia, were encouraged to devote their services to the interests of their country. Their parent had, in early life, followed the profession of arms; and, after having supported the interests of Russia against the Turks, was employed in the war of North America. His children, led by a father's example, embraced the military or naval professions; and James, the youngest, was sent out as a cadet to India. Here his latent talents were roused to This Paper will appear in the Second Number of this Journal. VOL. I.

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action; and which, when proper objects were placed before him to stimulate ambition, soon enabled him to attract notice and attain distinction. The military service of the East-India Company is of a peculiar nature; wherein frequent occasions for acting on the resources of one's own mind happen to individuals, placed on detached duty from their regiments, at a solitary out-post, or engaged in putting down public enemies and disaffected disturbers of the peace. In such situations, a young man's natural energy, once roused, is followed by exertion, whether in attaining a knowledge of Oriental languages, or in acquiring for himself a character for military activity and decision. His first small efforts, followed by encouragement, or rewarded by some pecuniary advantages of appointment, lead to greater things; and, to the credit of the executive governments be it said, few fail in obtaining recompence for their exertions. Superior and brilliant talents are not so much wanted, to secure a successful career, under such circumstances, as that persevering and untiring industry of mind, which, though it may not equal the striking efforts of some more gifted spirits, is generally more useful to its possessor, and more conducive to the public weal. The conviction of this truth will encourage all, who go to India, to avoid habits of idleness, which are there destructive of health and happiness; and to pursue those worthy objects of ambition, that have secured, for many, both fame and fortune. Happily, our author, on first arriving in that country, obtained a skilful Mentor, in the person of the late General ALEXANDER WALKER, then Resident at Baróda, and by him was encouraged to study both Hindústáni and Persian. The depressing influence of a warm climate is but too apt to produce indolence and indifference; and young McMURDO was, I have been told by his associates, not exempt from these effects, which, when not met by high-minded resolution and determination of purpose, lead to time mis-spent or talent mis-applied. He rose, however, superior to the difficulties of his situation; and, having mastered two Oriental languages, was first employed on the Staff of Sir JOHN ABERCROMBIE, when sent against the Mauritius. By this officer he was selected to carry to the Governor-General the despatches of this island having surrendered; and after the objects of the expedition had been accomplished, the troops returned to India in 1812; when our author was appointed agent for Kach affairs. He was now engaged in conducting the negotiations which were, at this time, carried on with FAT'H MUHAMMED, who had usurped the power of that state. Soon afterwards he was sent on a mission to the coasts of Makrán, Sindh, and Kach, with a view of inducing the pirates, who infested that quarter, to abandon their lawless pursuits: and at this time his mind was attentively directed to the ancient history of Sindh, and the resources and productions of the country, with the state of the river Indus. Several small Tracts, in Persian, on the

parganahs and towns of Sindh, the different tribes of inhabitants, and the productions of its soil, were written, about this period, for his information; and their contents, having been subsequently compared with the results of other inquiries, were incorporated in his History of Sindh ; of which the statistical account of the country, and his observations on the Indus, form the Introduction. The Persian Tracts, of which I speak, came into my possession through the kindness of Mr. NORRIS, now Chief Secretary at Bombay, who purchased them after the author's death. They appear to have been compiled, with considerable care, by men long resident in the country; and among the manuscripts given me by that gentleman, and used by Capt. McMURDO, there is a History of Sindh*, by MIR MAÁSAM, written in the reign of AKBAR. The Persian author of this chronological and geographical work was a native of Bhakar, and the well-known and able associate of NIZAM-UD-dín, Ahmed Bakshi, who compiled the excellent general history of India, called the Tabkát-i-Akbári.

Subsequent to the mission of which I speak, Capt. McMURDO was, in 1814, appointed Government Agent on the Jhalawar frontier, a district near the Runn, then suffering from the effects of famine, and the depredations of the banditti from Párkar and Wágar. Here he collected the information regarding the districts and inhabitants of Káttiawár, which was published in the Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay.

Two years after this time, or in A.D. 1816, a small force was sent into Kach, in order to compel the rulers of that country to desist from giving shelter to the banditti who infested the north-western frontier of the Bombay territories, or that of our allies. Our author was sent to

conduct the political business of the expedition; and having done this successfully, so as to restore peace and order to the country, was appointed Resident at the court of the RAo of Kach.

His exertions were now redoubled, to acquire information on the history and geography of Sindh; and considerable sums were expended by him in obtaining rare Persian works on this subject. Some of the more valuable of these were not to be found after his death, which happened in the thirty-fifth year of his age, on the 28th of April 1820, before he had obtained the full reward of his services, by acquiring that fame to which his labours are so justly entitled. The books that were missing had been probably purloined by some of his Muhammedan followers; as Capt. McMURDO, when attacked with cholera, of which he died, was absent from his European friends, in the unfrequented district of Wágar. Only two of his statistical or geographical Papers have been made

* The Committee of the Oriental Translation Fund have taken measures for procuring a translation of this Work; which will be a valuable addition to our knowledge of this country.-Ed.

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