1897.] R. Hoernle— Collections of Central Asian Manuscripts. 
213 
Th 'ee further Collections of Ancient Manuscripts from Central Asia .— By 
A. F. Rudolf Hoernle, C.I.E., Ph.D. 
(With Plates VII—XXX.) 
[Read August, 1897.] 
Since the publication in this Journal 1 in 1893 of my account of 
the Weber Manuscripts, three further collections of Central Asian 
Manuscripts have been placed in my hands by the Foreign Department 
of the Government of India. I received them in April 1895, November 
1895, and December 1896, respectively. 
I. Fragments. (Plate VII.) 
The first of the three collections consists of mere scraps of 
manuscripts. A preliminary account of these was published by me in 
the Proceedings of this Society for May 1895 (pages 84, 85). They had 
been presented to Mr. Macartney, the British Agent in Kashgar by 
the Manager of the Chinese Foreign Commerce in that town. Mr. 
Macartney sent them to Sir A. Talbot, K.C.I.E., the British Resident 
in Kacmlr, who forwarded them to the Foreign Office in Simla, which 
made them over to me. In the same way, I may here add, the other 
two collections of manuscripts have come into my hands. 
The Foreign Office letter, of the 28th March, 1895, forwarding to 
me the fragments, simply stated that they had been dug out in Kuchar. 
On my request for further particulars, Mr. Macartney very kindly 
forwarded to me “ the translation of a letter received in Kashgar on 
the 7tli December, 1894, from Lew, Amban of Kuchar, to Tsing, 
Manager of the Foreign Commerce Office in Kashgar.” This letter, 
lie added, contained all the information he was able to afford with 
reference to my request. The letter runs as follows :— 
“ I have received your letter, desiring me to enquire whether 
there are any sacred Tibetan Manuscripts in the family of Timur 
Beg. I lost no time in summoning him. He stated that he had 
no such manuscripts, but that some people had, several years ago, 
1 See ante, Yol. LXII, p. 1 ff. 
J. I. 28 
