1844.] the Nurbudda River. ol9 



" which was barely three or four feet, the total breadth was 80 yards 

 " at this point, and the depth of water where I crossed (in the centre of 

 11 the stream) 18 feet, measured with a pole; the right bank was low, 

 " level, and slightly covered with jungle. * * * The left bank on the 

 " contrary, was precipitous and rugged towards the river, but towards 

 11 the South, numerous ranges of hills covered with jungle were visible. 

 " These hills form the end of what is called the Sutpuri range. I may 

 14 add, that as far as Soolpan, the features of the country were similar." 

 Between Gurreysir and Tulluckwara, " the road lay over a level and 

 " well cultivated tract of black soil ; the course of the river was visi- 

 14 ble the whole distance, and offered no impediments whatever to 

 " navigation ; the depth ascertained from the guides, varied from 

 14 twelve to fourteen feet." 



A. Shakespear, 

 Assist. Secy, to Govt. N. W. P. 



Some original Passages on the early Commerce of the Arabs. Communi- 

 cated, by Dr. A. Sprenger, B. M. S. 



The Academy of Berlin offered some years ago a prize for the 

 best treatise on the commerce of the Arabs during the first three cen- 

 turies of the Khalifat, and the question has been answered in such a 

 manner, that the Academy awarded the prize to one of the candidates. 

 The prize essay has indeed the merit, that there are collected in it most 

 of the materials which were within the reach of the author ; that is to 

 say, passages from original works which had been translated and printed. 

 But out of the thousands of Arabic manuscripts, which are preserved in 

 European libraries, not fifty have been translated. This prize essay is 

 therefore merely to be considered as a nucleus to which those who 

 have access to unedited sources may add new materials. 



We may expect to find very detailed and exact information on the 

 Arabic commerce ; for early in the third century of the Hijarh, several 

 works have been written on the commerce of the Korayshites. One of 

 the authors of such a treatise is the celebrated historian Madayiny. I 

 have, however, never met with any quotation from these works, and if 



4b 



