got her tales from her husband, Mochi, born at Calcutta, and brought up at Benares; but we should say from internal evidences that the Hindus of Benares got this tale from some local Muhammadan source. It is in fact the story of Laili and Majnûn, a distinctly Muhammadan tale and the theme of several Arabic and Persian poems of considerable merit, written by Nizâmî, Khusrû, Jâmî and others that by Nizàmf which we have now before us, is a poem of a high order. It is doubtful whether the story is Aryan, and it is most likely of Arabic origin. At any rate the names of the hero and heroine are Arabic, Laili meaning probably lail, the night, and Majnûn, possessed of a devil (jin) aud, figuratively, mad with love. Also in the older poems the scene of the tale is in Arabia, e.g. Sayyad Omri is Majnun's father, Majuûn itself being merely a nickname, the real name being Kais; Laili marries one Ibn Salam; Majuûn wanders in the Nijid mountains and his friend and saviour is the celebrated Naufal. In the Persian and Arabic tales, Laili is an ugly old hag for love of whom Majnûn pines, though Nizami makes her beautiful for the purpose of making her a model of womanly good sense, sweetness and constancy. In Dûnknî's tale it is Laili that pines for Majnûn, but she is an ugly old woman that becomes beautiful at times, so that it can hardly be said that the tale has changed its original complexion by passing through Hindu bands.

Let us now examine the names in Dûuknî's tale. Majnûn's friend, Hussain Mahâmat, is obviously Hussain Muhammad, or Muhammad Hossain, as the Mussulman name usually runs, though the Hindu name of Mûnsùkh or Múnsûkh Râjâ is given to Laili's father. Chamman Bâsâ, the wicked Râjâ, living in the beautiful garden, is (?) Chamman Bâdshâh (Bâsâ being according to the notes to the book a corruption of Bâdshâh), the Garden King, a Persian expression. Of the names King Dantâl, Majuûn's father, and the Phalânâ country, Laili's native land, we can offer no explanation, but they certainly have a Hindu look, and the names connected with the eminently Hindu incident in the tale which makes Laili jump into the fish's mouth and remain there twelve years, are of course all Hindu. Thus the Bhagirathî River, where the fish lives, is the purely Sanskrit patronymic name of the Ganges, and the fish Rohu himself must be the classical demon (dartya) Râhu, who periodically swallows up the sun and moon and so causes eclipses, while his conceiving Laili, when inside him, to be a Rakshas is solely a Hindu idea. The whole of this incident has, however, the appearance of being an interpolation, and in its main lines, the tale does not differ from the Arabic and Persian versions.

Now the criticism we offer here is this. There is nothing in the notes to shew that the tale is not a Hindu tale; and not a word is

said as to origin or in explanation of the proper names, of which last we observe as a rule, none is offered in the notes to folk stories in general. It is a pity to omit this point, as the meaning of the proper names is often a guide to the meaning of the tales themselves, and then etymology is always an important feature. In such a tale as this, coming from the mouth of a Hindu, to record simply, "told by Dûnknî," is misleading.

According to the translations given to the world, “God” plays an important part in many folktales, but how seldom are we told what word in the original stood for "God," though it is manifest that, with non-Christian and non-Muhammadan populations, the word "God" may stand for ideas varying to an extreme degree. The two great religions of India unquestionably amalgamate to some extent among the lower orders. The ignorant among the natives, whose name is legion, like the Romans of old, are always ready to add any superstition that they may happen upon to their already long list. In the Punjab and Northern India and probably also in the South among the lower classes, Muhammadanism and Hinduism are not clearly separated. We know of Hindus who believe in the efficacy of the Kalima, and of Mussulmâns who believe in the power of Bhairûn (Bhairaba.) Indeed, in the Punjab the amalgamation of the religions is carried so far as to lead to a community of customs at marriages, deaths, etc., among the lower classes. Be this as it may, in folktale collections, the very importaut word "God" seldom meets with any explanation, much less with the exhaustive treatment it deserves, though a moment's thought will show that a tale introducing "God," where the word is not explained, may to Christian ears be given so false a complexion as to render it quite useless for scientific purposes.

The word "angel" is another stumbling-block with regard to which, in Indian tales, the question which always arises is, does "angel" represent any one Hindu word for a super-human being? The Mussulman farishta and the Budhist devatâ correspond apparently to our angel, but is the Hindu dev or devita an angel? In coming across such a word as "angel" put into the mouth of Hindu, one would like, on turning to the notes, to see an explanation of it, but as a rule none is ever offered. If the Hindu narrator employed farishta, what idea would the word convey to his mind? What notion would he have of such a being as Jabrâîl or Gabriel ? The moral of all this is that your folktale is useless without proper local explanations, usually so conspicuous by their absence. Pretty and interesting, no doubt, many folktales will prove in the nursery, but they will be useless on the shelves of a scientific library, and, as nursery tales, they are hardly worth the trouble of recording, since the creations of our popular story-tellers are good enough to

afford all the amusement and instruction to the infantile mind that is necessary.

So far as regards the aims of the collector; let us now say a few words regarding the collector himself. We have said before that all that is valuable in folklore is the result of two kinds of work, collection and collation. It is not given to every one to be a collator. Even where the will exists, want of learning, want of leisure, want of strength after the necessary labors of the day, want of access to good libraries, prevent many who have otherwise the ability and the desire to do good work in this direction. But that any body can be a collector, is the lesson taught by such works as Miss Stokes's Indian Fairy Tales, Miss Frere's Old Deccan Days. Every student of folklore, every enquirer in India who would study the thoughts of those about him, owes a debt of gratitude to the eminent antiquary who hit upon the happy idea of making use of his little girl to add to the general stock of knowledge. All English children born in India talk the local vernacular, and, being little, they command the sympathies of story-tellers. There are many thousands of mothers in this country who have leisure enough, heaven knows! to record the tales from the lips of their children, and surely among them there must be some who have the discernment and ability to do so correctly. That many will have acquired the knowledge necessary to annotate the tales in a style requisite to render them scientifically valuable is not to be expected, but up and down India there are many capable men to be found, in the Government services and elsewhere, able to explain expressions and allusions not understood, and few of them we take it would turn a deaf ear to applications for assistance. How much that we hear of the ennui of female Indian life (and of military male life too for that matter), would disappear if an interest were taken in the populations around us. Mr. Ralston seems to think that the work of collection is pretty well completed in Europe, i. e. of collection in a general kind of way, but in India and Asia it has hardly begun. The field there is wide and in no part of the world would the prospects of a good harvest be greater. India teems with superstitions; she is rife with stories. Every race, every tribe, and they are well nigh innumerable, every sect, every caste and we might say every trade, has its peculiar customs, its tenets, its legends, its traditions, ghosts, hobgoblins, demons, devils, witches, ogres, fairies and angels, churels, bhuts, prets, devis, ghouls, dains, kutnis, paris, devatas, farishtas, fly the air and haunt the earth. Saints work miracles and jogis enchant around us. Your syce's daughter is possessed of a devil;

your compound well is haunted, and a demon lives in the pipal, tree above it. The curious old man inhabiting that rickety old temple outside your gate, works a miracle every week of his life. Ask your bearer what you do at "the Lodge," that dread jadughar, and you will be astonished at your own proceedings. Ask your punkah cooley how he thinks the Bara Sahib brought the canal into the station, and he will give you information that is at least new. Looked at as the home of supernatural beings, the dreariest, flattest station in India is full of the liveliest interest.

Just as "any" body can collect fairly tales, so "any" place in India will do to collect in. Sandy Sirsa, as well as romantic Kangra, prosaic Allahabad as well as priest-ridden Benares. To go South, what a fund of superstition lies stored up at Tanjore; the Seven Pagodas, Conjeveram,-at Sanchi, Amraoti, Kaili, Somnath, and further East, at Rangoon, Rome, Paghan, and any number more places one might mention.

And, lastly, the favourable reception accorded to all collections of folktales whatever country has been the subject of study, is surely inducement enough for those to commence who have a mind that way, be they men or women. No doubt, mistakes have been made, and much useless trouble has been taken by those already in the field, but this is no cause for despondency. Folklore, like every other scientific study, improves by experience; we profit by the mistakes of our predecessors. In order to gather the grain, we must also gather the chaff, the amount of which need not make us despair; it will all be duly separated and cast away in time. No honest collector need fear that his work will be thrown away, for the folklore collectors have a definite scientific aim in view, the adding of their quota to the historical records of man. Folklore must take its place side by side with philology, ethnology and physiology, to show us why we now are what we are. Its facts are links in the chain of historical proof without which it can never be complete: nor can they be disregarded, as they are indispensable to the study of religion, a study that must always be of paramount interest to mankind. To those of the "unlearned " who would do something with their spare hours, we would recommend folktales; for it requires no "learning" to be accurate, patient and energetic, which are after all the qualifications most necessary, and, as regards encouragement, the pages of the Indian Antiquary and of the Folklore Record are always open to receive the results of all honest research.

THE

THE QUARTER.

HE history of the Quarter has been one of discussion rather than of action. When the year opened, negotiations were in progress with the Khaibar tribes for the future control of the Pass from which it had been determined to withdraw all British troops. These negotiations have been brought to a successful conclusion, and it has been arranged that the evacuation shall be carried out between the 15th and 20th instant. The disposal of the posts from Jamrud to Lundikhaneh will, it is understood, be somewhat as follows::

The sarai and fort Jamrud will alone be maintained by the Punjab Government; Mackeson's bridge will be held by watchmen or tribal escorts; Fort Abdurrahman, Lala China, Shagai, and the Main Ridge and Red Ridge barracks at Ali Masjid will be made over to Abdul Nur, Kuki Khel, who will engage to hold them. The Ali Masjid Fort will be garrisoned by 100 Jezailchis; but the following posts will be dismantled :Fort Michel, Bluff Tower Forts, Fitzgerald, Birch, and Sam Browne. The barracks in Lundi Kotal Camp, together with Fort Tytler and the Lundikhana Sarai, are also to be dismantled, the material being sold by auction on the spot, and the work of demolition has begun.

We are indebted to the Pioneer for the text of the agreement entered into between the Government of India and the Khaibar headmen for the maintenance of the Pass :

On the understanding that the British Government will maintain political relations with us, while at the same time our independence will continue to be fully recognized, we are bound to exclude all other influence and not to admit the interference of any other Power between ourselves and the British Government.

2. In consideration of receiving certain allowances, the amount of which Government has engaged to fix, we hereby undertake the responsibility of preserving order and security of life and property through the Khaibar Pass.