simplicity, and avoids that air of pedantry which readers who do not occupy themselves with Oriental languages, usually discern in the more perfect system, and which they find repellant. On the other hand, those who are proficient in the languages concerned, do not require to be informed how the great majority of names are written by the original authors. A small number of new and unfamiliar place-names form the only exception to this proposition, but these are usually so carelessly and incompletely written in the original texts, that a critical transliteration can have no great value, even when it is possible to give one.
In endeavouring to throw light on the narrative, and to illustrate the author's statements on subjects connected with the people or the geography of the countries he speaks of, I have used, as far as possible, the authority of writers whose information may be cited, and verified, from works already before the public. Though I am personally acquainted, more or less, with all the tribes and races Mirza Haidar introduces, and with most of the localities, the reader will probably find it more satisfactory to be referred to a published authority, than to rely on the editor;s own reminiscences. This remark, however, only applies to a portion of the footnotes and of the Introduction. For all historical matters, reference to acknowledged authorities would, in any case, be needed.
It may be observed that in reproducing Mirza Haidar's lengthy extracts from the Zafar-Náma, at the beginning of the book, his transcription was not relied upon. Mr. Ross translated these sections directly from the texts of the work in the British Museum, and only added the Mirza's interpolation (which is repeated in several places) that the country called "Jatah," by the author of the Zafar-Náma, was one and the same with "Moghulistan." Neither was the very free version of the Zafar-Náma, by Pétis de la Croix, used for any purpose beyond the comparison of names, and Mr. Ross’s translation will be found, I believe, to be much more perfect than the French one of two hundred years ago. It has been embodied in the
(Orient. Biogr. Dict., p. vii.). It may be added that ordinarily used and well-known names have been spelled, in the Introduction and footnotes, as they are commonly met with in English writings; though in the text they stand as the author has written them. Thus in the text will be found, for instance, Babar, Dehli, Gang, etc.; while elsewhere these names occur as Baber, Delhi, Ganges, etc.
