1878] Ohituary notice of Mr. Bhclimann. 165 



Blochmann, who has been Philological Secretary of the Society for nearly 

 11 years. It is unnecessary that I should give you any detailed account 

 of the work he has done in the meantime, nor should I be competent to 

 do so if it were necessary ; I must leave the task to those who are more 

 conversant with Oriental literature. The Journal and Proceedings of the 

 Society, crowded with Mr. Blochmann's contributions, answer for him, 

 and it is impossible that any member needs to be reminded of the value 

 of our late Secretary's labours. Mr. Blochmann's studies, as you are all 

 doubtless aware, embraced a wide circle of Arabic and Persian literature, 

 but his especial study, the subject on which he had probably acquired 

 more knowledge than has ever been attained by aay other European, or 

 perhaps even by any native of India, was the History of India under the 

 Muhammadan rule. On all subjects relating to Muhammadan India the 

 extent and accuracy of his knowledge was something wonderful ; and he 

 spared no effort to obtain fresh information. Manuscripts, inscriptions, 

 coins, — all records of the times, — have been noticed by him frequently 

 and fully in the Journals and Proceedings of the Society. His death in 

 the midst of his career and in the prime of life has deprived the world of a 

 mass of information as to the history of this country, information which 

 is not likely to be again attained for a long time to come by any single 

 individual. His most important work, the translation of the Ain-i-Akba- 

 ri, has unfortunately been left incomplete. 



All these writings are before the world, but a large amount of work 

 falls upon our Secretaries, and is entirely unrecorded ; indeed it is as a 

 rule onlj^ known to members of the Council. I will mention but one 

 instance of Mr. Blochmann's labours. For the last ten or twelve years 

 a catalogue of the Society's Library has been a most urgent want. At- 

 tempt after attempt has been made to prepare one, but all have failed, 

 because no officer of the Society, who possessed the requisite knowledge, 

 could afford the time, and was willing to give the very large amount of 

 supervision necessary. The difficulty is due to the great number of lan- 

 guages represented, and the wide range of subjects treated in the books 

 contained in the Society's Library. At length last year the task was 

 undertaken by Mr. Blochmann, and under his superintendence, and in a 

 very great measure by his personal labour, a complete list of the books 

 has at length been made, and if, as I hope, something like an ac- 

 curate Catalogue is published in the course of the next few months, the 

 members of this Society will be indebted to Mr. Blochmann alone for the 

 boon they will obtain. 



The following is a brief sketch of our late friend's career. He was 

 born at Dresden on the 7th January, 1838, and was first educated at 



