HISTORY OF BENGAL. Sect. I. Of the early Mohammedan Conquerors of India. INTRODUCTION. Previous to entering on the History of Bengal, it becQmes sect. requisite to revert to the first invasion of the north-west provinces of India by . the Mohammedans, and to* proceed gradually with a narrative of their conquests, until the period from which this History will properly commence : but, as this subject has been before amply detailed in the Translation of Introduction Previous to entering on the History of Bengal, it becomes requisite to revert to the first invasion of the north-west provinces of India by the Mohammedans, and to proceed gradually with a narrative of their conquests, until the period from which this History will properly commence: but, as this subject has been before amply detailed in the Translation of Ferishtah's History of Hindoostan by Colonel" Dow, it is intended merely to give a summary of those events; referring the reader for more particular information on that subject to the above-mentioned valuable work*.
- Having had frequent occasion, during the compilation of this work, to compare
Colonel Dow's Translation with the original of the History of Hindoostan, I conceive it due to the memory of that gentleman, to observe, that few persons could have given a more literal or able translation of his author ; and that the suppositions of Mr. Gibbon, and the remarks of a celebrated Orientalist lately given to the public, relative to that History, are equally ill founded. It must be acknowledged, that Colonel Dow has, in some instances, mistaken the author 5 but such errors may rather be ascribed to the incor-rectness of his manuscripts, than to a want of knowledge of the Persian language. It will be recollected, that the 3d volume is not a translation, but a compilation from different authors. 1
