The Akbar Nameh of Abul Fazl Allami translated by Lieutenant Chalmers.

The Akbar Nameh of Abul Fazl Allami translated by Robert Chalmers.

The Akbar Nameh 'History of Akbar' or 'Book of Akbar' was the official history of Akbar's reign and was commissioned by Akbar. It was written by his court historian and biographer Abul Fazl in Persian. Chalmer's translation is an abridged version of the original text. The Oriental Translation Committe decided 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.

The text consists of two hardbound volumes of handwritten text.

Volume I contains a letter dated 1923 from Henry Beveridge to Miss Latimer, Assistant Librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society, concerning Chalmer's translation. There are notes from Gore Ouseley and borrowing slips pasted in. Also a note saying 'see 'Noer's Kaisar Nameh' is handwritten is on the title page.

Volume II contains a letter dated 30th May 1833 from J.C. Morris to the Secretary of the Oriental Translation Committee concerning a letter from Lieutenant Chalmers and asking them to recognise the work undertaken by Chalmers in translating the Akbar Nameh. 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 Lieutenant Chalmers' translation was prepared. On f.157 there is a pressed fern. Annotations have been made in a different hand.

Little is known about the translator of this text. The letters of correspondence within the volumes indicate that Chalmers was a Lieutenant in the Madras Army.

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The volumes were sent by Mrs Chase to the Royal Asiatic Society for consideration for possible publication by the Oriental Translation Committee.

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

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The volumes were translated by Robert Chalmers and taken charge of by Mrs Chase, who forwarded them onto the Royal Asiatic Society's rooms in Grafton Street.