17G Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 2, 
no longer attached, to it, nor if it existed could it now probably be 
identified. 
Your’s sincerely, 
(Sd.) H. Yule. 
“ The accompanying sheet containing six pages of the Koran, has 
a little history attached to it which seems to me worth preserving. 
“ On the surrender of the Fortress of Agra to the British Army 
under the command of Lord Lake in the year (1803), a good deal of 
treasure, and much valuable property, or rather what seemed at one 
time to have been such, (was found). This Fortress had long been 
the residence of the Sovereign of Hindustan, or Great Mogul as he 
is usually called, but which it ceased to be at the death of Shah 
Jehan, who had long been kept in restraint in it by his son Aurung- 
zebe who assumed the government. 
“ Whatever property had been left in the place at the death of 
Shah Jehan, had remained, it was understood, undisturbed in it, until 
the British Army sat down before the place in (October 1803). 
“ k On possession being obtained, the magazines and vaults which 
were supposed to contain the Iloyal property were pointed out by 
some of the old residents of the place, and the massive and iron-bound 
doors were soon made to give way to the efforts of the soldiery, who 
very soon emptied them of every thing which was portable. In the 
evening of the day which saw this scene of confusion, my friend 
Lieutenant Arnold Nisbett Mathews of the Bengal Artillery went to 
view the interior of the Fortress. Passing one of the vaults which had 
shortly before been plundered, he entered, and the first object which 
attracted his eye was a machine which to him appeared (to be) a 
European mangle. On closer inspection however, he discovered it to 
be (what he never previously had an opportunity of seeing) a 
printing press and what is more, having the types ready set for 
some Oriental production. My friend happening to write to me in 
the evening, mentioned the circumstance in a passing way, I was 
however anxious to learn what the work had been, which had thus 
been most probably the very first that had ever been attempted to 
be printed in Hindustan, and that too, under the auspices of the 
head of the Empire. I instantly therefore despatched a letter by 
express to my friend wherein (acting as Post master at Lucknow 
where I then was) I entreated him to ascertain what the work might 
