Tamil types seem, however, to have been cut at Amsterdam in 1678, to express the names of some plants in the large work, Horti Indici Malabarici. Ziegenbalg mentions, however, that they were so bad that even the Tamilar themselves could not make them out. It would appear that the next attempt was made at Halle, about 1710, to supply the Tranquebar Mission. Fenger says, The people there, though unacquainted with the Tamil language, succeeded in making some Tamil letters, which they hastily tried and sent to Tranquebar, where the first part of the New Testament, as well as other things, was printed with them. This sample, the very first thing ever printed in Tamil characters, was the Apostles' Creed, and the friends at Halle when they despatched it with the printing-press, requested soon to be requited by a copy of the New Testament in Tamil.' The printing of the New Testament was completed in Tranquebar in 1715. The type first cut at Halle is about equal to the size called English. Smaller founts were cut afterwards: A specimen is given of a part of Arndt's True Christianity, printed at Halle in 1751. Founts of type were subsequently cut in India. Printing was carried on both on the Continent and in Ceylon. In 1761 the Madras Government allowed the Vepery missionaries the use of a press taken at Pondi cherry. Tamil typography owes its present excellence mainly to Mr. P. R. Hunt, of the American Mission Press. With much labour, he superintended the cutting of the punches of several founts ; the smallest size (brevier) he had prepared in America. He produced the smallest vernacular edition of the Scriptures ever yet issued in India. The American press has also raised the standard of printing throughout the Tamil country. The Rev. W. Taylor states that up to 1835 the only Tamil works printed by natives were the Kural and some poetry by Auvai yar. In that year (15th September) Sir Charles Metcalfe removed the restrictions on printing, and soon afterwards native presses began to be established. In -1863, there were ten native presses in Madras, printing in Tamil, on a very small scale. According to Hindu custom, related families dwell together, and a wooden printing press was owned in common ; some members acting as printers, others attending to sales. This indeed was the early practice in Europe. Hallam says, The first printers were always booksellers, and sold their own impressions. These occupations were not divided till the early part of the Ifith century.' In 1872, three or four native printers had iron presses, and even claimed to hot-press their sheets. Some books printed by them were of very fair workmanship.
The very first work printed in Bengali was issued from a press at Iloogly in 1778. It was a Bengali grammar by Nathaniel Brassey Hallied, B.C.S. ; and the types for it were actually pre pared by the hands of Lieut. C. Wilkins, of the Bengal army, afterwards Sir Charles Wilkins, the celebrated Sanskrit scholar. The first native
who learned type-cntting was a blacksmith of the name of Panchanan, who was specially instructed in that art by Lieut. Wilkins himself. This man prepared the first fount of Bengali types for the Baptist missionaries, at Serampur, at the rate of 1 rupee 4 annas per letter. In 1875, the second book in Bengali was published by the E. I. Co.'s press. When Mr. Foster's Bengali translation of Lord Cornwallis' Regulation of 1793 was printed at the same press, a new set of types had been made, vastly superior to its predecessor. In 1803, the Serampur missionaries prepared type in Deva Nagri, and on the 28th May 1818, issued the first Bengali newspaper, called Samachar Darpan. The Samachar Darpan was preceded by a Bengali monthly magazine, designated the Dig-darshan. Shortly afterwards the Timir Nashak was published in Calcutta by a Bengali, but it died in a short time. The Samachar Darpan, or The Mirror of News, was a hebdomadal, and was printed and published at Serampur. Its first editor was the late well-known John Clark Marshman,—Father John, as he was irreverently dubbed by the English press of that time ; and the newspaper, after a protracted existence of nearly a quarter of a century, ceased to appear in 1841. The Governor-General, the Marquis of Hastings, ac cording to the Rev. J. Long, on the first issue of the paper, wrote with his own hand to 'the editor expressing his entire approval of it. And in public his lordship is said to have avowed that it was salutary for the supreme authority to look to the control of public scrutiny.' An Agra newspaper of 1870 says there were then twenty-four mission presses in India, Ceylon, and Burma. These had published in the course of the last ten years no fewer than 3410 sepa rate works, mostly of a Christian and educational character, in 31 languages and dialects. In the year 1870, there were six printing offices in Yezo alone (now called Tokio, i.e. Eastern Capital). They turn out elementary school-books to meet the large demands of this progressive people, to be used as the means for acquiring a knowledge of English and other European languages. one but their own people are employed. They publish newspapers in their own characters, but the type is cast on a regular body, to English standard, and in a Japanese type - foundry at Nangasaki. The native characters consist of Chinese, and the Japanese Hirakana' and Kata kana."Fhe Chinese characters are arranged In cases with very narrow divisions the width of the body of the type ; these are placed In the division,' on their feet, with the face novarda.— Preface to Grainniatica Dumulica ; History of the Tranquebar Mission; lloyle's /Is, etc., of India ; Pennant's IIindoostan, L p. 132 ; .1PCulloe6's Dic tionary; Julien in Jour. Arial. p. 509 ; Chin. Aloderne, p. 62G •, Yule, Cathay, I. p. 219.