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author. Composite histories, built up of chapters by specialists, suffer from the lack of literary unity and from the absence of one controlling mind so severely that their gain in erudition is apt to be outweighed by their dullness.

The memorable visit of Their Majesties the King-Emperor and his consort at the close of 1911 seems to be the best stopping-place for the narrative. The years since that event have been passed for the most part under the shadow of the Great War, with which history cannot yet dare to meddle. A bare list of some of the happenings during those terrible years is appended.

The spelling of Asiatic words and names follows the principle observed in my work on Akbar, with, perhaps, a slight further indulgence in popular literary forms. The only diacritical mark used as a general rule is that placed over long vowels, and intended as a guide to the approximate pronunciation. Consonants are to be pronounced as in English. Vowels usually have the Italian sounds, so that Mir is to be read as 'Meer' and Mul- as 'Mool- '. Short a with stress is pronounced like u in but', and when without stress as an indistinct vowel like the A in America '. The name Akbar consequently is pronounced' Ukbur' or ' Ukber '. No simpler system is practicable, for we cannot revert to the barbarisms of the old books.

6

Much research and care have been devoted to the collection and reproduction of the numerous illustrations.

My acknowledgements are due to the Secretary of State for India for general liberty to use illustrations in official publications; to B. Lewis Rice, Esq., C.I.E., for the use of two illustrations from Mysore and Coorg from the Inscriptions; and to K. Panikkar, Esq., for the loan of an engraving of Māhādajī Sindia. A few coins have been copied from the Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, by permission.

Copyright extracts are reproduced by permission of Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. (from Gover); Mr. William Heinemann (from Professor Macdonell);` Robert Sewell, Esq., I.C.S. Retired (Vijayanagar); and the India Society (from version of Kabir).

The kind attention of readers is invited to the list of Additions and Corrections.

NOTE. As the book probably will be used in colleges, it seems well to say that the two sections of the Introduction are not intended for junior students, who may leave them unread.

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