1842.] General Meeting of the Asiatic Society of Paris. . 417 



catalogue. The British Museum, a long time since one of the rich- 

 est depots of oriental manuscripts, is about to publish the catalogue of 

 its Syrian manuscripts, prepared by the late Mr. Rosen, and we dare 

 hope, that this excellent institution will make known the rest of its 

 treasures, which the want of a repository, as well as the existence of 

 very annoying regulations, render of a difficult access. Lastly, your 

 Society proposes to publish among the papers of Schulz, the catalogue of 

 Arabic manuscripts relative to history, which are in thirty-two public 

 libraries of Constantinople. It is extremely desirable, that not only large 

 libraries, but also those which possess only a small number of manuscripts, 

 as well as learned men, following the example of Sir W. Ouseley and 

 M. De Hammer, print their catalogue for the purpose ; that every one 

 may be able to know what is to be found in Europe, and accordingly 

 to guide himself in his publications, and especially, that Europeans 

 settled in the East, in full knowledge of the existing wants, may procure 

 manuscripts to complete the collections of the Western world, and 

 may save important works from destruction. A vast number of works, 

 which are considered as lost, are undoubtedly extant in some obscure 

 libraries of the East, but we must hasten to obtain them, as every 

 thing conspires to accelerate their destruction. Everywhere in the 

 East, excepting in China, learning is disappearing ; manuscripts are no 

 longer copied, and the libraries are dispersed by the accidents of war, 

 and by the poverty of families. In looking over Musulman manuscripts, 

 every one must have observed the seals of some member of a family 

 effaced, which has become too poor as to retain the books, inherited 

 from its ancestors, and is too proud as to let it become known, that 

 it was obliged to sell them. The introduction of the press also contri- 

 butes to the destruction of manuscripts by decreasing their prices and 

 lowering the respect paid to them at former periods. It is, however, 

 still time to save many of these treasures, and the publication of the 

 catalogues of the European libraries, by directing the purchasers, must 

 greatly contribute to the accomplishment of this purpose. 



We will now state the progress which has been made in the 

 literature of the different nations of the East. We observe, that the 

 Arabian literature has been most actively cultivated. The Committee 

 of the Oriental Translations of London has published the first volume of 

 the History of the Arabs in Spain by Makkari, translated and accom- 



