SEVERAL months after I had commenced this Translation, I procured from my friend Major William Yule of Edinburgh, many years First Assistant to the Resident (Ambassador) at the Court of Lucknow, an authentic transcript of the Delhy Imperial copy, mentioned in Major Davy’s letter, prefixed to the printed volume of Timūr’s Institutes, and noticed in the Preface of this work, which he, Major Yule, obtained as a special favour from the Emperor, or Great Moghul. I also received from my friend Lieutenant Colonel William Franklin, a second copy of the above work, which had been procured by General Sir David Ochterlony, while Resident at the Court of Delhy, and Commander of the northern provinces of India.

They are both large Quarto volumes, the former is neatly written, but the latter is most correct; they both contain the Memoirs of Timūr till his death, but they are too voluminous for me to undertake the translation of them. I shall however compare them with Petis de la Croix’s version of Sherif Addyn’s History, and if they contain any thing new, will notice it. I have minutely compared them with Colonel Davy’s manuscript as far as it extends, and find that the only additions they contain, are extracts from Sherif Addyn’s History; an explanation of some particulars omitted in the Memoirs, and an attempt to prove that Timūr was of the Sūny sect, although there is the strongest evidence that he was a very bigoted Shyā, (follower of Aly) as may be proved by his destruction of the cities of Aleppo and Damascus, the account of which is to be found in the 65th Chapter of Gibbon’s Roman Empire.

In order to enable the Public, and especially the Oriental Translation Com­mittee, to judge whether it may be worth while to employ some younger person to continue these Memoirs, by a translation of the transcript of the Imperial edition, I herewith subjoin the Editor’s Preface to that work, also that part of the Book which has given rise to the report that Timūr had written an account of his own death, which has been erroneously quoted as a proof that the whole composition is a forgery.