PREFACRI
- Anantpoor, and passing exactly through Nundid roog, touches the range " of eastern ghaats; thence pursuing their southern course to the moun“ tainous pass of Gujjelhutty, it continues to follow the abrupt turn 56 caused by the great chasm of the western hills between the towns of 66 Coimbatoor, Palatchi, and Palgauty and sweeping to the N. W. skirts " the edges of the precipitois western ghauts, nearly as far north as the 6 sources of the Kistna; whence following an eastern, and afterwards a si nortb-eastern course, it terminates in ratheran abruptangle near Beder, « already described as its northern limit,"
HATING boen appointed shortly after my arrival in India in the year 1805, to a judicial situation in the province erroneously termed by the British Canara, in which also this language is spoken by the majority of the Inhabitants, although not included within the range of it's influence by Colonel Wilks; I found it necessary to become acquainted with it, in order to facilitate the transaction of business, Is the year 1809 I proposed to the Government of Madras, to compile the work which is now presented to the public. My offer was accepted; but ill health at onc period, and of late years most laborious official arocations, hare prevented its publication till the present time, In the course of my labours I have derived much information from a very scarce and accurate treatise upon the ancient dialect, which was compiled, about seven centuries ago, by an Indian author named Céshava, Digitized by Google
