AL IDRÍSÍ.
continens, prœsertim exactam universœ Asicœ et Africœ, in Latinum versa a Gabriele Sionita et Joanne Hesronita.” Hartmann in 1796 published at Gottingen, from the abridgement, “Edrisii descriplio Afriœ.” The description of Spain was translated into Spanish by Conde in 1799, and the portions relating to Africa and Spain have just been published with a translation by M.M. Dozy and de Goeje. Zenker, in his
Bibliotheca Orientalis, mentions translations of other detached portions.
M. Reinaud, in his Introduction to Aboulfeda, has remarked that in M. Jaubert's translation, “Beaueoup de noms de lieux sont altérés,” and it is true that there are some variants, such as Túbarán for Túrán, and Bána for Tánna; but the old Latin translation presented generally the same differences; the variants therefore seemed to exist in the text, and not to be attributable to the translator. A cursory examination of the two MSS. in the Bodleian has confirmed this view, for Jaubert's translation was
found to give a generally accurate reproduction of the names as they stand in these MSS. A careful comparison of the texts would, no doubt, lead to some corrections, and, indeed, a few will be noticed in the following pages; but the more important variants are fully supported by the Oxford MSS. The maps contained in Graves’ MS. show some differences from the text; thus Túrán is found instead of Túbarán; but the maps are written in a more modern hand, quite different from the rest of the book. The text is continued on the backs of these maps in the ordinary hand, but it may nevertheless have been written long before the maps were filled in. At any rate the scribes were different men, and such differences as that noticed above leads to the conclusion that the maps were not derived from the text with which they are incorporated.
EXTRACTS.
FIRST CLIMATE. Section X.— The greatest king of India is the Balhará, which signifies “king of kings.” After him comes the
