26 May 1826
My dear Sir
Having been absent a while from town; & since my return, extremely indisposed, I have trusted to Sir Alexander Johnstonʼs further communications, as he was writing to you & undertook to speak for me as for himself. Though still very unwell & but just rising from a sick bed, I cannot let the post go out, without announcing my sonʼs arrival – It was to the very day to meet his uncle, who is here, preparatory to embarking for India, & whom, from an unlooked for emergency it was indispensable he should see previous to his embarkation
I think my son greatly improved; & as far as I have yet had time to converse with him, on his attainments, he seems very satisfactorily advanced in all his studies: for which he & I are greatly beholden to you; & I cannot too often repeat my acknowledgements.
I have received Mr Lassenʼs work on Pali. It appears, so far as I have examined it, well executed. He has shown convincingly that the Mágadhi [2] Páli and Prácrit, properly so called, are distinct. It is nevertheless true, that, being cognate dialects, they are often confounded under the same designations – A Pali work is in Hindustan denominated either Magadhi or Pracrit. A Prácrit one is beyond the Ganges called Mágadhi
My son will add a postscript
Yours very obedly
H T Colebrooke
Since the above was written, I have received your favour of the 19th Instt – I thank you for the arrangements you were so good as to make to forward the young travellers. The hurry in which I wrote, at the moment of getting into a carriage for a distant journey, must be my apology for the imperfect manner in which I provided for the case. Your draft for 20 £ will be duly honored; as will your further draft, which I hope you will make to reimburse any & every expense you are put to. I had no apprehensions of my sonʼs being unequal to travel without escort. I was myself travelling alone on the continent, younger by more than a year. We English are hereditary travellers