The mission of Sir Thomas Roe to the court of Jahangir was not only a remarkable episode in the life of a remarkable man, but an event of high importance in the history both of England and of India ; for the footing which was then obtained, largely through his energy and wisdom, by the despised traders from the West, proved to be but the first step in a march of conquest which has only of late years reached its limits, and the scarlet liveries which escorted the ambassador through Rajputana were prophetic of a time when a descendant of King James should rule over an Indian empire vaster and infinitely more prosperous than ever owned the sway of a Mogul. Considerations of this nature would not, it is true, entitle an account of the embassy to a place among the publications of the Hakluyt Society. But it happens that the ambassador kept, for the information of his employers, a. minute and careful record of the events of his mission, besides writing from time to time full accounts of his proceedings to his many friends in England; and,
being in a land so little known to his fellow-countrymen, his diary and letters are naturally full not only of what he did but also of what he saw. His position afforded him excellent opportunities for observation, while a natural gift for literary expression imparted a vividness to his descriptions which is often lacking in the writings of other travelers of the period. The result is a picture of the India of the early seventeenth century which is of ex-
ceptional value and interest; and‘ on this ground the Council of the Society have judged his journal suitable for inclusion in their series. As explained at greater length in the Introduction, the present edition is based chiefly upon Roe’s own copy of his
journal (Brit. Mus. Add]. MS. 61 I 5), which has been printed for the first time at full length. Unfortunately this record is not complete.

Mughal Library