New-York tribune., 1907-11-13

Vi 40 Z p. Dutton & Co.
Fo- sixty years the Hakluyt Society of London
,as pursued its aim of printing one or two
,,olurnes a year of rare unpublished voyages
- travels Without conflning itself 10 works of
english origin, Of particular age or region it
has produced a marvellous succession of books
Of the highest interest and value to students of
history, geography. navigation and ethnologv
with these before him the English reader NAV
track Columbus and Vespucci and Cabot across
the unchartod sea. may follow Magellan and
Drake and Frobisher upon their daring under
takings, measure the assets of the Incas or
behold "the wealth of Ornus and of Ind. or
where the gorgeous East with richest hand
showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold"
These sixscore volumes are the splendid lit
erary monument of that painstaking, unpreten-
tious British parson Richard Hakluyt
Preacher, late Of Christ Church Oxford who.
he said, read whatever printed or written
discoveries and voyages found cxtant either
in the Greek, Latin. italian, Spanish Portugal
French or English languages" and whose
Principal Navigations' have been for three
hundred years the model and inspiration of his
successors and have established for all time
the uncontested pre-enlinence of the English as
an exploring and colonizing race
The modest If efficient labors Of private So
ciety are now TO be supplemented so far as
1ndla is concerned by government support. At
the instance of the Royal Asiatic Society and
under its supervision, the government Of India
has provided the necessary funds for the pub
LEGATION of the Indian Text Series, of which the
first TWO volumes are a part Of Niccolao Ma
nucci's lively picture of the Mogul empire in his
day. Manucci was a Venetian without family
means, position or even education, but a shrewd
fellow, smooth Of tongue quick of eye. very
adaptable and with some gift for languages and
Z mighty faculty Of getting on in the world He
ran away, as lad from what he called his
home, attached himself to an English noble
travelling on official visit TO the East
and upon the death of his patron found himself
in India, seventeen, penness. alone and with
very slender prospects of keeping body and soul
together. That he was able to do so for some
sixty years thereafter these volumes are evil
oence, and We must believe II. We have his
ogE word for It. How lie did It. and how he
made himself Indispensable at court: how he
de, ded TO become physician, and how ac-
Cordng to the medical light Of those days he
bled the aristocracy without pecunary loss 70
himself; how he witnessed mighty battles and
luxurious governments; how he resisted all
temptations TO become a Mahometan and man
aged 10 retain a chidike virtue amid the blan-
dishnents of the seraglio. which he describes
with microscopic appreciation-this and much
more Of personal adventure and individual COM
ment may be read in the "reminiscences of an
old man, dictated many years after the event
10 French. Italian and Portuguese amanuenses
and now first done into English.
The work is a singular mixture Of personal
recollection and what is meant for sober his
tory. for which the writer processes vast respect
We are first told the circumstances of his Ieav-
ing Europe and visiting Persia with the Eng
fish Ambassador. and after a graphic descrip-
tion OF his experiences IN that kingdom we fol-
low him to the court of the Grand Mogul He
must have been prepared for all the wonders Of
fairyland when the curtain went up on his
first view Of the East. Though credulous
enough as TO the fables Of antiquity. he accepts
with reserve the curative properties Of a certain
liquid collected in minute quantities for royal
use. Having received some as a gift. he adds:
'If what they say is true-though I have not
made the experiment-should the leg Of cock
or other animal be broken and you take Of the
above liquid ten 10 htteen drops and give II TO
the animal TO drink, u The same time amounting
the wounded place with - then. if IT is a true
story, in twenty-foUr hours the bones will
Unite" Which only proves that there is moth
ing new under the sun. Not even nature takers
And, speaking Of takers or faquirs, told
that Akbar concluded that men who cut their
own bodies must be good fighters he re-
rruted four thousand of them at good pay. but
e. the first encounter. without waiting for the
fighting TO begin, all Of them turned tail and
ran hard as they could go. When the dis
gusted monarch asked for explanation he
was told that those who cut their own flesh
avoided veins, nerves and bones. but enemy
wounds without mercy, and il does not suit US.
they said, TO have our bodies cut about by the
hands Of others. very similar conclusion was
reached in respect 10 the usefulness of prize
fighters in our own Civil War.
When our author finds himself in the Mogul
Kingdom after describing his journey thither, he
feels moved to pay his tribute to the dignity Of
history by passing in quick review the three
centuries which divided Tamerlane from Shah
3ahan. who occupied the throne at the time of
the Venetians arrival in India. These chapters,
protesting TO be founded on the Royal Chron-
icles" contain the most improbable legends and
wild irnaginations together with personal recol-
iections and occasional outbursts OF common
sense. The government is an absolute monarchy
unlimited power and wealth being vested in the
Throne and the opportunity OF justice depending
upon the whim and caprice of the King or or
those having access to him. Signor Manucci is
& capital story teller and illustrates his theme
with grave exaggerations and solemn absurdi-
ties 2 curious medley Of Arabian Nights, Baron
aunchausen. Figaro and Robinson Crusoe.
rrandose: the least sum he ever ordered to be
given to anv one was 10000 rupees nor was II
seldom that he made this present, ne dl4 ~ a., q
times lust as if il of no account, Whe u Is -
large amount. The King ordered ~ ~IV2Ty tup @ S,,sT
be laid the ground, 50 mat ne fent a-;r ba
height II had. Tins was done. me Ia%| L ,,oTc p
leyed that on seeing its bulk ne w0uq b p Coin II
ehary Of ordering the giving OF 80 20 h esi5 he had
was the coutrary that happened Tot ne r sId i sac
thought lO9c0 rupees wouid & ISH@ he M Made gift he
ordered the double be given OF whas ne he ,iTe i