LETTERS OF MAHRU 579

Raghavadeva, Sarngadhara's grandfather, and who is

apparently the prince referred to by Devesvara.
SUSHIL KUMAR DE.

LETTERS OF MAHRU
With reference to the interesting attempt of Colonel
Sir Wolseley Haig, in the JRAS., July, 1922, pp. 319-72, to
establish critically the exact chronology of the early princes
of the Toghluqide dynasty at Delhi, it may be not entirely
useless to mention a little known, or, probably, even altogether
unknown work belonging to the same period. It is a treatise
on inshd, i.e. a collection of specimens of epistolary style,
compiled towards the end of the eighth century A.H. (or
fourteenth century A.D.) by Mahru, or 'Ayn-i-Mahru, as he
usually calls himself, or, more officially, 'Abdu'1-lah Mahru.
He was, as one may gather from the text, a high official,
apparently a governor of Sind, under the Toghluqide princes.'
Unfortunately, the only manuscript copy which I have
examined (which may be unique), " F 11 " of the library of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, is very defective. The
preface and the beginning of the work, as well as portions in the
middle and its end, are lost in this transcript (which is
apparently at least four centuries old, perhaps even older).
The part extant contains 123 letters, which seem to be
" true copies " of various specimens of original correspondence,
not simply exercises written on fictitious topics. Their order
is more or less systematic : first come documents issued by the
Central Government, such as appointments of governors,
wazirs, etc. Then follows official, diplomatic, and business
correspondence with various officers, divines, landowners,
Indian local chiefs, etc. And finally there are a considerable
number of private and family letters of Mahru addressed to
his various sons and friends.
Naturally, the documents and epistles are reproduced here
for the purpose of demonstrating peculiarities of their style
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 580 THE OROPUS OR EUHOPUS TITLE OF CARCHEMISH

only. This is why their dates are almost invariably omitted.

Only accidentally the year A.H. 763 (or A.D. 1362) is mentioned
on fol. 47 verso. On fol. 227 the year 59 (A.H. 759 ?) is referred
to. Firuz Shah is referred to on fol. 70. Several letters are
addressed to Hasan Gangu, the founder of the Bahmanide
dynasty in Daccan (A.H. 748-59 or A.D. 1347-58). On folios
33 v.-34 v. an official message is cited containing a mention
of the death of a Sultan and accession of Muhammad (the
third ? in such case it belongs to the year A.H. 792 or
A.D. 1390).
All this is fairly sufficient to identify the period to which
the correspondence pertains. But there are also a great
number of references to various officials, divines, etc., and
some of them may be identified in other works on the history
of that time. Not being a student of Indian history I have
not made any special research in this direction, but it may be
very interesting.
However incomplete and haphazard these selections from
actual correspondence of that time may be, the collection
nevertheless contains genuine historical documents, and in
such case undoubtedly possesses considerable interest for a
student of the Toghluqide dynasty. Even unofficial letters,
have their own value as depicting various sides of the con-
temporary life of the country, and a thorough study of the
book by a specialist historian will probably reveal much new
and important material.
W. IVANOW.
CALCUTTA.
24th August, 1922.

THE OROPUS OR EUROPUS TITLE OF CARCHEMISH

My. corroboratory note 1 upon Professor Sayce's important
identification of the Greco-Eoman " Oropus " or " Europus "
with " The Older Hierapolis or Ninus " of the Eomans as-
a title of Carchemish does not appear to have pleased.
1
In April number of Journal, pp. 267 f.
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