The Travels of Ibn Batuta

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THE TRAVELS IBN BATUTA. Royal Asiatic Society’s House,

Grafton Street, London,

April 27, 1829.

SIR, By direction of the Oriental Translation Committee, I have

the pleasure of presenting a copy of the Rev. Professor Lee’s Translation of the Travels of

Ibn Batuta to

This being the first work published by the Committee, 1 have the honour of informing you,

that an annual subscription of Ten Guineas, commencing with the present year, will entitle the

Subscriber to all the works that will be printed by the Committee.

The Prospectus, and other documents, that are appended to Ibn Batuta’s Travels, fully

develop the objects of the Oriental Translation Committee; but I presume to mention, that

their principal object is the publication of translations of Oriental works free of expense to the

Translators, who are entitled to twenty-five copies of their version when printed ; and that

rewards, in money or gold medals, are given by the Committee for the best translations.

In addition to the Autobiography of the Emperor Jehangeer, which will be published in

the course of this month, the works numbered 7, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 21, described on

pages 13 and 14 of the Committee’s Report, are in the press.

I have the honour to be,

SIR, With great respect,

Your very obedient Servant,

WILLIAM HUTTMANN, Secreiafy,

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, ': ■ » .,V, , ,. THE TRAVEL OF I B N BAT / TRANSLATED FROM THE ABRIDGED ARABIC MANUSCRIPT COPIES, PRESERVED IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF CAMBRIDGE. WITI-I NOTES, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, BOTANY, ANTIQUITIES, &c.

OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE WORK. . O ' >* V w

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tJ T A;

BY THE REV. SAMUEL LEE, B.D. D. D. of the University of Halle ; Honorary Member of the Asiatic Society of Paris, Honorary Associate of the Royal

Society of Literature ; Member of the Oriental Translation Committee, and of the Royal Asiatic Society of

Great Britian and Ireland; Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society; and

Professor of Arabic in the University of Cambridge.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE, AND SOLD BY J. MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET; PARBURY, ALLEN, & CO., LEADENHALL STREET; AND HOWELL & STEWART, HOLBORN. 1829. LONDON: PlUNTEl) BY J. L. COX, GBEAT (iUEEN STKEET,

lincoln’s-inn-Eields.

TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL FITZCLARENCE, FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF CALCUTTA, MEMBER OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF PARIS, MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE, A VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AND TREASURER OF THE FUND APPROPRIATED TO THE TRANSLATION OF ORIENTAL WORKS BY THE COMMITTEE OF TRANSLATION ATTACHED TO THAT BODY. DEAR SIR: 1 think myself fortunate in having it in my

power to dedicate to you the first-fruits of an Institution, which

owes its origin and efficiency almost entirely to your exertions :

and, as my author traversed and described many parts of the

East, of which you, nearly five hundred years after his time,

have given so many interesting and confirmatory accounts, this

f will constitute an additional reason for doing so.

The principal motive, however, which has induced me to

inscribe this work to your name has been, the consideration of

public utility. No one, perhaps, can better estimate than your-

self the duty incumbent on this country to possess an accurate

knowledge of the history, geography, commerce, manners,

customs, and religious opinions of the East. Placed as we

are in the proud situation of legislating to perhaps its richest

VI DEDICATION. and most important part, and hence looked up to by its almost

countless inhabitants for protection, instruction, government, —

nothing can be more obvious, than, that it is just as binding

upon us to acquaint ourselves with their wants, in order to these

being provided for and relieved, as it is that we should calculate

upon the wealth of their commerce, or the rank and influence

which our Governors, Judges, and Magistrates, should hold

among them. Unhappily, however, pi’ior to the times of Sir

William Jones, knowledge of this kind was scarcely accessible

to the bulk of Society ; and, since that period, notwithstand-

ing his glowing predictions to the contrary,^ the study of

Oriental literature has seldom been carried beyond its first

elements. A few Scholars have, from time to time, appeared

among the servants of the Honourable East-India Company : but,

when we take into the account the vastness of the means which

we possess, together with the duty laid on us as a nation,

accurately to know the condition of so many of our fellow subjects

in the East, it must appear, that all which has been done, so far

from being matter of exultation, must rather tend to lower us in

the opinion we would entertain of ourselves, and much more in

that of the surrounding nations. It is not my intention to dwell

here, with the admirable Sir William Jones, on the beauty of their

poetry, the value of their sentiments as moralists or philosophers,

or the almost boundless extent and variety of their languages :

but on the paramount necessity of our possessing an accurate

knowledge of their countries, histories, laws, commerce, con-

nexions, tactics, antiquities, and the like for purely practical

* Preface to liis Persian Grammar.

DEDICATION. Vil

purposes. Other considerations, indeed, will, and ought to weigh

with the Divine, the Gentleman, and the Scholar ; and, here,

perhaps, our knowledge of philology may be mentioned as likely

to receive as much improvement, as any science cultivated in

polite society possibly can.

It is customary, I know, to look to the Universities for the

tone of learning in any country ; but, in this respect, these bodies

are with us very inadequately provided for. The majority

of students is interested in other pursuits ; while those which

are intended for the East are expected to keep Terms at one or

other of the seminaries provided by the Honourable Company.

The utmost, therefore, that can be brought to bear here upon the

ardour of youth, or to stimulate the enterprising to the toil of years,

which is indeed necessary to a moderate acquaintance with the lan-

guages of the East, is, perhaps, a Professorship with an endowment

of forty pounds a year, accompanied with duties and restraints of

no ordinary nature. And, the natural consequence has been,

that, whatever may have been known on these subjects, few have

been found hardy enough to undertake laborious and expensive

works, with no other prospect than of being eulogized by their

biographers, as having ‘‘ immortalized and ruined themselves.”

Our Institution, therefore, will, I trust, even here be the

means of creating a stimulus to the cultivation of learning, for

which, indeed, some provision has been made, and which the

greatest ornaments of our Church and Nation have deemed of

the very highest importance : I mean, that which immediately

bears on the study of the Christian Scriptures, an acquaintance

with the Hebrew and its sister dialects. As things formerly were.

Vlll

DEDICATION. a Wlielock, Castell, or Pococke, may have delivered lectures ; but,

as it was then facetiously said, “ the Lecture-room would exhibit

an Arabia deserta, rather than an Arabia felioc and for the most

obvious of all reasons, namely, that where neither emolument

nor consideration are to be had, there will never be any consider-

able public effort made. In this point of view, therefore, I

believe, that under prudent government our Institution may be

productive of the greatest public good, in filling up a chasm in

our means of information which nothing else could effect. And,

I think I may say, that whether we consider the amazing extent of

its operations, the unprecedented support which in so short a time

it has experienced, the aggregate quantity of literary power con-

centrated in its Committee, or the number of works of the first

importance which it already has in the progress of publication,

to have projected and brought into active operation such an

institution, cannot but be gratifying to every one (and particularly

to yourself), who took any part in its formation.

I have the honour to be,

DEAR SIR, Your most obliged humble Servant,

THE TRANSLATOR AND EDITOR. Cambridge,

January 2Uh 1829.

PREFACE. Some years having elapsed since I first made known my intention to translate and

publish these travels,* and having at length succeeded as far as my abilities and

opportunities would allow me, it now becomes a duty to say, why the work has

been so long delayed, and to give some account of the manner in which it has been

completed.

Soon after I undertook this translation I was informed by a gentleman, a

native of Tripolif then residing in this country, that he had in his own library at

Tripoli a copy of the entire original work; and, that if I would wait till he should have

returned, he would send me that copy. Upon this, I deemed it most prudent to wait.

Hearing, however, two or three years afterwards, that the same promise had been made

to several gentlemen in London, not one of whom ever heard again from Mr. Dugais

on the subject, I naturally gave up all further expectation from that quarter. But, as

I had then engaged in other undertakings, and besides, had not within my power the

means of publication, I had no resource but to let the work lie donnant until opportuni-

ties for completing it should present themselves. Finding myself, at length, a little

more at leisure, I determined to complete the translation; and accordingly, during the

last summer-vacation, more than one half of it was made, and a few notes were

written. Since that time the rest has been completed in the manner now presented to

the Public: and I have now only to give some account of the manuscript copies used, and

of the rules by which I have been guided in my proceedings.

* As afterwards published in the Quarterly Review for May 1820, p. 238.

f Mr. Dugais, son of a rich merchant in Tripoli (Mr. D’Ghies of Major Denham’s Africa).

b

X PREFACE. The Arabic manuscripts of this work are three in number, and are all copies of the

same abridgment. They were originally bequeathed to the library of the University of

Cambridge by the late Mr. Burckhardt, where they may at any time be seen. It is,

indeed, much to be regretted that they are only abridgments ; but, as they contain much

cuiious and valuable information, and that obtained at a time of very considerable inte-

rest ; namely, when the Tartars were making progress in Asia Minor, and the empire

of Hindustan was verging towards its final subjugation to the Mogul dynasty, I have

thought it would be quite unpardonable to let the manuscnpt lie any longer untranslated,

especially as its publication may possibly be the means of bringing the entire work to

lio'ht, which Mr. Burckhardt has assured us is still in existence.*

About the time these MSS. were deposited in our public library, some parts of the abridg-

ment were published in Germany, by Mr. Kosegarten, and Mr. Apetz, both of Jena.f

The work of Mr. Kosegarten contains in its first section a very learned dissertation

on the itinerary of Mohammed Ibn Batuta,;]! which is followed by the preface to his

copy § with some notes. His second section contains the journey through Persia into

* Travels in Nubia, p. 534;.

j- I have lately been informed, that there is now also a copy in France.

J Mr. Kosegarten’s work appeared in 1818, bearing the following title, “ De Mohammede

Ebn Batuta Arabe Tingitano ejusque Itineribus — Commentatio Academica, A D. VII. Martii

cioiocccxviii. Auctor Joannes Gothofrehdus Ludovicus Kosegarten Lingua. Oriental In

Universitate Litterar. Jenensi Professor Publicus Ordinarius.”

(J The following is the text which forms the preface to our work ; it is here given in order to

enable the Oriental scholar to form some estimate of the difference observable in our several texts :

j [* — ■

idll ijJ X^ 1^1 Xas:^

Aiu Ulc Jiiill ti - W; j

Xl idilj l.< ^ iXX- L**^^ be

ibjbu ^ i'AJsbl bo b*^ be I— ilbsT

b;"lj L\aX^j J*lc Arslb C— o-U>

tw4J& ^^A^ ^ gbe ^Xj\s CAblO (J (A .^bwl

(UlJ^ abjJee J, &c. ; a translation of which will be found at the outset of the travels.

PREFACE. XI Tartary, which, although apparently a copy of the same abridgment with our’s, contains

scarcely half the quantity of matter which we have, as the reader will see by comparing

the translations. Mr. Kosegarten’s third section contains the account of the Maidive

Islands, which differs less from ours than the preceding. The fourth section of Mr.

Kosegarten’s work contains the travels into Africa : and here also our difference is but

little. These extracts are all accompanied with a Latin translation, and some very

ingenious notes, with a few geographical extracts from some other works. The work of

Mr. Apetz contains only the account of Malabar given by our traveller; its title is

“ Descriptio Terrae Malabar ex Arabico Ebn Batutse Itinerario edita, interpretatione et

annotationibus instructa per Henricum Apetz. Jenoe MDCCCXIX.” The copy here

followed is that used by Mr. Kosegarten, as Mr. Apetz himself informs us in his preface.

The varieties observable between this text and ours are not many, nor of much impor-

tance : some of these, however, I have marked, as the reader will find in the notes. A

few notes accompany the translation of Mr. Apetz, some of which I have also noticed.

In some instances Mr. Kosegarten’s copy gives the orthography of the proper names of

places : one of our copies also occasionally does this, while one or other of the others

supplies the vowels. But this is neither constant, nor indeed always to be relied on when

found : and, when this is the case, and such name is not to be found in any of the dic-

tionaries, which often happens, I must now say, I cannot be at all answerable for

my own orthography of such words. In some cases, indeed, we find the same word

written differently in the same MS. and in the same line : and when this happens, and I

have no means of rectifying the mistake, I must make the same apology.

In making my translation, I have followed those readings which appeared to me to be

the most correct ; and, where the differences have been important, I have marked them in

the notes. It has not been thought worth while to print the Arabic text, as it presents

nothing remarkable, being in general very plain and entirely void of every attempt at

what is called fine writing. Where I have had any doubt, however, as to the sense

of the passage, I have given the' original Arabic in a note. Still, should the oiiginal be

called for, there will be no difficulty in putting it to press.

Who brought Mr. Kosegarten’s text into Europe he does not inform us, only that it came from

Cairo, and was first presented to him by a dear friend (pp. 8, 9). Mr. Seetzen’s name he only

mentions, to regret his having made the attempt to translate a part of the travels, whence one

would suppose, that Mr. Kosegarten did not follow his copy.

b 2

PREFACE. xii

In translating I have followed the original as closely as our idiom would generally

allow; and in a style as nearly assimilated to that of my author as the nature of the case

would permit. My attempt to put the poetical extracts into verse will, I hope, be

excused, my only object being to give my translation throughout the spiiit of the original,

as nearly as I could.

The notes which have been added will, I trust, be found neither tedious nor entirely

uninteresting. I thought it important both to examine and to explain many of the

statements of my author; and for this end the notes were added. That they are either

so extensive or so good as the subject requires, I do not so much as suppose: and my

apology must be; it has not been in my power to command either the time, or the

opportunities, which many others can. I have done then, if not the best, the best in my

power; and as such, I hope it will be received. My principal object in making

these inquiries, was to ascertain the accuracy and fidelity of my author; and, in this

point of view I have succeeded to my own satisfaction at least, having no doubt

that he is worthy of all credit. Superstitious, and addicted to the maiwellous, indeed,

he occasionally is; but for this allowance must be made, as it occasionally must in

travellers of much later times. It is for his historical, geographical, and botanical

notices, that he is principally valuable; and I concur with his Epitomator, Mi-.

Burckhardt and Mr. Kosegarten, in believing, that in these he is truly valuable. In

botany, perhaps, his skill may be called in question ; and, in this respect, I am sorry to

say, it has not been in my power to correct him. In some of his geographical excursions,

too, I have been unable to follow him ; not because I have not endeavoured to do so, but

because no geographer accessible to me has noticed such places. Those who have been

in the East themselves, or those who may hereafter visit those parts will, perhaps, make

all clear, and to them I leave such instances. As I have occasionally cited some Arabic

and Persian works in the notes, I take the opportunity here of apprizing the reader what

they are, and where the copies cited are to be found.

1. The “RauzatEl Safa is a very celebrated and well known history of Persia, written

by Mir Khand in seven volumes. The copy here cited, formerly belonged to the Right

Honourable Lord Teignmouth, and is now in my own possession ; copies, however, are to

be found in most of the public libraries.

PREFACE. xiii

2. The^Khulasat El Akhbar, an abridgment of the Persian historians generally. This

is also in my possession.

3. The ‘'Gwalior iS^amah, a history of the fortress of Gwalior, hy Heraman Ibn Kardhar

Das the MunshT, a small neatly written quarto, bearing the class-mark 324 of the library

of Eton College. From this the notice of Gwalior has been taken.

4. The ‘^Tarikhi BadayunT, a valuable history of Hindustan, by^Abd El Razzak Maluk-

shah of Samarcand. A neatly written thick folio, bearing the class mark of the Eton

library 439.

5. The first volume of the -^Matlaa El Saadain by ^Abd El Razzak Ibn Is-hak of

Samarkand, a general history of Persia. A moderate-sized folio, incorrectly written,

bearing the Eton class mark 366. These three volumes were lent me for this work, by

the kindness of the Reverend the Provost and Fellows of Eton College, for which, and

the very ready access they afforded me to their valuable library, I take this opportunity

of returning my warmest thanks.

6. The ^Tabakati AkbarT, a history of the Emperors of Hindustan prior to the times of

Akbar, compiled at that monarch’s request, by ‘ Nizam Oddln Mohammed MukTm of

Herat. The copy cited formerly belonged to my late valued and learned friend Jonathan

Scott, Esq. of Shrewsbury : it is a thick quarto very neatly written, and is now in my

possession.

7. The citations from Ferishta are taken from a copy also in my possession.

8. The ^Kanun El Tijarat is a well-written work in Persian on the nature and value of

jewels, silks, &c. taken from the A-Tni AkbarT and other works, written originally in the

Hindustani language by ^latimad El Daulat, and translated into the Persian, A.D.

1806. The copy is in my possession j it is a thin neatly written folio.

9. The '"A-ini AkbarT, a most valuable work giving a statistical account of Hindustan,

with particulars as to its officers, customs, &c. compiled under the superintendence

of Abul Fazl, prime minister to the Emperor Akbar ; large folio, in the University

library of Cambridge. This work has been translated into English by Mr. Gladwin, but

the copies are very scarce : our library does not possess one.

. . <ub jU\ / L>U. ’’

XIV PREFACE. 10. The Medical Dictionaiy of Ali Ibn El Husain, known bythe”Haji Zain El Attar.

compound, arranged according to the Arabic alphabet; it is neatly written, and in the

Persian language. The form is small folio, and contains about 300 closely written pages.

The copy cited is in my possession.

11. The^Dabistan, a very valuable and interesting work on the religious opinions of the

Orientals, usually ascribed to ^Mohammed Mohsin FanI of Kashmire: the real author,

however, seems to be yet unknown. This work was first brought to notice by Sir William

Jones ; but has not yet been translated, if we except the first book on the religion of the

ancient Persians, which was translated and published in India by Mr. Gladwin. The

whole Persian work was printed in Calcutta in 1811. Two MS. copies of this work are

in my possession, one of which is the very copy noticed by Sir William Jones. If I

can ever command leisure sufficient, it is my intention to translate this work.

12. The ’ Heft Ikllm, a very valuable biographical and geographical work in Persian,

by *AmIn Ahmed RazT, giving notices of some of the most eminent Persian writers

of every clime. The copy here cited is in large folio, very thick, and neatly written ;

it was lately purchased by the public library of Cambridge.

The*Maathari Rahlml, a valuable and elaborate history of some of the Emperors and

other eminent men of Tartary, Hindustan, &c., by "Mohammed Abd El BakT El Rahim!

El Nahawendi. The copy used by me formerly belonged to Mr. Hindley, but has lately

been purchased by the Cambridge public library : it is fairly written in large folio,

and contains perhaps 2,000 leaves.

13. The ^ Nafahat El Ins, a History of the Mohammedan Saints by the celebrated Jam!.

This work contains all that was valuable in two writers who had preceded him, together

with considerable additions made by himself from other works, as well as from informa-

tion obtained by personal inquiry. It was dedicated to the Emir ^ Nizam Oddin Ali

Shir, A. H. 881. A. D. 1476; but according to a note at the end, in 1478. The work,

which is in my possession, is a large octavo of about three hundred and fifty leaves, very

neatly but not very accurately written in Pattan in Hindustan, A. D. 1612.

This work is entitled ^ Ikhtiarati Badlal, and contains a list of medicines simple and

n

PREFACE. XV 14. The ^Khulasat El Ansab, a short history of the Afghans by "Ibn Shah Aalam of

the tribe Kot-ha Khail. A work in one small octavo volume, Persian. There are

two copies of this work in the public library of Cambridge.

The Arabic works cited are the following :

15. The ^Kitab El Isharat by El HarawT. This is an account of the pilgrimages per-

formed by the Sheikh AIT of Herat early in the thirteenth century. The book is but

short, and, according to the author, contains only an abstract of a larger work, which had

been taken from him by the King of England, when engaged in the Crusades. This

abstract was made from memory ; but of this the author does not fail to remind his

reader when treating of particulars, which might have escaped him. I had the use of

two copies, one in the collection of Mr. Burckhardt in our public library, the other was

lent me by the kindness of Mr. Lewin. These copies are near the size of our duodecimos.

Mr. Burckhardt’s contains part of two copies, the latter of which was written 537 years

ago, perhaps in the time of the author. I have generally cited him by the name of

El HarawT.

16. Abulfeda’s Geography. The copy used by me is in the hand-writing of Erpenius,

which is probably a transcript of that in the University Library of Leyden. It is in very

large folio, and like its original presents many unintelligible readings ; it is preserved

in the public library at Cambridge, and has the class marks Dd. i. ii. This work is, I

understand, either entirely or for the most part, given in a translation by Reiske in

Buesching’s Magazine a work published some years ago in Germany, but which has

never come to my hands.

17. The Geographical Work of EdrTsT is too well known to need any description.

I used the Roman impression.

18. The '^Marasid El Itlaa. This is a sort of geographical dictionary not unlike our

gazetteers. It is occasionally cited in M. De Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe. Like all

^ jJU iA-i “ . c— '

... ^1 pAl" ^ ^

Ij &c .

* Buesching’s Magazine, fur Historie und Geographic, tom. iv.

XVI PREFACE. other Arabic dictionaries it is very defective : otherwise many places unnoticed by me,

would have been more exactly described.

19. The geographical work of Ibn El Ward! is too well known to need description.

The copy I have cited belongs to the public library of Cambridge, and bears the class-

marks LI. 5. 30. There is also another copy in the collection of Mr. Burckhardt.

20. The ® YatTmat El Dahar, a remarkably elegant and interesting work on the principal

Arabian poets, with some extracts from their writings, compiled A. H. 384, A. D. 994,

by Abu Mansur El Thaalabl. The work is occasionally cited by M. de Sacy in the

second edition of his Chrestomathie Arabe. The copy used in this work is a large sized

neatly written octavo containing about 250 leaves. It formerly belonged to Mr. Hindley ;

but is now in my possession.

21. The Sukkardan, a work by Ibn Hajela on Egypt : it is occasionally noticed by M.

De Sacy, in his Chrestomathie Arabe. The copy here used is a moderately sized octavo,

tolerably well written ; it is to be found in the collection of Mr. Burckhardt in the

public library of Cambridge.

22. The ^KhulasatTahkTk El Zunun, a biographical dictionary, apparently an abridg-

ment of Haji Khalfa ; but of this I am not certain, as the copy of Haji Khalfa with which I

have compared it, contains scarcely half the number of works of which this gives some

account. I suspect, however, that this copy of Haji Khalfa is only an abridgment

itself. The Epitomator’s name is Kamal OddTn Abu Futuh Ibn Mustafa Ibn Kamal

Oddln Ibn Ali El SidlkT. The book is in Mr. Burckhardt’s collection.

23. Another book from which some citations have been made is, Ibn Khaldun’s history

of the Berbers : and, as this book is extremely scarce and valuable, I may be excused if I

describe it a little more particularly. The full title, then, which stands on the first

page is as follows : jJ jJ\j (*V.^ <4

^ ^ y y y y y y f y y y

t " ^

i. e. The seventh

PREFACE. xvii

part of the book of examples and of the Dlwan of the commencements * and accounts,

on the times of the Arabs, Persians, Berbers, and others contemporaiy with them,

who came into supreme power; a publication of the Priest and learned Sheikh the

very learned Wall OddTn Abu Zaid Abd El Rahman, son of the Priest and very learned

Abu Abd Allah Mohammed Ibn Khaldun, of the sect of Ibn Malik, and of the countiy

of Hadramaut. The work is closely and accurately written in the Mogrebine hand in

large quarto upon stout well polished paper. The histoiy of the Berbers covers three

himdred and sixty-nine pages; the remainder of the book, which contains seventy-seven

pages, is an account of the family and life of the author, written by himself. This part

is prefaced by these words, On the last leaf of the

book we have *• The cessation from

writing it out was on the 8th of Moharram, in the year 1008, A.D. July 21, 1599. This

book does not belong to the University Library of Cambridge as some have supposed,

but to the Rev. Richard Edward Kerrich, A.M., son of our late principal librarian, the

Rev. Thomas Kerrich, A. M., who informed me that it had belonged to his father, which

is no doubt the truth, as an engraving containing his arms and name, Samuel Kerrich,

S. T. P., is pasted within the cover at the beginning of the book. Upon discovering to

Mr. Kerrich, our Librarian, the character and rareness of this work, I was permitted to

copy and translate it, upon tendering a bond of five hundred pounds, ensuring its safe

return at the end of two years.

In writing the proper names of persons and places, I have generally retained the

Oriental orthography, as I deemed it proper to preserve these as nearly as possible,

rather than attempt to follow the varying models of different travellers. But, in order

to know how these words ought to be pronounced, it is necessary I should explain my

system of orthography. Consonants then will be pronounced as they generally are

in English, excepting kh, which must be sounded like the Geirnan ck, i. e. as a deep

guttural. The vowels thus : A as a in America : a as a in war, wall, &c. x u as oo in

* The terms and signify the subject and predicate in grammar, as shewn by Dr.

Nicoll in his continuation of Uri’s Catalogue, after M. de Sacy, p. 114. M. de Sacy has,

however, since changed his mind, as may be seen in the Second Edition of his Cliestomathie

Arabe, and now thinks that the literal meaning is the true one. Dr. Nicoll has made a trifling

mistake in giving in the title instead of , in which our copy agrees with that used

by M. de Sacy. See Chrest. Arab., tom. ii. pp. 1,1, 290, &c. This work it is my intention

to translate and publish with the original text as soon as circumstances will allow.

c

xviii

PREFACE. good, stood : u as oo in hoot, root, : i like i in hid, rid, : l like the i of the Italians,

French, &c. or like our ee in meet, seek, &c. : O as o in rose : ai and ei as i in hite. I have

judged it expedient to mention this, because my orthography will stand for nothing, until

readers know how it is intended to be pronounced. I have also retained the orthography

of proper names, throughout, in the Arabic character : and in representing the defi-

nite article (JO El, I have followed the example of Mr. Burckhardt, who always

writes it El. Some writers, indeed, follow the rules of the Arabic grammar, chang-

ing the 1 ( J), whenever what is termed a solar letter follows, for such letter ;

which, however, has the effect of so much obscuring proper names, when they happen

to begin with one of these letters, that it requires some knowledge of the Arabic lan-

guage, to be able to recognise them, e. g. in the word ^Elkhaflf, I can easily see that

it is a compound of El and Khafif ; but in that of ^ Ennoomdn, if I do not understand

Arabic, and am told that a place was so called, because it was built by Noomun, I

shall be at a loss to conceive where the mark of connexion is to be found ; not to insist

on another difficulty, in which the vowel belonging to this article is changed by the con-

struction of the preceding word, making it at one time Unnoomdn, at another, Inndomun,

and at another, Annooman, or Ennoomdn. In a few very well known words, such as Oddln,

Allah, and the like, I have not thought it worth while to depart from the usual orthography.

The text too I have divided into chapters, to which an abstract of the contents of eacli

is prefixed, for the convenience of the reader.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. The passage alluded to in p. 18, note, is found in pp. 218-19 of Psalmanazar’s (not Psal-

meser, as there erroneously printed) valuable Essays, entitled “ Essays on the following

Subjects, &c. By a Layman in Town. London, 1733.” The place mentioned by him, and to

which I could not refer, because the book was not then accessible to me, is the following :

“ Hie populi numerosi habitavere Gergesaei, Jebusaei, aliaque habentes nomina Hebraeis vo-

luminibus memorata : qui quum inexpugnabilem conspicerent advenarum exercitum, patrios

fines deserentes iniEgyptum vicinam migraverunt, ibique numero ac sobole excrescentes,quum

non satis commodum tantae multitudini locum invenissent, in Africam penetravere, ubi civitates

quamplures habitantes omnem eum tractum usque ad Herculis columnas tenuerunt, semi-

phcenicia lingua ac catalecto utentes. Oppidumque Tingen situ munitissimum in Numidia

aedificaverunt, ubi duo ex albo lapide columnae prope magnum fontem constitutae, in quibus

Phcenicum lingua litteras incisae sunt hujuscemodi. Nos a facie fugimus Jesu praedonis filii

Nave, &c.” Procopius de Bello Vandilico, Lib. ii. p. 222. edit. 1531. — The edition of Dow’s

Hindustan quoted is the quarto of 1768.

ERRATA. Page

line

read.

Page

line

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4 19 judice.

100 22 Dabistan.

13 19 Kalawun.

112 18 14 30 Moniat.

16 13 Sayyad.

116 28 Ferishta.

17 24 U 123 10 Kalyur.

18 4 Bejah and.

135 6 Haita.

23, 27 EdrIsT.

140 16 Hejaz.

24 3 Yours is.

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28 30 157 27 Jj' •

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230 14 69 26 Khazir.

232 14 87 12 • 237 1 Kabara.

93 6 Hanifa.

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