A History of Agriculture in India v2.c50.39

v2.c50.39

Firishta's history was translated into English by General John Briggs in 1829. In 1832 Briggs published his *History of the Rise and Progress of Mohamadan Power in India*, in which he made use of his translation of Firishta's history. Montstuart Elphinstone's *The History of India—the Hindu and Mahometan Periods* (1841) also relies on Brigg's translation of Firishta's history for the account of the Sultanate period. Written in a pleasant style, Elphinstone's history of India is the best in the pre-Elliot and Dowson period. Narrating the qualities which a historian should possess, Sir William Jones remarks: 'The first duty of a historian was to be free from prejudice; his first obligation, to accept nothing as fact without reliable evidence. Having established his facts, the historian should narrate them in a pleasing style, preserving a proper chronology. He should unfold the causes at work in the historical process, taking into account the characters of distinguished men as well as the interplay of 'chance' and human motives. In short, "an unbiased integrity, a comprehensive view of nature, an exact knowledge of men and manners, a mind stored with free and generous principles, a penetrating sagacity, a fine taste and copious eloquence" were the necessary qualifications of a good historian. These are the qualities which Elphinstone had in ample measure.