sent me from Bombay a quaint lithograph with quainter
illustrations which contained all I required. This was a version
of Totaram Shayan (No. III.), which introduced the whole of the
Gallandian Tales: better still, these were sufficiently
orientalised and divested of their inordinate Gallicism,
especially their lonesome dialogue, by being converted into
Hindustani, the Urdu Zaban (camp or court language) of Upper
India and the Lingua Franca of the whole Peninsula.

During one of my sundry visits to the British Museum, I was
introduced by Mr. Alexander G. Ellis to Mr. James F. Blumhardt,
of Cambridge, who pointed out to me two other independent
versions, one partly rhymed and partly in prose.

Thus far my work was done for me. Mr. Blumhardt, a practical
Orientalist and teacher of the modem Prakrit tongues, kindly
undertook, at my request, to English the Hindustani, collating at
the same time, the rival versions; and thus, at a moment when my
health was at its worst, he saved me all trouble and labour
except that of impressing the manner with my own sign manual, and
of illustrating the text, where required, with notes
anthropological and other.

Meanwhile, part of my plan was modified by a visit to Paris in
early 1887. At the Bibliotheque Nationale I had the pleasure of
meeting M. Hermann Zotenberg, keeper of Eastern manuscripts, an
Orientalist of high and varied talents, and especially famous for
his admirable Chronique de Tabari. Happily for me, he had lately
purchased for the National Library, from a vendor who was utterly
ignorant of its history, a MS. copy of The Nights, containing the