1844.] Commerce of the Arabs. 525 



places which are described in it ; the relations of one city to another, the 

 ancient Persian name, interesting pieces of poetry, &c, yet it has 

 hitherto escaped the notice of the learned, owing no doubt to the 

 scarcity of MSS., for to my knowledge there exist only two copies of 

 this book in Europe; the one in the British Museum which is ancient, 

 correct and clear, having almost all vowel points, and one in the East 

 India House, which if I recollect right, has Number 617. Haji Khalfa 

 seems not to have been acquainted with the book. 



On comparing the following passage with the passage of Ibn Khor- 

 dadbeh which precedes, we cannot doubt that they both flow from the 

 same original source, as we have said above. We compose the decom- 

 posed rays of light to obtain again uncoloured truth. 



JUIj^JI ^ JUb ^4JI ^ 4 Jf jUcWf r ^ Uyji J! ^s^. r 5 



K^lIaJl ^J! e^^s^ &>2T"\i)fI j &oj*5!j XA^y^ SL^UJL c ^*A>Xj 



^ layjjft*^ fO,y*^ «•— »^^ *•■& ^**j j^.srl ^^^ yj' ^t^- 

 Ujj.3 &JU*aJ! j.^3 *J JUj ^,>!J ^iJI !,>£ (J j^L. I^sr! j.srN| 



c^ JJ y^J! L-&i £*♦;=*• £*£* (*4*'° l*° ££*^ jy 2 ^ ii>W^F' l*^^ 



U^JI z>ey l$j| !,>& ^ u^s^^ 



