Baillie, John, of Leys, 1772-1833 (Member of Parliament, and East India Company Official)
Dates
- Existence: 1772 - 1833
Biography
Hailing from Inverness, John Baillie of Leys entered the Bengal army of the East India Company in 1790 C.E., reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1814. His competence as a linguist led to his appointment as Professor of Arabic and Persian and of “Mohammedan Law” at Fort William College, Calcutta, from 1801-1807, during which time he published a Course of Lectures on Arabic Grammar (1801), and An Entire and Correct Edition of the Five Books upon Arabic Grammar (1802-1805). He also fought during the second Anglo-Maratha War 1803-1805, and held the position of Political Officer at Bundelkhand 1804-1806. In 1807 he was appointed British Resident (Political Agent) at the court of the Sa‘adat ‘Alī Khān, Nawwāb of Awadh (reigned 1798 – 1814), at Lucknow. He held this position for eight years.
On his retirement and return to Britain in 1816 he became a Member of Parliament, first for Heddon in England 1820-1830, and then for Inverness, Scotland, 1830-1833. He was also a Director of the East India Company at various times between 1823 and 1833. When Baillie died in London in 1833 his substantial manuscript collecion was overlooked. It was rediscovered there six years later by Duncan Forbes, Professor of Oriental Languages at King's College London, and subsequently returned to Baillie’s family in Scotland.
His grandson John B. Baillie of Leys bequeathed his grandfather's collection of 166 mainly Arabic and Persian manuscripts to the University Library in 1876. They are also listed in M. Hukk’s A descriptive catalogue of the Arabic and Persian manuscripts in Edinburgh University Library (1925).
Found in 167 Collections and/or Records:
حیاة الحیوان Ḥayāt al-Ḥayawān, 805 A.H., 1402 C.E.
A famous zoological dictionary, but it is something more. The work contains chapters on the history of the Arab rulers, on religion and law, annotations on the Qur'ān and dissertations on science, poetry, diction, etc. The author was Kamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad b. Mūsá b. 'Īsá b. 'Alī al-Damīrī (d. 808 A.H., 1406 C.E.), who compiled it in 773 A.H. (1371 C.E.).
خسرو و شیرین Khusraw va Shīrīn, undated copy (original text composed 12th cent. C.E.)
خطّ Khaṭṭ, undated
An inscription in English on the back states that this letter of the Nawwāb (Mīr Ja'far of Bengal) to Lord Clive was given by the latter to a Mr. William Hanbury, who gave it to Mr. J. T. Samuell 1762 C.E. The substance of the letter, however, does not show that it was sent by the Nawwāb. The probability is that it was written by "Omi-chand" (whose proper name was Amīr-Chand), and contains an appeal from the banker for the payment of his claims.
دبستان مذاهب Dabistān-i maẕāhib, 1215 A.H., 1800 C.E.
An exposition of the religious creeds and philosophical systems of the East. The author's name does not appear, but the work is probably attributable to Mubād-Shāh, who completed it shortly after 1063 A.H. (1653 C.E.). Comprising fifteen sections with numerous subsections, it gives a fair insight into the beliefs of the Parsis, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Muwaḥḥids (unitarians), Philosophers, Sufis (theosophists), and several others.
دستور العمل سررشتجات Dastūr al-'amal-i-sarrishtajāt, undated copy (original text composed 17th-18th cent. C.E.)
A collection of useful instructions and tables for the education of those who work in the revenue offices. It gives a fair insight into the sort of departmental work carried on during the times of the Mughal sovereignty. Copies of a few farmāns (decrees) and dispatches of the Premiers have also been added. The author is Uday-Chand of Salīmābād (Bengal), who compiled it during the reign of the Emperor Awrangzīb.
دستور جهان گشائی Dastūr-i jahān gushā'ī, undated
دستورالعمل اکبری Dastūr al-'amal-i Akbarī, 1230 A.H., 1814 C.E.
An account of the 22 ṣubahs (or provinces) of the Indian Empire, their subdivisions and revenue in the time of the Mughul sovereignty.
دقائق الانشاء Daqā'iq al-inshā', 1204 A.H., 1789 C.E.
This important work, which deals with the subtilties of style in the composition of both prose and poetry, was compiled in 1145 A.H. (1732-1733 C.E.), by Ranjhūr-Dās (also called Ranchūr-Dās), son of Ranjīt-Rāi, a Kāyath of Jawnpūr.
دیوان المتنبي Dīwān al-Mutanabbī, 1261 A.H., 1843 C.E.
A complete collection of the poems in alphabetical order of the celebrated Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad b. Ḥusayn al-Mutanabbī (d. 354 A.H., 965 C.E.).
دیوان ثابت Dīvān-i Sābit, undated copy (original text composed 18th cent. C.E.)
The collected poems of Sayyid Muḥammad Afẓal al-Dīn, poetically styled, "Sābit," of Dehli, who was a man of great learning, and died at the city of his birth, 1151 A.H. (1738 C.E.).