xlii Annual Address. [February, 1910. 



most brilliant period of Mogul rule in this country, and it is 

 to be trusted, that the completion of these translations will not 



be further delayed. 



The search for Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic manuscripts 

 has been sedulously pursued during the year just brought to a 

 close. It has some time been supposed, even by well-informed 

 people, that as the search for Sanskrit manuscripts has been 

 vigorously carried on now for a quarter of a century, we can 

 only hope in future to come across duplicates of well-known 

 works, and the discovery of unknown treasures can hardly be 

 expected. How erroneous such an opinion is, is amply 

 illustrated by the success which has attended the labours of 

 Pandit Hara Prasad Sastri in this direction. In the course of 

 the last twelve months, the Sastri has been able to secure from 

 Benares two extensive collections of manuscripts formerly 

 owned by two families of well-known pandits and manuscript 

 collectors. It will necessarily take many years before these 

 collections, which have been catalogued, are minutely examined 

 and their contents made available to Sanskrit scholars. It is 

 sufficient to state on the present occasion that they include a 

 copy of the Mahabharat, portions of the Shivapuran, commen- 

 taries on the Upanishads, a new commentary on the Purva 

 Mimansa and a Shaiva commentary on the Bhagabadgita. 

 These and the other manuscripts require careful scrutiny, and 

 it is a matter for regret that amongst the younger generation of 

 Sanskrit scholars, we have not got a sufficient number of trained 

 and enthusiastic workers, ready to devote themselves to the 

 difficult task of appraising the new materials brought to light. 

 It is manifest that the publication of complete editions of these 

 works must take many years, even if funds are ever forth- 



coming. 



summari 



the contents of the new works, indicating adequately the points 

 of divergence from existing works or commentaries on the same 



subject, and it would not be much to our credit if work of this 

 description is indefinitely delayed. 



The search for Arabic and Persian manuscripts has also 

 been energetically conducted during the year, and a large 

 number of manuscripts, representing almost every branch of 

 literature and science, has been secured, several of which are 



from 



Of these. 



the most notable is a splendid copy of the Koran beautifully 

 illuminated, which originally belonged to the first Prime 

 Minister of the Emperor Akbar, and subsequently passed 

 into the possession of a distinguished historian of the time 

 of Shah Jehan. Here also it is obviously impossible, with the 

 limited funds at our disposal, to hope for the early publication 

 of any considerable portion of the new works brought to light, 

 and what is urgently needed is a full and detailed account 

 of works hitherto unpublished. 



