1 J^ Adler^ Christojyher Columbus in Oriental literature, ccix 20. Christopher Cohiiubus in Oriental literature, with special reference to the Iladisi Nev, or Tarikh Hind Gharby ; by Dr. Cyrus ■'Adler, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. A brief abstract of Dr. Adler's paper is as follows : Christopher Columbus in Oriental literature, a subject of interest equally to students of Oriental literature and of American history, has been investigated by Mr. Henry Harrisse, to w1\om modern scholars are primarily indebted for the scientific investigation of all subjects having reference to Columbus and the early voyagers to America. His brief yet comprehensive article on this subject {Christoph Columbus im Ori- ent) appeared in the Centralhlatt fur Bibliothekwesen, vol. v. (1888), pp. 133-138. After enumerating the references to Columbus in Hebrew lit- erature, Mr. Harrisse cites a Turkish work specially devoted to the new world. Its Turkish title is Hadisi Nev ' the new event,' to which is added an Arabic title, Tarikli el Hind Gharby ' history of West India.' It was printed at Constantinople by Ibrahim Effendi (the rene- gade). The printing was completed April 3, 1730, and the book is therefore one of the incunabula of the Ottoman press. Mr. Harrisse had access to the copy of this very rare work in the library of the Ecole des langues orientales vivavtes in Paris. He was of opinion that the work was composed by Hadji Khalfa. The article of Mr. Harrisse called forth some notes by Prof. J. Gilde- meister of Bonn (1. c. pp. 303-306), who pointed out that, if the book Hadisi Nev were written, as stated both by Mr. Harrisse and in the Cata- logue of the library of von Hammer, under the reign of Murad III., 1574-95, it could not have been composed by Hadji Khalfa, who was not born earlier than 1600. No manuscript of the work was known to either of these writers, ^1". ,^i ccx American Oriental Societi/\s Proceedin.f/s, April 1892. nor apparently to von Hammer. While in Constantinople in 1891, the writer secured a well written and well preserved manuscript of this interesting book. It is dated in the year 77. On folio 38b the author alludes to the Turkish Admiral Khair-ed-din, surnamed Barbarossa, as having " recently died." His death took place in 956 A. H. ; so that 9 is apparently the figure to be prefixed to 77 : the date would accord- ingly be 977 A. H. : i. e., 1569-70 A. D. The manuscript contains 13 col- oi'ed illustrations of animals and plants of America, some of them exe- cuted with considerable fidelity. It also contains two diagrams and three colored maps. The map of the new world represents South America with fair accuracy, and is, in the opinion of Mr. Harrisse, in some respects unique. The maps in the manuscript are. of course, much older than those in the printed work. An inferior manuscript of the same work exists in the Library of the American Oriental Society, being very appropriately MS. No. 1. of the Society's collections. It was presented by Mr. J. P. Brown, Secretary and Dragoman of the U. S. Legation at Constantinople. Mr. Brown stated at the time, 1843 (Jr. Am. Or. Soc, vol. i., p. xxix), that "it was quite the first book ever i^rinted at Constantinople by the Turks. cannot learn the name of the author I am informed that the Tarikh Hind Oharhy existed in manuscript many years before the introduction of printing, but was taken up and printed on account of its popularity as a curious and amusing book." A copy of the printed work has been recently deposited in the Smithsonian Institution by the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences of Savannah, Ga. I hope shortly to publish the maps and illustrations in my manuscript, as well as a translation of the parts relating to Columbus. 21. Note on William B. Hodgson ; by Dr. Cyrus Adler. The U. S. National Museum has recently secured on deposit a part of the collection of the late William B. Hodgson, consisting of oriental books and manuscripts. The collections are now the property of the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, of Savannah, Ga. Mr. Hodgson was one of the few Americans who gave serious atten- tion to Oriental studies at the beginning of this century. It is an inter- esting fact that his studies were promoted by the government. Already before the close of the last century the United States had a considerable commerce with the Mediterranean, and it was of the ut- most importance that our negotiations with the piratical Barbary States should be carefully conducted. The Department of State accordingly decided to appoint Mr. Hodgson as attache to the U. S. Consulate at Algiers, for the purpose of enabling him to become familiar with ori- ental languages. That this was the intention in Mr. Hodgson's appoint- ment is evidenced by the following extract from a letter dated Algiers, Jan. 1st, 1826, and addressed by Mr. Hodgson to Henry Clay, then Sec- retary of State : " The procurement of necessary books would have pre- sented some difficulty in the pi'osecution of my studies. Mr. Shaler has, however, furnished me with some elementary works, through his Adler, Note on William B. Hodgson. ccxi friends, the Consuls, until I can be better supplied from Paris. With these I have commenced the study of Arabic, and hope to make profi- ciency correspondent to my own wishes and the expectations of the President." Mr. Shaler. the Consul, writing to Henry Clay with refer- ence to Hodgson's arrival, said : " I am very much pleased to find that the government have at length determined to avail themselves of the great advantages offered by tlie Barbary Consulate for the instruction of young men, which must result in important benefits to the public service." Further on Mr. Shaler adds : " Perhaps it might be proper, Sir, at a later period, when Mr. Hodgson has made himself acquainted with the elements of the Turkish, to authorize me to send him into the Le- vant in order to acquire a familiar knowledge of it." That Mr. Hodgson profited by his opportunities as Mr. Shaler had predicted is shown by the fact that he was selected to serve as Secre- tary and Dragoman to the U. S. Legation at Constantinople, and later (in 1841) was nominated as Consul to Tunis. There can be little doubt that the policy which the United States ' Government pursued sixty years ago in the case of Mr. Hodgson, with the intention of preparing men for special service in the Orient, might be repeated at this day with advantage to the public service. Hand in hand with his usefulness as a public servant went Mr. Hodgson's development in Oriental scholarship. By 1830 we find him the possessor of a very considerable collection of Oriental manuscripts, the titles of which are recorded in "'A Catalogue of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian manuscripts, the private collection of Wm. B. Hodgson, Washington ; printed by Duff Green, 1830." A copy of this catalogue- now extremely rare— exists in the library of the American Oriental Soci- ety, having been presented by Hon. John Pickering, who himself re- ceived it from Wm. Shaler. In 1832, Mr. Hodgson published a memoir on the Berber language, and in the following year he translated parts of the New Testament into that language. He was one of the original members of the American Oriental Society, and in 1844 published " Notes on Nor- thern Africa, the Sahara, and the Soudan." The hall of the Georgia Historical Society is named in his honor Hodgson Hall. LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 011 250 355 9<