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.
[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.
