IV. D7. NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS OF THE SUDAN 355

period is concerned, on those chronologies of the Fung kings which were shown at Sennar to Bruce in 1772 and to Cailliaud in 182 1. The

former was shown an "undoubtedly authentic" list by the Sid el Kilm ("Master of the Household"). The latter says "Je m'etais procure, chez les erudits de la ville [Sennar], plusieurs listes chrono- logiques des rois Foungis du Sennar: mais, en les comparant entre elles, je doutais de pouvoir arriver a un travail satisfaisant : enfin, par

I'entremise d'Ismayl, j'en obtins une du roi Bady lui-mcme. Je puis done garantir que la chronologic que je donne ici est plus exacte que

celle de Bruce" (vol. 11, 255). The main difference between these two lists is that Bruce dates

the accession of 'Omara Dunkas, the first Fung king, in 1504, and Cailliaud in 1484. The discrepancy is explained in an appendix, and the date 1504 may be taken as correct.

With one or more of these chronologies as a basis, and with the Tahakdt wad Dayfulla (MS. D 3) for occasional reference and quotation, the original of the work which is here translated was probably compiled gradually during the regifnes of successive Turkish

rulers and completed about the time of Mumtaz Pasha (i 871 -1873),

Its author is unknown and its exact date is doubtful. The British

Museum copy, it is said," consists of 108 octavo pages and was written, and perhaps also composed, by Muhammad Abu Bakr Makki Ahmad

in 1879" (Budge, Preface, p. xi). It ends with the year 1871. One would suppose that Muhammad Abu Bakr would have carried the history down to his own date had he been the composer and not merely a copyist.

Mr Jackson says that all the copies he has seen "seem to be derived from the account put together by Abd el Dafaa and an abstract of this, with a few alterations and additions, made by Zubeir wad

Dawwa." He does not say to what year the narrative is in each case carried down. By " 'Abd el Dafaa " he means Ibrahim 'Abd el Dafa'i the elegist, who is twice mentioned in D 7 in the third person. Of this Ibrahim more anon.

The copy found by Sir R. von Slatin was made, as is stated at the close of it, on the 19th of Shabdn 13^2 A. h. (October 30, 1904 a.d.). The copy I have translated consists of no octavo pages and gives

an account of events down to 1288 a.h, (1871 a.d.). That of Muham-

mad 'Abd el Magid ends abruptly with 1865. None of these gives any direct indication as to the author's name, and Mek 'Adlan's evidence is practically worthless: he fluctuates between vague reminiscences of the Tabakdt zcad Dayfulla and

"an unknown scribe" who may have lived in the lifetime of Mek

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