through their children of mixed Hindu and Javanese race gradually imparted to the colloquial tongues that large accession of ideas which they still retain, in the same way as the Arabic derivatives have, at a later period, been introduced with the Mahomedan religion, and by some Arabs intermarrying with the natives, without either Hindus or Arabs having fitted out navies and armies to invade and conquer the country, as done by Europeans in our days.
The language which those Indians, whence soever they came, grafted upon the native stock, was not their own colloquial speech, but the language of their religion and of their sacred books. They probably came from the Gangetic provinces, as neither the Tellugu, Tamil nor Singhalese colloquial languages have made hardly any impression, and if the Sanscrit literature and words were communicated by these latter people, it was through the language of their literature and religion, which throughout India, especially before the Mahomedan invasions, beginning under Mahmud of Gizni in A. D. 1000, was the almost universal Sanscrit.
In the following dictionary I have endeavoured to trace out such words as have had a Sanscrit origin, which I have been enabled to do, with the aid of the Singhalese and English Dictionary of the Reverend B. Clough, Colombo 1830, who, in his preface, declares nine-tenths of the Singhalese to be derived from either Sanskrit or Pali. Not that 1 have any pretentions to a proficiency in the Singhalese language, but I trust that it will be found that such words as will be constantly occurring throughout the following pages, will tend to throw some light upon this part of the language, and will elucidate many words whose Sanscrit origin might not, at first glance, suggest itself. These words from Clough are always marked by the letter C. with a number after them, which is the number of the page where they occur in the Dictionary, the Singhalese words of which are in the Singhalese character.
In this part of my study I have been assisted by the Articles supplied by Mr. R Friederich to the Transactions of the Batavian Society, with reference to Bali, which his knowledge of the Sanscrit has enabled him to do so often with happy succes. I am also further indebted to this gentleman personally for communications on the same matters, which I trust I have, for the greater part acknowledged in their proper places.
I have endeavoured to give the Botanical names to as many of the trees and plants as possible, which occur in the work for the most part taken from Blume's Flora Javae, or selected from various books or writings of which several notices in the Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië, by Dr. G. Wassink have been fruitful sources. Deficiencies have often been supplied by occasional rambles in the Government Palace gardens at Buitenzorg, where the plants are all carefully labelled by Mess". Teysmann and Binnendijk, the gentlemen who have charge of this scientific ornament to the residence of the Governor General of Netherland's India.
The scientific names for the Zoology of Java have had their origin in Horsfeld's Zoology of Java and in various writings and Museums.
With a view to gleaning something of the Ancient lore and language of the Country
