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his knowledge of English is of a high order. And this combined with his profound Scholarship in Tamil has given him a unique advantage over the vanishing school of the Orthodox Pandits. He has been a very busy writer and takes great interest in efforts directed towards the improvement of Tamil. He has written works in Drama, Poetry and fiction, and all these are of a very high order. His conscientious endeavour is to make Tamil composition, in prose as well as in verse, simpler and more popular than it has been till now and in this sense. I entirely endorse the opinion expressed by that veteran Anglo-Indian Tarmil scholar, Dr. G. U. Pope, once wellknown in this Presidency, now enjoying his well-earned rest and repose in the serene classic scenery of Oxford with unabated admiration for the literature which he has done more than anybody else to advance, the opinion namely "the herald of a new school of Tamil poets heartily to be welcomed.” - -
The main characteristics of his works may be described to be, (1) to introduce the western system of punctiuation, the absence of which in the literature now extant is a notorious cause of confusion in the minds of young student, (2) a less frequent use of what is known as sandhi by which letters run into one another in compounds, often tending to make the meaning less intelligible to the reader, while at the same time presering rhyme and harmony considered essen- ! tial in Tamil versification and (3) the employment of less archaic and obscure words and expressions. He has besides tried to introduce the English system of blank verse and often makes a diversion to discourse upon topics related to modern social and moral ideas, such as the greatness of contentment, the law of causation, the moral Government of God, the necessity of acquiring wealth, the usefulness of the human body, the greatness of honour, &c. In imitation of Shakespeare and other Western dramatic writers Mr. V. G. Suryanarayana Sastriar Occasionally introduces verses adapted to Hindu music, a feature entirely strange to the classic works of Tamil. In the celebrated three-fold classification of Tamil, Iyal, Isai and Natakam the last class is not represented so far as it is known by any important work, except that well-known Jain work Silappathikaram. There is no doubt there must have been works of this nature in former times, because it is well-known that the Tamil Kings were patrons of theatre, buffoons used to be their constant companions, aud dancing their favourite pastime. Perhaps these works have been lost in consequence of foreign vandalism. In reviving Bhis branch of Tamil literature Mr. W. G., Suryanarayana Sastriar has done valnable service to the Tamil world by his Natakaviyal (Tamil Dramaturgy) which Lunderstand has been prescribed as a Text book by the University of Madras for the B.A. Degree Examination of 1903. He is still young and I hope it will be * listinction and fame to leave behind him enduring marks of the influence of *genius on the new era into which Tamil literature is struggling to enter. MÄDRAs, 20-10-1902. - G. SubRAMANIA IXER.
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