Neumann (1793-1870) was an extraordinary German linguist who studied Armenian in Venice before visiting Canton in the employ of the East India company in 1829. He managed to acquire a collection of around 6000 titles about half of which he sold to the Royal Prussian Library in Berlin while the other half went to the Royal Library in Munich.
“Conquerors are deemed successful robbers, while robbers are unsuccessful conquerors. If the founder of the dynasty of the Ming had failed in his rebellion against the Moguls, history would have called him a robber; and if any one of the various robber-chiefs, who in the course of the two last centuries made war against the reigning Manchow, had overthrown the government of the foreigners, the official historiographers of the ‘Middle Empire’ would have called him the far-famed, illustrious elder father of the new dynasty.” (Translator’s Preface). Translation of Yuan Yonglun’s Jing hai fen ji (‘Account of the Pacification of the Sea’, publ. 1830). This work chronicles the activities of pirates in the China Sea during the late 1800s, focusing on significant events, and the broader implications of piracy in the region. The book introduces readers to the historical context of piracy in the China Sea, detailing the rise and impact of various pirate factions between 1807 and 1810 and elaborates on notable pirate leaders and their operations.
The second work is a translation of Zhu Hong’s (1535-1615) of a portion of the Zhu chuang sui bi (Jottings by a Bamboo Window), which outlines ten laws that Buddhist monks were expected to adhere to, including prohibitions against killing, stealing, lying, and intoxication. Zhu Hong was a reformer of monastic Buddhism during the late Ming dynasty and became famous for this strong opposition to the missionary work undertaken by Matteo Ricci.
Vahram (dates unknown) was a 13th century Armenian historian who was the secretary to King Leon III. He describes the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, and their alliances during the time of the Crusades. A key historical source for this little known kingdom during this turbulent time in the Middle Ages.
