^{page 49 note 1} The case is otherwise when one searches the range of Africana for references by European travellers (from the early days of the D.E.I.C. until our times) to local Muslims, who are more popularly called “Cape Malays” —a name which has been applied broadly to the co-religionists of various races who came from the Eastern seas, India, Ceylon, Eastern Africa, and whose oldest section came from the Malay Archipelago. Much material exists, but it has not yet received adequate attention. It is clear that Sir Thomas Arnold did not have the opportunity to conduct such a search. In his Preaching of Islam (second edition, London, 1913, pp. 350–2)Google Scholar, he gives a short history of this people. Anent them the brilliant series of articles on “Vertolking aan die Kaap in Maleis en Portugees” and “ Maleise en Portuguese Relikte aan die Kaap van Vandag”, which appeared in the Cape weekly, Town Afrikaans, Die Huisgenoot, between May and November, 1930Google Scholar, and written by Professor DrFranken, J. L. M., repay scrutiny for linguistic purposes. Cf. “Two Cape Town Catechisms” in the Moslem World (New York, 10, 1925)Google Scholar, and Zwemer's, S. M.Across the World of Islam (New York, 1929, p. 252) for present day instances.Google Scholar

^{page 50 note 1} No full-sized history of local printing has been compiled. Neither Lloyd, A. C. G. in The Printing Press : First Production in South Africa (Cape Town, 1910)Google Scholar, nor Sydney Mendelssohn in his authoritative South African Bibliography (London, 1910)Google Scholar, throw any light on our subject. DrNicholson's, R. A.A Literary History of the Arabs (second edition, Cambridge, 1930) does not, of course, mention it at all.Google Scholar

^{page 50 note 2} For example, in Persia, c. A.D. 1816–17 (The Press and Poetry of Modern Persia: Partly Based on the Manuscript Work of Mīrza Mūhammad ‘Ali Khān “Taibiyat” of Tabriz, by Browne, E. G. (Cambridge, 1914, p. 8))Google Scholar and in Constantinople about 1727 (Encyc. of Islam, s.v. Turks, iv, 919a; cf. A History of the War in Bosnia, trans, from the Turkish by Fraser, C., London, Oriental Trans. Fund, 1830, p. 884).Google Scholar

^{page 50 note 3} It may be of interest to note that Old and New Testaments in Arabic lettering were sent to the Cape from Holland for transmission to the East. Cf. Kaapse Archiefstukken Lopende over het Jaar 1778, door Jeffreys, K.M., M.A. (Cape Town, 1926, pp. 497, 499)Google Scholar; “Ontvangenmet ‘de Behemoth’ den 27th Dec, 1778.” Mayson, J. S. in his The Malays of Cape Town (Manchester, 1855, p. 8) states that in “1820-1 a number of distinguished Arabs, from the Island of Johanna in the Mozambique Channel, visited the Colony. They were kindly received by the Government, and were hospitably entertained by the Malays, whom they further instructed in the faith and practice of Islam, and with whom they (the Malays) have since corresponded, sending them also supplies of the Koran and other books.”Google Scholar

Also, I may refer to the presence of two Muslim authors at the Cape sometime during the eighteenth century, seeing, as far as I am aware, that as yet no presentable account of their careers have been published, and Mendelssohn does not index their volumes in his South African Bibliography. They, too, knew Arabic, and are, perhaps, the first of their co-religionists to have penned something regarding the Cape. (1) Shigurf Namahi Velae't, or Excellent Intelligence Concerning Europe, being the Travels of Mirza Itesa Modeen, translated from the Original Persian MS., etc., by Alexander, J. E. (London, 1827).Google ScholarBuckland, C. E. in his Dictionary of Indian Biography (London, 1906, pp. 217–18)Google Scholar, writes thus, inter alia: “Itisam-ud-Din (?) … about 1765–6 accompanied Captain Swinton to Europe as munshi, on a mission to deliver Shah Alam's letter to George III: he was the first educated native of Bengal to visit England and describe his journey: returned after nearly three years' absence to India: wrote the Shigurf-nama, or ‘Wonder Book’ ; a popular work in India: he was careful and painstaking in his observations.” Cf. Keene's, H. G.An Oriental Biographical Dictionary (London, 1894, p. 186).Google Scholar (2) The Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan in Asia, Africa, and Europe during the years 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, and 1803, written by himself in the Persian Language, and translated by Charles Stewart (London, 1810, 2 vols). According to the British Museum General Catalogue, vol. i, p. 246Google Scholar, Abu Taleb Khan edited the works of Hafiz (in Persian, 1791). The best biography of him (to my mind) is to be found in Michaud's Biographie Universelle (Paris, 1843, vol. i, pp. 85–7).Google Scholar

^{page 52 note 1} Consult Theal's, G. McC.Records of the Cape Colony, vol. xxviii, pp. 36–8; vol. xixv, pp. 138 ff.Google Scholar

^{page 53 note 1} No copy of this work appears to be extant. It is worth while, at this juncture, to mark this statement of DrHahn, T. H. in An Index of the Grey Collection at the South African Public Library (Cape Town, 1884, p. 362): “Arabic MSS. Lessons read from the pulpit before the prayers, Friday of Lobberang (Cape Malay name for Eid-ul-Fitr. S.R.). Probably written at the Cape. 8vo.” Owing to the great distance between Cape Town and Johannesburg, where the present study was written, I have not been able to examine these MSS.Google Scholar

^{page 53 note 2} Goeje, M. J. de, “Mohammedanische Propaganda” in Nederlandsche Spectator, No. 51, 1881.Google Scholar For further Turkish interests in the Cape Malays, vide The Mussulman Population at the Cape of Good Hope, by Kollisch, Maximilien, Directeur du Journal International Les Deux Mondes (Constantinople, 1867).Google Scholar

^{page 54 note 1} Apropos the above subject, on all accounts, the best Arabist who resided at the Cape during the nineteenth century, and who helped to awaken concern in the Cape Malays through the medium of his missionary endeavours, was DrArnold, John M., a Church of England minister. His Ishmael or a Natural History of lalamism, and Us Relation to Christianity (London, 1859)Google Scholar, was well thought of. At any rate, Hughes, Thomas P. in his A Dictionary of Islam (London, 1895, pp. 237, 242)Google Scholar considers Arnold's Islam and Christianity (London, 1874), a first-rate work. Locally, it is difficult to discover further biographical details respecting him. The Dictionary of National Biography contains no reference to his labours.Google Scholar