lxXXlV DESCRIPTIVE NOTES ON LIBRARIES. 



purchase of Arabic and Persian MSS. and printed books. It is 

 a pity there is no proper Catalogue of the MSS. in this splendid 

 State Library. An ordinary Urdu Hand-list is the only index 

 to the valuable and interesting collection of Oriental works. 

 It is absolutely of no use to the scholar in making any 



research. 



I hope H.H. the Nizam will see that a proper Catalogue of 



his library on modern lines is prepared ere long for the benefit 



of scholars. 



Sir Salar Jang's Library which ranks next in respect of rare 



works was visited by Mr. Be ve ridge. Unfortunately I was un- 

 able myself to visit it, and owing to lack of time my examina- 

 tion of the State Library was incomplete. 



Hyderabad is also a good hunting-ground for Arabic and 

 Persian MSS. Besides the libraries containing the MSS. there 

 are many book-sellers who offer MSS. for sale. A few of them 

 have already supplied MSS. to the Government Search Depart- 

 ment. 



Rampore. 

 (20) Shah Muhammad Muhadditji Library. 



This library was founded by the father of the present 

 owner Shah Hasan Muhaddith, both well-known 'Ulama' of 

 Rampore. Besides printed works the library has 200 Arabic 

 and Persian MSS. 



The books are well arranged in shelves. Most of the works 

 are gifts from disciples. 



The library has a Hand-list in MS. according to subjects. 



(21) Hafiz Ahmad 'Alt Khan Library, Kuchah-i-Langar 



Khdnah. 



This library was founded by the owner's father Asghar 

 'All Khan, Nazim of Rampore State (d. a.h. 1321 =a.d. 1903). 



It contains 500 books and MSS. and a MS. list of the same. 

 The works are systematically arranged according to the list. 



The owner is the superintendent of the Rampore State 

 Library and of His Highness' Household. 



(22) Rampore State Library. 



Full details of this library and the notices of its Arabic and 

 Persian MSS. will, it is hoped, be published next year. 



(23) Oriental Public Library, Bankipore. 



I stayed about two weeks in this library which owes its origin 

 to Mawlavi Md. Bakh , Khan, who, at the time of his death in 

 July,A.D. 1876( = A.H. 1294), left a collection of 1,400 volume-. 



Bakhsh was a lawyer of Bankipore. Though not a rich man , 



