________________
182
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JULY, 1878.
to the Berlin Anthropologische Gesellschaft, he describes the origin of the terra-cotta images found in old Japanese burial-grounds. It appears that up to the year 2 B.c. it was the custom to surround the grave of a dead emperor or empress with a number of their attendants, buried alive up to their necks, their heads forming a ghastly ring about the burial spot. At the date referred to, the custom was abolished, and the living offerings were replaced by the clay figures which have hitherto attracted so much attention. Nature.
es of Dr. Schliemann at Mycena, who found skeletons compressed into extremely narrow graves--not, he thinks, 9 some have surmised, by way of insult, though it is difficult to conceive the cause, as there was no apparent necessity for such a habit. However, in pre-historic interments both in Great Britain and Germany, bodies are not unfrequently found in large graves placed on one side, or huddled up in a corner, in sitting postures-certainly through no lack of space. Bodies, too, are frequently found in roomy barrows compressed into "the attitude of one who curls himself up to sleep," and it has also been proved that bodies were placed in the contracted position for burning, as well as for burial. If the Abors of the Brahmaputra have any reason, traditional or otherwise, for their custom of putting their dead 'trussed up, face and knees together, in such small graves, it might throw some light on the origin of this very wide-spread, ancient, and anintelligiblo practice. Perhaps some archaeologist, who has an opportunity, might inquire.-W.
CONTRACTED BURIALS.' With regard to the remarks at page 46 of the Current volume on the practice of contracted burials existing amongst the Abors of the Brahmaputra valley, where the dead are placed in very small graves in a sittiag posture, it may be noted that Herodotus (IV. 190) reports that in his time. "all the Libyan Nomads, except the Nasa- monians, bury their dead sitting, as the Greeks do." This is curiously confirmed by the research-
BOOK NOTICES. TAE HISTORY OF INDIA na told by its own historians: the ing; though this latter fault is to a certain extent
posthumous papers of the late Sir H. M. Elliot, K.C.B., edited and continued by Prof. John Dowson, M.R.A.S.,
remedied by the excellent double Index which Staff College, Sandhurst. Vol. VIII. London: Trübner accompanies the present concluding volume. & Co., 1877.
This contains also the Musulman authorities for The volume before us completes one of the most the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire (some of valuable contributions ever made to Oriental the writers are Hindus, but they all affect the science. Eleven years, says Professor Dowson, style of Islam). The decay of literary power was, have now passed since he took up the work of unfortunately, as marked at this period as that editing Sir Henry Elliot's reliques.
of political and military talent; and the best of The labours of his predecessors in possession of | the later native chronicles, the Siyaru'l muta those papers, though not without value, were
akhkhirin, is excluded from the volume, because it unimportant as compared with what remained to was impossible to devote much space to a work, do; for the MSS. left by Sir Henry were quite however excellent, which is elsewhere attainable insufficient for the accomplishment of his great
to the student. Probably the most interesting design. The labours of the editor, therefore, have
extracts given are those relating to the miseries been to a great degree original; and he is entitled
suffered by the last puppet emperors before our to far greater credit than might be supposed from
entry into Delhi, those showing the native opinion the title of the work.
of the invading English and French, and the This, as it now stands, contains at least a notice
accounts of the last battle of Panipat. None of of every Muhammadan chronicle relating to India these equal in value that of "Kasi Rai," in the known to be worth the trouble of opening, with Asiatic Researches, but several of them confirm extracts of greater or less bulk from most; so it, and mention the writer in terms which show that the student is not only presented with that he has not at all exaggerated his own opportolerably completo History of India from the tunities of observation." Musulman point of view and knowledge, but is Oriental students will be glad to hear that also furnished with a valuable guide for individual Prof. Dowson has been commissioned to suppleresearch. It to be regretted, indeed, that in a ment the valuable work now completed by two work with such a title there should be no extract volumes on the southern Musulmân states of from any Hindu or Buddhist author writing in his Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, &c., and we may express the own sacred or vulgar tongue,-e.g. the Mahdvariso hope that those possessed of rare MS. histories of or the Rájatarangini,--and still more that the any of the Bahmani dynasties will communicate arrangement of the extracts is sometimes confus- with him respecting them.
Prof. Dowson, under one of these accounts, devotes a considerable respectability, it is probably incorrect, a note (p. 154) to Ibrahim Khân Gârdi, and quotes (it does Ibrahima was a Sayad. His family still hold a small jag hir not appear from where) a statement that that commander near Puns, and are highly respected. Prof. Dowson "in times of yore ran with a stick in his band before the rightly derives the word Gardi from "guard, but does not palankin of M. de Bussy" at Pondicherry. Unless this seem to know that it is still in occasional use, and so means that he was a chobdar, or mace-bearer, an office of derived by nativos.
