1870.] Translations from the Tdrikh i Firdz Shdlii. 25 



Regulation II. — The Sultan to store a large quantity of grain in gra- 

 naries. 



Regulation III — To appoint a Shihnah (inspector) of the market (mandi) 

 and trustworthy men with full power and dignity. 



Regulation IV. — The merchants (Jcdrwdnidn) of all parts of the empire 

 to be registered in a Daftar. They are to be in charge of the Shihnah i 

 Mandi. 



Regulation V. — The revenue of the Duab and the country to a distance 

 of 100 kos so to be settled, that the subjects cannot even lay by 10 mans of 

 grain, and the subjects to be ground down to such an extent, that they sell 

 the grain on the fields to the merchants. (For txixlb, 1, 2, p. 305, read 

 CyxAki !) 



Regulation VI — To take certificates from the Collectors [hdrkundii]* of 

 the country to shew that the merchants get the grain on the fields. (For 

 o^lj o^f)^ rea( l *^^5 c^0^» as is c l ear from p. 307). 



Regulation VII. — To appoint a trustworthy travelling agent (harid) 

 who, together with the Shihnah, is to report to the Sultan on the state of 

 the market. 



Regulation VIII for rendering produce cheap. — In times of drought, 

 no produce, not even for a dang, uselessly to be sold in the markets. 



In consequence of these eight rules, the price of grain did not rise a dang, 

 whether there was an excess or a scarcity of rain. (The last regulation is 

 not enumerated separately on p. 308 of the text).] 



The first regulation was of this description — Wheat, 7 J jetals per 

 man; barley, 4/.; gram, 5/.; rice, bj. ; mash, bj. ; and mot'h, 

 3 j.\ The above prices held good for years, and as long as Sultan 

 'Alauddin was alive, grain never did rise a dang above that, either 

 during an excess or a scarcity of rain, and this establishment of a fixed 

 price in the market was considered one of the wonders of the age. 



# We should not forget that Kdrhun was the title of a class of Revenue 

 officials under the 'Amil, or Collector. Daring the reign of Akbar, the 'A'rnil, 

 had two bitihclus or ' writers' under him, whose titles were Kdrlcun and Khar- 

 nawzs. Abulfazl specifies their duties in the Akbarnamah (beginning of the 

 27th year). 



The Bar-id (pr. ' runner,' from the Latin veredus), in time of Barani had to 

 perform those duties which the Wdqi' ahnawis under the Mughuls had to per- 

 form. Vide my Am translation, p. 258. Abulfazl, indeed, says that the office 

 of the Waqi' ahnawis was an innovation by Akbar ; but from Barani (Ed. Bibl. 

 Ind., p. 40, 1, 6 from below) it is quite clear that the office existed as early as 

 in the reign of Balban, though the ' Waqi' ahnawis' was called barid. Hence 

 news agent would be perhaps a better term than travelling agent. 



t Professor Co well, I think, observes very correctly that these price lists 

 would be more interesting, if the coins and their value were better understood, 

 But they may be compared with the price lists in the Am, p. 62. 



4 



