No. 179.
Baron Blanc to Mr. Fish.

[Translation.]

Mr. Secretary of State: My government having offered a prize of 5,000 francs in gold, to be awarded on the occasion of the fourth congress of Orientalists (which will be held at Florence in 1878), to the author, whatever may be his nationality, of the best work on Aryan civilization in India, would be grateful to the Government of the United States if it would be pleased to bring the conditions of this award, which are stated in the inclosed extract from the Official Gazette, to the knowledge of the learned public of the United States.

Thanking your excellency in advance for what you may do in furtherance of this object, which is calculated to promote and encourage learning, I renew to you the assurances of my highest consideration.

BLANC.
[Inclosure.]

Offer of a prize for a monograph on Oriental history, to be awarded on the occasion of the fourth international congress of Orientalists, to be held at Florence.

It was the first thought of Prof. Michele Coppino, minister of public instruction, on being notified of the decision of the fourth international congress of Orientalists to meet at Florence, to encourage some important work having reference to Oriental learning, on that occasion. Thus it is that, having heard the statement of the committee of arrangements of the congress, his excellency has resolved to offer a prize of 5,000 Italian lire for the monograph which shall be pronounced by the judges to be the best. The following are the conditions on which the award is to be made.

The subject shall be, “The vicissitudes of Aryan civilization in India.” After a historico-critical examination of the elements which properly constituted Aryan civilization previously to its emigration toward the Punjaub, as revealed in language, mythical traditions, religious belief, and customs, the subsequent history of that civilization shall be discussed in detail, together with the elements which modified it in its various Indian seats.

The learned of all countries are invited to compete for the prize.

Each competitor will address his manuscript, post-paid, either to Prof. Michele Amari, senator of the kingdom and presiding officer of the said fourth congress and of the committee of arrangements, or to the Italian legation in any country of Europe or America, not later than December 31, 1877.

The manuscript shall not bear the name of its author, but simply a device or motto, which shall be duplicated on the outside of a sealed paper containing the name of the author, and which shall be addressed, together with the manuscript itself, either to Senator Amari at Rome or to one of the aforesaid Italian legations.

The judges of the merit of the work shall be five gentlemen, whom the committee of arrangements has already selected from among the most distinguished cultivators of Aryan letters, only one of them being an Italian. The votes of these judges, given separately, shall be collected by the committee of arrangements, and the prize shall be awarded to that one of the competitors who shall have received all or a majority of said votes. The paper containing the name of the author shall then be opened; the others shall be burned.

The successful competitor shall retain full ownership of his work; their manuscripts shall be returned to the others “at their request, at their own expense. In his inaugural report the presiding officer shall announce the result and make known the names of the judges.

The work presented may be written in Latin, Italian, French, English, or German.

The members of the committee of arrangements and the judges shall not be allowed to compete for the prize.