T. ON L:KNU (LAKHNAU) AND L:KNUR (LAKHNUR, NOW SHAHABAD IN RAMPUR).
One or other of the above-mentioned names occurs eight times in the Babur-nama (s.a. 932, 934,935AH.), some instances being shown by their context to represent Lakhnau in Oudh, others inferentially and by the verbal agreement of the Haidarabad Codex and Kehr's Codex to stand for Lakhnur (now Shahabad in Rampur). It is necessary to reconsider the identification of those not decided by their context, both because there is so much variation in the copies of the 'Abdu'r-rahlm Persian translation that they give no verbal help, and because Mr. Erskine and M. de Courteille are in agreement about them and took the whole eight to represent Lakhnau. This they did on different grounds, but in each case their agreement has behind it a defective textual basis. Mr. Erskine, as is well known, translated the 'Abdu'r-rahlm Persian text without access to the original TurkI but, if he had had the Elphinstone Codex when translating, it would have given him no help because all the eight instances occur on folios not preserved by that codex. His only sources were not-first-rate Persian MSS. in which he found casual variation from terminal nu to nur, which latter form may have been read by him as nuu (whence perhaps the old Anglo-Indian transliteration he uses, Luknow).1 M. de Courteille's position is different ; his uniform Lakhnau obeyed the same uniformity in his source the Kasan Imprint, and would appear to him the
1 Cf. Index s.n. Dalmau and Bangarmau for the termination in double u.
