Disaster suffered by the army in the mountain of Karáchíl (in the

Himalayas).

This is a vast mountain, three months' journey in length, and ten days' journey from Dehli. Its king was one of the most powerful of the Hindu princes, and the Sultán of India sent an army to fight with him, commanded by Malik Nakbia, chief of the inkstand bearers. The army consisted of 100,000 horse and a large number of infantry. They took the town of Jidiya, situated at the foot of the mountain, and the places adjacent, making prisoners, plundering, and burning. The infidels fled to the heights of the mountain, abandoning their country, their flocks, and the treasures of their king. The mountain has only one road. Below lies a valley; above, the mountain itself; and horsemen can only pass one by one. The troops of the Sultán ascended by this road, and took possession of the town of Warangal, in the upper part of the mountain. They seized upon everything it contained, and wrote to their Sovereign informing him of their victory. He sent them a kází and a preacher, and ordered them to remain in the country.

When the great rains came on, the army was attacked by disease, which considerably weakened it. The horses died, and the bows grew slack, so the amirs sought permission from the Sultán to leave the mountain during the rainy season, to descend to its base, and to again take up their position when the rains had ceased. The Sultán consented. So the commander Nakbia took all the property he had secured, whether provisions, metals, or precious stones, and distributed them among the troops, to carry them to the bottom of the mountain. When the infidels found that the Musulmáns were retiring, they waited for them in the gorges of the mountain, and occupied the defiles before them. cast them from the heights of the with whom they came in contact. perished, the rest were taken. The Hindus seized the treasures, merchandize, horses, and arms. Of all the Musulmáns only three chiefs escaped-the commander Nakbia, Badru-d dín Malik Daulat Sháh, and a third whose name I have forgotten.

They cut down old trees, and mountain, and these killed all The greater part of the men

This disaster deeply affected the army of India, and weakened it in a marked manner. Soon afterwards the Sultán made peace with

the inhabitants of the mountain, on condition of their paying him a certain tribute. They owned, in fact, the land at the foot of the mountain, and this they could not cultivate without the permission of the Sultán.

Rebellion of the Sharif Jalálu-d din in the Province of Ma'bar, etc.

The Sultán had appointed the sharif, Jalálu-d dín Ahsan Sháh, to be governor of the country of Ma'bar, which is at the distance of six months' journey from Dehli. This Jalálu-d dín rebelled, usurped the ruling power, killed the lieutenants and agents of the Sovereign, and struck in his own name gold and silver money. On one side of the coins there was impressed the following (letters): "toe and he, ye and sín," (these letters, which form the titles of the 20th and 26th chapters of the Kurán, are among the epithets bestowed upon Muhammad,) and (the words) "father of fakirs and of the indigent, the glory of the world and of religion." On the other face the following: "He who puts his trust in the help of the All-merciful, Ahsan Shah Sultán." The Sultán, when he was informed of this revolt, set forth to suppress it. ***

Executions by means of Elephants.

The elephants which execute men have their tusks covered with sharp irons, resembling the coulter of the plough which turns up the ground, and with edges like those of knives. The driver mounts the elephant, and, when a person is thrown in front, the animal winds his trunk round him, hurls him into the air, and, catching him on one of his tusks, dashes him to the ground, when he places one of his feet on the breast of the victim. After this he does as he is directed by his rider, under the orders of the Sultán. If the Sultán desires the culprit to be cut in pieces, the elephant executes the command by means of the irons above described; if the Sultán desires the victim to be left alone, the elephant leaves him on the ground, and (the body) is then stripped of its skin.

Campaign in Ma'bar.

The Sultán arrived in the country of Tilang, and proceeded to

wards the province of Ma'bar, to repress the sharif of the country, who had rebelled. He halted at Badrakot, capital of Tilang, three months' march from Ma'bar. Pestilence then broke out in his army, and the greater part of it perished. When the Sultán saw

this calamity, he returned to Daulatábád. * * * On his journey he was taken ill, and the rumour spread that he was dead. * * * Amír Hushanj, when he heard this rumour, fled to an infidel prince named Burabrah, who dwelt in lofty mountains between Daulatábád and Kúkan Tanah (Tána in the Konkan). • • •

Famine.

Dearth made its appearance in various provinces, and the Sultán proceeded with his troops to encamp on the Ganges at ten days' journey from Dehli. [Rebellion of 'Ainu-l Mulk.] The wazir conducted (the prisoner) 'Aínu-l Mulk to the presence of the Sovereign. The rebel was mounted on a bull and was quite naked, saving only a scrap of stuff tied by a string round his waist. The sons

of the amirs surrounded the captive, insulted him, spat in his face, and buffeted his companions. The Sultán directed that the prisoner should be dressed in clothes like those of conductors of pack-horses, that he should have four chains put upon his legs, that his hands should be fastened to his neck, and that he should be given into the custody of the wazír, Khwaja-i Jahán. * * The Sultán returned to his capital after an absence of two years and a half. He pardoned 'Aínu-l Mulk.

During the time that the Sultán was absent from his capital in his expedition to Ma'bar, a famine arose and became serious. The man of wheat rose to sixty dirhams and more. Distress was general, and the position of affairs very grave. One day I went out of the city to meet the wazir, and I saw three women, who were cutting in pieces and eating the skin of a horse which had been dead some months. Skins were cooked and sold in the markets. When bullocks were slaughtered, crowds rushed forward to catch the blood, and consumed it for their sustenance. The famine

being unendurable, the Sultán ordered provisions for six months to be distributed to all the population of Dehli. The judges, secretaries, and officers inspected all the streets and markets, and sup

plied to every person provisions for half a year, at the rate of one pound and a half, Mughribi weight, each.

Entry of the Sultán into Dehli.

The Sovereign mounted his horse to enter his capital. * • • Over his head was carried a parasol, and before him was carried the gháshiya, or saddle-cloth, trimmed with gold and diamonds. Some small balistas were placed upon elephants, and as the Sultán approached the city, gold and silver pieces, mixed, were discharged from these machines among the people.

Appointment as Ambassador.

After I had passed forty days in the hermitage, the Sultán sent me some saddled horses, slaves of both sexes, and clothes, and money for my expenses. I dressed myself, and went to wait upon the Sovereign. When I arrived, he showed me greater honour than ever he had done before, and said, "I have sent for you to make you my ambassador to the King of China, for I know your love for voyages and travels." He furnished me with all that was necessary, and named the persons who were to go with me.

E. NOTE TO THE TRANSLATION OF THE TARIKH-I FIROZ SHAHI OF ZIAU-D DIN BARNY.

A full translation of Barní's history of the reign of 'Aláu-d dín has appeared in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal since the one in this work was printed. That translation was made by the late Major Fuller, Director of Public Instruction in the Panjab, and has been revised and annotated by Mr. Blochmann, the editor of the Journal. Those who are curious may now ascertain the value of the passages omitted from this work. The translation has enabled me to correct one or two slips in my own translation, and mine may, I hope, render a similar service to the other. I proceed to notice some of Mr. Blochmann's notes.

Kilú-ghari.-The proper spelling is said to be Kílokhari. The pages of this work afford abundant evidence of the great uncertainty in the spelling of names, both of places and persons. The same was

formerly the case in Europe, and although the printing-press has settled the orthography of most names, it has not in all cases decided the mode of spelling. Add to the various spellings the doubts arising from the defects of the Persian alphabet, where k is nearly always made to duty for itself and g also, and where a single dot changes the power of a letter, the difficulty and hazard of dogmatizing are sufficiently obvious. The name may be Kilokhari, and indeed Sir H. Elliot has written it so (p. 525 suprà). Syud Ahmad, in the A'sáru-s Sanádid, also writes it so. But on the other hand, the A'ráish-i Mahfil calls it Kílúgarhí, and this is the spelling of General Cunningham, in his Archæological Report on Dehli. Without pretending to say which is right, the latter pronunciation is most acceptable to my ear.

Kuhrám

-Mr. Blochmann says the name is properly Guhrám, and if he has found it written with a g, it is good evidence of what his author thought it to be. Mr. Blochmann condemns me for spelling it incorrectly, Kohrám; but my spelling was Kahrám, which I have since modified to Kuhrám, upon the assurance that the local pronunciation is Kohrám. These Persian writers are not the best authorities upon Hindu names; the vulgar pronunciation is a far better guide to the true etymology, even as the rustic in England is more correct than his betters when he says, Peters'am and Lewis'am, instead of Peter-sham and Lewi-sham.

P. 160. Plain of Júdh.-The reading in the Journal is "(crossed) at the fort of Baghpat, after which he encamped in the plain of Júd." The words in the text are "guzar káth ubrah kard," i.e. He passed over the ford (guzar) of káṭh. This reading is confirmed by one of my MSS., the other one has simply guzar-gáh. For káth the Journal reads "Baghpat," though no authority is offered. I followed the plain reading of the last-named MS., thinking that káṭh might perhaps be ghát, a Hindí word for ferry or ford. Mr. Blochmann notices a "Joondhpoor" on the Jumna, opposite to Baghpat, which he thinks may be Júdh.

P. 162. Jalandhar.-Some variants of this name have been noted. To these may now be added Jarúmanjúr, from Major Fuller's MS.; and Járan-manjhúr, from Badáúní.