474 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



appearance at Calcutta, the seat of 

 the British government in the East 

 Indies, having been translated from 

 the elegant original in the Persian 

 language, and published there, by 

 Mr. Gladwin, under the patronage 

 of the honourable Warren Hastings, 

 esq. at that period governor gene- 

 ral, &c. &c. ; and it affords an ad- 

 ditional proof of that gentleman's 

 constant attention to every propo- 

 sal for the advancement of science, 

 and particularly for improving and 

 extending the knowledge of orien- 

 tal literature, by British subjects, 

 as an acquisition in many respects 

 of the first utility to all the East 

 India company's servants, whether 

 in civil or military employments, 

 or engaged in the management of 

 their commercial connexions with 

 the Indian princes, and their sub- 

 jects, in the different provinces of 

 Bengal, &c. 



The following extract from a 

 minute of the governor gene- 

 ral in council, dated June 2, 1 783, 

 recommending the translation to 

 the sanction of the board of trade, 

 at Calcutta, will demonstrate, that 

 the executive government in India 

 considered it in the same point of 

 view as we have just stated to our 

 readers. 



Though every branch of Indian 

 literature will prove a valuable ac- 

 quisition to the stock of European 

 knowledge, this work will be found 

 peculiarly so, as it comprehends the 

 original constitution of the Mogul 

 empire, described under the imme- 

 diate inspection of its founder, and 

 will serve to assist the judgement 

 of the court of directors on many 

 points of importance to the first 

 interests of the company. It will 

 shew where the measures of their 

 administration approach to the first 



principles, which, perhaps, will be 

 found superior to any that have been 

 built on their ruins, and certainly 

 most easy, as the most familiar to 

 the minds of the people; and when 

 any deviation from them may be 

 likely to counteract or to assimilate 

 with them.' The board of trade 

 assented to this judicious recom- 

 mendation, notified their approba- 

 tion in a letter from their secretary 

 to Mr. Gladwin, and likewise sent 

 circular letters to the commercial 

 chiefs and residents in these terms: 



' Mr. Francis Gladwin having 

 sent to the president and members 

 of the board of trade, the accom- 

 panying proposals for publishing an 

 English translation of the Ayeeii 

 Akberif, the sense we entertain of 

 the general utility of the work to 

 every one employed in the compa- 

 ny's service, induces us to recom- 

 mend them to your support, and to 

 request you will afford them your 

 recommendation to the gentlemen 

 of your station.' 



The foundation beiiig thus laid 

 at Calcutta, and an indemnity se- 

 cured for the expenses of the su- 

 perstructure, by the private gene- 

 rosity of the governor-general, Mr. 

 Gladwin proceeded in his arduous 

 undertaking, and whilst it was at 

 press, was farther encouraged by a 

 respectable and numerous list of 

 subscribers, whose names will be 

 found annexed to the second volume, 

 in alphabetical order : and we are 

 informed, that the price of each copy 

 at Calcutta, was, and now is, 12/. 

 12*. ; so that the purchasers of the 

 present London edition must consi- 

 der it as one of the cheapest publica- 

 tions extant ; another edition, in two 

 volumes, octavo, accompanies the 

 quarto, which the proprietors of 

 both have published for the conve- 



