1840.] Asiatic Society. 1131 



has been just discovered among the MSS. of the India House- It is a copy of the 

 original Persian, transcribed A.H, 1081 and 1082, and belonged to the celebrated Dr. 

 Leyden. It contains the whole of the author's Historical Works except the lives of 

 Ghazan Khan and Uljayto Khan, which may be considered biographical rather than 

 historical. I have now the volume before me, through the kindness of Professor 

 Wilson, who for many years was the ornament of your Society. Of this precious 

 work, I am now engaged in drawing up an abstract for the next number of our Journal. 

 The accompanying letter which appeared in our last number refers to the Arabic 

 version of the work, which unfortunately is incomplete ; perhaps by the exertions of 

 your Society the lost fragments may yet be recovered, and I venture to say that 

 we have still public spirit enough among us to publish this second volume both in 

 Persian and Arabic if procurable. You have of course received Quatremere's magni- 

 ficent volume on the life and reign of Hulagon Khan. The portion of the author's 

 woi'ks which we wish to publish, would be infinitely more interesting, particularly the 

 histories of China, India, and the Franks, all of which are perfect in the Persian 

 volume now before me, though none of them is quite complete in the Arabic. 

 Should your Society be in possession of either the Persian or Arabic, would you kindly 

 inform me of the same, and oblige, Yours obediently, 



D. Forbes. 



A letter, read at a late Meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and 

 Ireland, on the recovery of a (supposed) lost volume of the Jami al Tawdrikh of 

 Rashidud-din. 



P. S. — Since the above letter was printed in the Society's Journal ; a complete copy 



of the Jdmi al tawdrikh in Persian has been found in the Leyden collection of 



MSS. now in the East India House Library. An analysis of this rare volume will 



appear in the next number of the Society's Journal. 



D. Forbes. 

 8 Alfred Street, 



\%th May, 1840. 



'Letter of Professor Forbes, on the Recovery of a lost portion of the Jami al 



Tawdrikh. 

 'Sir, 



' Mr. W. MoRLEY has kindly presented to me a copy of his interesting letter 

 addressed to Major-General Briggs, respecting the portion of the Jdmi al Tawdrikh, 

 now in the Society's Library. About the time when Mr. Morley's communication 

 was passing through the press, I accidentally fell in with a much larger portion of the 

 Jdmi al Tawdrikh, comprising one half the original volume, of which the Society's 

 fragment forms about one-fifth. The two fragments have been clearly proved (as 

 you will perceive hereafter) to be parts of the same grand original ; and it is curious 

 enough, that after many years, perhaps centuries of separation, they should have at 

 last met in a portion of the earth so remote from their native city. 



'That portion of the Jdmi al Tawdrikh, which forms the subject of the present 

 hasty and imperfect communication, belonged to the late Colonel John Baillie, a 

 distinguished member of the Asiatic Society. Shortly after the death of that eminent 

 Orientalist, his house in town was let, and his books and manuscripts were tempo- 

 rarily removed to the house of a friend in Soho Square, previous to their being con- 



