Fonds RC - Papers of Lieutenant Chalmers

2 bound volumes Handwritten

The volumes were sent by the Madras Literary Society to the Oriental Translation Fund of the Society for consideration for publication in 1833.

The papers of Lieutenant Chalmers consist of two hardbound volumes of handwritten text, being the 'Akbar Nameh of Abul Fazl Allami' translated by him. The Akbar Nameh ('History of Akbar' or 'Book of Akbar') was the official history of Akbar's reign, commissioned by Akbar and written by his court historian and biographer Abul Fazl in Persian. Chalmers's translation is an abridged version of the original text.

Volume I has the following additional items pasted into it:

• a letter from Henry Beveridge to Miss Latimer, Assistant Librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society, returning Chalmers's translations which the Library has lent to him and saying it is a pity that his translation is little known, dated 21 February 1923
• two sheets of notes signed G. O. [Gore Ouseley], commenting on the translation
• two slips recording borrowing of the volumes by two readers in 1877, 1880 and 1885

Volume II has the following additional items pasted or inserted into it:

• a note stating that this book has been entered in the Society’s catalogue in September 1877
• a small slip of paper containing an extract from the volume and further notes by an unidentified author. This was found in the Society's Institutional records in 2024 and was therefore inserted into the volume
• a letter from J. C. Morris, Secretary to the Madras Literary Society, to the Secretary of the Oriental Translation Committee, requesting to submit Chalmers’s two volumes of translation. The letter goes on to state although the translation is not accompanied by the original as required by the rules of the committee, Mr Lushington (English Tory Politician and Governor of Madras from 1827-1832) will on application provide the loan of the original work in his possession from which Chalmers's translation was prepared. Dated 30 May 1833.
• a pressed fern on page 157

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• anglais

See OTF/1/2 for related discussions in the Oriental Translation Fund Committee meetings:

• 23 November 1833: resolved that the translation be referred to Sir Gore Ouseley for examination
• 20 January 1834: resolved that given the importance of the Akbar Nameh, the abridged translation was not suitable for publication and they recommended that Lieutenant Chalmers undertake a complete translation of the text

These papers archived in July 2022 by Amina Khan. RAS Archive volunteer. under the supervision of RAS Archivist Nancy Charley. Edited by James Liu, Archivist, in 2026.