g HISTORY OF CASHMIR. 



The earliest work of this description, after that which wag prepared by 

 order of Acber, is one mentioned by Bernier, who states an abridged trans- 

 lation of the Rdjd Taringim into Persian, to have been made, by command 

 of Jehangik ; he adds, that lie was engaged upon rendering this into French, 

 but we have never heard any thing more of his translation : at a subsequent 

 period, mention is made in a later composition, of two similar works, by 

 Mulla Husein, Kdri, or the reader, and by Hyder Malec, C'haditaria* whilst 

 the work, in which this notice occurs, the Wakiat-i- Cashmir was written in 

 the time of Mohammed Shah, as was another History of the Province, entit- 

 led the Nawddir-ul-Akhbdr. The fashion seems to have continued to a very 

 recent date, as Ghulam HusEiNf notices the composition of a History of 

 Cashmir having been entrusted to various learned men, by order of Jivana 

 th'e Sic'h, then Governor of the Province, and we shall have occasion to 

 specify one History of as recent a date, as the reign of Shah-Alem. 



The ill directed and limited enquiries of the first European settlers in In- 

 dia, were not likely to have traced the original of these Mohammedan com- 

 positions, and its existence was little adverted to, until the translation of 

 the Ayia Acberi by the late Mr. Gladwin was published. The abstract then 

 given naturally excited curiosity, and stimulated enquiry, but the result was 

 unsatisfactory, and a long period intervened before the original work was 

 discovered.]; Sir Wm. Jones was unable to meet with it, although the his- 

 tory of India from the Sanscrit- Cashmir authorities, was amongst the tasks 

 his undaunted and indefatigable intellect had planned, and it was not un- 

 til the year 1805, that Mr. Colebroo&e § was successful in his search. At 

 that time he procured a copy of the work from the heirs of a Brahman, who 

 died in Calcutta, and about the same time, or shortly afterwards, another 

 transcript of the Rdjd Taringim was obtained by the late Mb. Spe&e from 



* A summary taken from this work, and which appears to have been the one alluded to 

 by Bernier, is given in the Description de Vlndeixoxa. Tieffenthaler (1. 89.) 



1 Seir Mutakherin— 3. 210, % A. K. i. 481 ; and iv. 188. § A. R. ix. 294. 



