THE author of these works is Muhammad Rizá, son of Abú-l Názim Hasaní Husainí, who was honoured with the titles of Najmu-d daula Iftikháru-l Mulk Hisám Jang.

The author is a Saiyid of the Tibátibá family, which, after leaving Medína, went to reside at Isfahán, and remained for many generations employed in the Royal Record Office. In the time of Bahádur Sháh his ancestor in the fifth generation came to Hindústán, and after being received with great kindness by that Emperor, entered the service of Nawáb Burhánu-l Mulk Abú-l Mansúr Khán Safdar Jang, and ever since that his family have continued in the service of the Nawábs of Oudh.

His father was employed for some time in Bareilly, and subse­quently became minister to the pageant King of Dehlí. The author himself remained for nine years as Native Revenue Collector of Bareilly. After that district had been ceded to the Company, and after the death of his father, he became deputy steward of the household, and dárogha of the treasury of the King of Dehlí. When the provinces of Nágpúr and Gondwána were under the management of the Company, he remained for several years employed in those provinces by the British Govern­ment; and being held in great respect by his superiors, he passed his time in great comfort and happiness, except when the re­flection came over him, that he was far removed from his re­latives, and, being surrounded by Sunnís and Káfirs, might run some risk of abandoning the Shí'a religion. At last, he returned to Lucknow, and has remained ever since without any public employ.

He gives us this account of himself in the Preface to the Mafátihu-r Ríásat, and adds that his leisure was by no means idly wasted, for he was not unobservant of the passing events of the day, and knowing that gold and jewels were fleeting possessions, and were not regarded in so precious a light as wisdom in the eyes of discerning patrons, he determined upon writing a work which would immortalize his name; and in furtherance of this resolve, he abstracted one hundred and fifty works, which treated of religion and history, and made use of these abstracts in the large work of which the present volume is a portion.

The entire work is called Bahru-l Zakkhár, “The Tempestuous Sea,” and comprises the following volumes:—

I. Mazáhiru-l Adyán, which treats of the different religions of the world, and chiefly of the Muhammadan faith, the Mu­hammadan Saints and Sects, Saiyid Ahmad, etc., comprised in 542 pages folio, containing 23 lines each.—II. Manzaru-l'Álam, which treats of Astronomy and Geography, and is still incom­plete for want of some philosophical instruments which the author is unable to procure. It is also called Khúrshid-i Lámi', “The Resplendent Sun,” as the words contain the chronogram of the date 1261 A.H. (1845 A.D.). Its present size extends to 224 pages folio, of 20 lines each.—III. Majma'u-l Mulúk, the subject of the present article.—IV. Mafátihu-r Ríásat.—V. Akhbárát-i Hind, the subject of the succeeding article.—VI. Naghma-i 'Andalíb, on the subject of poetry, music, Hindú and Persian, the rules of versification, and a biography of the Poets. A small folio volume of 300 pages, and 20 lines to a page.

This large work was commenced about the year 1260 A.D. (1844 A.D.). It may be considered the second edition of another work, which the industrious author composed in five volumes between the years 1816 and 1830, under the name of Zubdatu-l Gharáib,* “The Marrow of Marvels;” but it is strange that in the Preface to his later work he never alludes to the former one. Though it is not divided in the same way, he has fully availed himself in the Bahru-l Zakkhár of the matter contained in the Zubdatu-l Gharáib. That work is distributed in the following manner, but each volume has not a separate designation.

I. The first to the fifth Book give an account of the Creation, Jinns, early Prophets, Muhammad, the Khalífs and Imáms; II. The sixth and seventh Books give an account of the early Kings of Persia, the 'Ummayides, 'Abbásides, Saljúks, Atábaks, and other independent Muhammadan Monarchies; III. The eighth Book, on the Hindús and the Sultáns of Dehlí, Gujarát, Málwá, the Dakhin, etc.; IV. The ninth Book, on the Tímúrian dynasty of Hindústán, and the establishment of British supremacy; V. The tenth Book, on the Philosophers, Poets, Saints, and literary characters.

The author, not satisfied with so much prose, has also indited poetry, and has assumed the poetical designation of Najm “a star,” under which head he appropriates an article to himself in the biographical portions of these works. In that article we find that it is his intention some day or other to write his personal memoirs, and give an account of the celebrated characters with whom he has associated.

The Majma'u-l Mulúk is not regularly divided into Chapters or Books.