King's Pote 94(1) (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Tārīkh-i Shahādat-i Farrukh Siyar.

Author and Scribe: Muḥammad Bakhsh, poetically named Āshūb (d. 1784-5) محمد بخش، آشوب

Title: Tārīkh-i Shahādat-i Farrukh Siyar

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: c. 1196 / c. 1782 Scribe: Muḥammad Bakhsh, poetically named Āshūb (d. 1784-5) محمد بخش، آشوب .

Colophon further notes: The author’s Divan is also in the Pote collection – see King's 169 in the same hand - and that was copied by the author. That means King's 94 is an autograph also. The work was compiled in 1196/1782 so this autograph copy is likely to be from that year or very shortly afterwards.

Note concerning manuscript: On box: 94(1).

Note concerning work: History of the death of Farrukh-Siyar and the accession of Muḥammad Shāh. Compiled in 1196/1782 at the request of Jonathan Scott, whom the author met in the house of Colonel Polier in Lucknow (as mentioned in the preface). The history ends with the year 1158/1745.

References

Browne no. 239

Palmer no. 94

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 p.944 [BL Or. 1832]

Catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the India Office (2 vols.) H. Ethé 1903-37 col.159, no. 422 [BL IO Islamic 250-251]; col.1534, no. 2834 [BL IO Islamic 813 (source for Āshūb)]; col.95, no. 224 [BL IO Islamic 1846 (Āshūb as scribe, 1194H)]

Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library E. Sachau and H. Ethé 1889 col.314, no. 391 [Bodl. Elliot 181 (item 479 on Āshūb as poet)]

Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 I.1 p.617

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.313

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 142 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 20.8 × 11.4 cm.

Dimensions (written): 17.0 × 8.0 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Layout

18 lines per page.

Not ruled. Red rubrications.

Hand(s)

Script: shikasta. Scribe: Muḥammad Bakhsh, poetically named Āshūb (d. 1784-5) محمد بخش، آشوب.

Additions:

The manuscript contais marginal notes in black and red (not in Persian).

Binding

Light brown leather, Indian style. Plain leather doublures. Decorations: Painted silver frame. Dimensions: 20.8 × 11.5 × 2.3 cm. Boxed. Polier's number: 153.

History

Origin: c. 1196 AH; c. 1782 CE

Provenance and Acquisition

The "Pote Collection" arrived in England from India in 1790 and was divided between the Colleges of Eton and King's, Cambridge, with the first half alphabetically going to King's. Both halves of the collection are now housed in Cambridge University Library on permanent loan. Most if not all of the manuscripts had previously been owned by Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri Polier (1741–1795).

Gift of Edward Ephraim Pote (d.1832) in 1788.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. G. Browne, "A supplementary hand-list of the Muhammadan manuscripts, including all those written in the Arabic character, preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge", Cambridge, 1922 and E. H. Palmer, "Catalogue of the oriental manuscripts in the library of King's College, Cambridge", J.R.A.S. v.3 (1867), pp.105-131 enhanced with additional descriptions and corrections by Shiva Mihan.

Availability

All manuscripts of the Pote Collection are on permanent loan at Cambridge University Library. Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures consult Cambridge University Library. Contact near_eastern@lib.cam.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript

Bibliography

Work in multiple volumes bearing the class-marks: 94(1), 94(2).

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

Subjects

Comments

Comment on this record