A descriptive catalogue of the historical manuscripts in the Arabic and Persian languages, preserved in the library of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland / by William H. Morley.

  • William Hook Morley
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A descriptive catalogue of the historical manuscripts in the Arabic and Persian languages, preserved in the library of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland / by William H. Morley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    I (5) like manner Persian versions were made of every work written by him in Arabic, in order that bis labours might be rendered more gene- rally useful.1 Sir Henry Elliot, however, states that it is certain no Persian copies of the Jami’ at-Tawarikh existed in India in Alcbars time, since that Emperor directed a translation of it to be made from the Arabic into Persian. Sir Henry adds : “ It does not exactly appear from the text [of Badauni] whether this was an abridgment or a translation, but the portion which was completed by Abdu-l-Kadir is distinctly said to have been translated from the Arabic.” 2 It will not be out of place here to give a short account of the five MSS. to which I have alluded, and of the circumstances which led to their discovery. They are as follows : I. A volume (indeed the larger portion of the identical volume of which the present MS. originally formed a part), containing the following fragments of the Arabic version. The history of Persia and Arabia, from the earliest times to the birth of Muhammad, com- prising an account of the patriarchs and prophets, and of Alexander the Great and his successors. The genealogy and birth of Mu- hammad, and the history of bis life and of bis successors, down to the capture of Baghdad, by Hulaku Khan, in a.h. 656 (a.d. 1258). This part is imperfect, but the missing portion is partly supplied by the first seven leaves of the present MS. The history of Persia under the Ghaznawi, the Saljukx, and the Atabak dynasties, with an account of illustrious persons of other nations, particularly the Christians. Imperfect towards the end. The history of the Kings of Kliarizra. Imperfect at the end. This MS. was found, soon after my discovery, by Dr. Forbes, who gave an account of it in the Journal of the Society.3 The volume formerly belonged to Colonel Baillie, who constituted it an heir-loom, and it is now deposited in the family man- sion in Inverness-shire. II. A MS. in Persian, found by Professor Falconer, in the library of the East India House. Of this MS. I gave a desorption in the Society’s Journal, where its contents will be found in detail.4 It com- prises the whole work, with the exception of Uljaitus life, and the geographical volume. This MS. was transcribed in a.h. 1082 (a.d. 1671). III. A MS. in Persian, presented to the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1 Collection Orientale. Tome i. Memoire, &c., p. cxxxiv. Bibliographical Index of the historians of Muhammedan India. By H. M. Elliot, Esq. 8vo. Calcutta, 1840. Vol. i. p. 17. 3 Jour. Roy. As. Soc. vol. vi. p. 33.