Page:Kalhana's Rajatarangini Vol 1.djvu/8

 x PREFACE.

circumstances connected with Mr. Troyer's personal career and his literary Inbours,’ But his failure is largely due also to the insufficiency of the materials then available to European scholars. This observation applies with particular forco to the materials required for the proper comprehension of all those points in Kalhana’s narrative which are connected with the history, topography, economic conditions and other local features of Kasmir.

The difficulty in dealing with these points without the materials which only local research could furnish, is illustrated by the results of the labours which two Indologists of the first rank bestowed upon the Kasmir Chronicle soon after the Valley became fully accessible to Europeans. Generel (thon Captain) A. Cun. NINGHAM, whom political duty had brought to Kosmir aftor the first Sikh war and tho establishment of Dogra rule in the Valley, was ablo to elucidate with romarkable success 4 series of important questions bearing on tho chronological system of the Rajatarahgini and on the numismatic history of tho country. With the help of the information obtained through local inquiries he correctly ascertained the era

7 Mr. Troyer appears to have been born in the Tyrol about the year 1769, and to have been educated at an Austrian military academy. The wars of the French Revolu- tion found him as a young artillery officer in Flanders, where the accidental discovery of 8 polyglot Bible in an abandonet convent which his battery occupied, first directed his sttention to the study of Arabic. Transferrod to the army operating in Italy, and employod dunng the siege of Genoa as Anstrian com- missioner at the British headquarters, he made the acquaintance of Lord William Penney who formed a firm friendship for

When Lord W. Bentinck proceeded in 1803 to Madras as Governor of the Presidency, he offered to his friend an appointment on his personel staff, which Troyer readily accepted. A commission se captain in some native ropi- maent provided Troyer at tho same time with the requisite military rank. He remained in aay atter the gol of te patron, ulti- mately occu] st of Principal of tho local ‘Vuhatenadan College. He feat sub- sequently to have retired to Paris, from whore he once more followed Lord W. Bentinck’s fortunes to India whon the lattor becamo Governor-General in 1827, Made Principal of the Calcutta Sanskrit College, he remained in India until 1835, when he finally returned to Paris.

It is only during his residence at Calcutta that he seems to have scriously taken up Sanskrit studies, a fact which in view of his advanced age indicates no small amount of

Tipo and scholarly zoal. Tho thirty years which Troyor spont in comploto rotiromont after his roturn to Europo, woro dovotod to tho somo intorosts which had originelly at- tracted him to India. IIo divd in 1666, nearly centonarinn, aftor having prosorvod to the last a remarkablo froshnoss of mind. Amor the many litorary Jubours which ho planned or bogan during tho Intor portion of his life, only two had hoon bronght to complotion, his Rajaterangini work aud tho annotated translation of that curious Porsian text, tho Dabistin.

I take tho nbovo from an_ intorosti obituary notico which is containod in M. Mout's Rapport Annuel to the Société Asia- tiquo for tho yonr 1806 (Journal asiat., 1468, Extrait No. 9, pp. 13-14). 1 owo tho roforonco to this publiontion as well 18 a manuscript copy of it to the kindnoss of my Iamonted toacher, Profossor R. vor Rott, who had known Mr. Troyor during his own studont’s aya at Paris (1445-46), and who in 14094 still vividly remomberod somo quaint fouturos of his charactor and habits.

According to Prof. von Roth's rocolloction tho old gentloman put his birth ot an oven earlier date than that indicatod in M. Mohl's notico. It svoms probsblo thut a soarch in tho archives of tho Vionno war offico would lead to moro accurate informa- tion about Troyor’s carly Jifo and his caroor in tho Austrian army. I rogrot not to havo

found an opportunity to mako the nocossary ingnirios.