1855.] Literary Intelligence, 51 



the Americans. I have sent you on a former occasion specimens 

 of their Arabic type. It is superior to any in Europe or India. 

 You would hardly believe how much Europeanism is advancing 

 at Bey root, and gradually also in the interior of the country. 

 As an instance, I may mention that there exists an Arabic theatre in 

 that city, in which, of course, almost every night Haroon Arrasheed 

 and Mamoon go over the stage. All that is required here is 

 security of property, which, owing to the rapacity of the rulers, 

 only the people of the mountains enjoy. 



I come now to history — the ninth volume of the History of 

 Tabary forms part of the Bibliotheca Sprengeriana which rivals 

 with the best public collections of Europe. It commences with the 

 year 32 of the Hijrah, and comes down to the arbitration al Dumat 

 al- Jandal. This copy was written in 447 by 'aqyl b. Ahmad b. Mo/id. 

 b. al-Azrag al-Earra. The copy consisted of 16 volumes and was in 

 797 given as waqf to a Madrasah at Cairo, but even the third and 

 tenth volumes were wanting. There is a complete copy of Ibn 

 'asakir's history of Damascus in this city. It consists of forty 

 volumes in folio each of from 800 to 1,000 pages. The first half 

 of the first volume contains the topography and the general history 

 of Damascus, the remainder of the work is devoted to Biography ; 

 the arrangement is alphabetical, at the head however stands the 

 life of the prophet. If we were to look out for the lives of Abu 

 'abaydah, Khalid, Mo'awiyah, &c, we could put together a most 

 complete history of Syria. Valuable as the work is, it must be 

 allowed that it is unnecessarily incumbered with asnad, which the 

 author carries up from his time to the event on which he speaks. 

 There would be no difficulty in obtaining permission to have it 

 copied, and the expense would not exceed £200. But I fear the 

 desire to secure so valuable a monument of the Islam for some 

 European library will only rise when the work is lost. I have seen 

 one volume of the history of the Turkish dynasties by Ibn -BTabyb' 

 (d. 779) who commences with the year 648 and ends with 677. 

 The book would be all the more valuable if it had not been in rhymed 

 prose. I got here a copy of the first half of the Syrat Hishaniyyah, 

 which was written by Ibn al 'ajamy, and is the most carefully writ. 

 ten MS. I have ever seen. It contains every vowel and when two 



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