1852.] Translation of Ibn HuokuVs Account of Scind. 4!) 



Translation of Ibn HuokuVs Account of Scind. — By Major Anderson. 



The work of Ibn Huokul is often mentioned as the ground work 

 of all Arabian Geography, — but though found in many translations 

 and transfusions, the entire book is hardly to be obtained. 



The text is the basis of much to be traced in Edresee ; while under 

 a Persian garb it is by many supposed to be identical with the Moma- 

 lek wa Mosalek translated by Sir William Ousley. 



Yet how few of the places mentioned in these books have been 

 identified to the satisfaction of a single reader. I had often tried to 

 arrive at some clear idea of the North West Provinces of India, as 

 delineated in both Edresee and Sir Wm. Ousley, — but had given up 

 the attempt as hopeless. 



Hearing, by chance, my friend Dr. Sprenger had obtained a copy 

 of this much desired book from Lucknow, I applied for the loan of it. 

 This was kindly granted. 



With the assistance of a Moonshee, and with no little trouble and 

 labour, I contrived to knock out the sense of the chapter on Scind. 



I selected this country as being a province now more known ; and 

 as the only portion of India attempted to be described in any detail. 

 I trusted to the prospects of some little assistance to be obtained from 

 inhabitants of both Scind and Beloochistan, now residing in Calcutta. 



The errors of the original are beyond all belief in the matter of 

 proper names, — once having departed from the correct primitive form, 

 I consider there to exist no reasonable form into which any given 

 Arabic proper name may not be contorted under constant copying, — 

 like two parallel lines once departing from their true conditions — the 

 further carried the more they diverge. 



I soon found, that the true key to much of this confusion was con- 

 tained in the words of a most able Indian Numismatist, Mr. Thomas, 

 of the Civil Service. 



"Instead of endeavouring to identify Hindu names through the 

 mazes of uncertainty of the Arabic manuscript, boldly to correct the 

 Arabic from the unquestionable records of the coins themselves ; and 

 instead of applying coins to Kings, apply Kings to their own coins. ■' 



The map — distances and the rivers, afford landmarks which reduce 

 the locality of any doubtful place within defined limits, and have enabled 



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