‘The Oriental geography of Ebn Haukal, an Arabian traveller of the tenth century’ [‎6] (21/388)

vi PREFACE.
describing several Countries ;/or Abulfeda complains, " That
u the greater number of those hooks which are called Al
" Mesalek ou al Memalek (of Countries and Kingdomsj treat
" only, with accuracy, of those regions wherein the MussuU
" man religion is established," *
Such were the observations I made, while uncertain to
whom I should ascribe the composition of a manuscript
treatise which fell into my hands about three years ago,
bearing the same title, but without any author s name. Al
though the copy preserved in the publick Library at Leyden
furnished the name of A bi l'Cassem Ejbn H avkal , yet I was
not, when visiting that magnificent collection in the year
1794, interested in a minute examination of any particular
volume, and therefore could not afterwards ascertain whether
my manuscript was a Persian translation of his work; and
the copy deposited in the College Library at Eton, wanted,
like my own, the author s name. But a comparison of the
various extracts given by Abulfeda in his account of
* Ahulfeda Chorasmia et Maweral. descript, &c. p. 3.
Th e plan.of E bn H aukal's work will be found to correspond exactly with this description.
Seep. 1, 2, 3, 4, Vc.