A. W. S. O’Sullivan, cited on the title-page of Vol. I as “the late A. S. O’Sullivan, Assistant Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements,” was the translator into English of The Achehnese by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje. He was carried off by a sudden death in August 1903, before the work was entirely completed, and the final compilation of the index — and the translation of Snouck Hurgronje’s introduction — were then kindly undertaken by Mr. R. J. Wilkinson, who was intimately acquainted with O’Sullivan’s project.
Project of translation
When Mr. O’Sullivan, early in 1899, informed Snouck Hurgronje of his project of translating the book and requested the author to look through his version and give him the benefit of any amendments in the text which might seem to be needed, it was just the time that the real conquest of Acheh was being commenced; and Snouck, “spending a great deal of my time in that country, was in an incomparably better position to investigate that old pirate-state than I had been in 1891 and 1892.” After some consideration Snouck decided that the text should be left substantially unaltered; that only occasionally would some improvements and fuller explanations be included in it; that isolated additions to the text regarding individuals mentioned in it should be put in brackets after the names referred to; and that in an introductory article as much should be said regarding the course of recent events in Acheh as would suffice to give the reader some idea of their significance. The undertaking might, however, have been seriously delayed “owing to the fact that the translator and the author were separated — one in the Straits Settlements, the other in Netherlands India — and that both, wrapped up in official duties, would already find it as much as they could do to get through their self-appointed task, especially as the English edition would have to be printed in Europe.”
Sudden death and Wilkinson’s completion
When the book was at last completed in manuscript, and when the first volume had been printed in full and the second to the extent of some pages, Mr. O’Sullivan was, in August 1903, “carried off by a most sudden death.” Shortly before his death it had been arranged between the author and the translator that O’Sullivan should compile an alphabetical index rerum, which would take the place of the lists of contents of chapters as well as of the list of Achehnese words attached to the original edition. Besides this, Mr. O’Sullivan had planned a translator’s preface to follow Snouck’s. “This last feature must now be lost to the reader; the compilation of the index as well as the translation of this introduction was kindly undertaken by Mr. Wilkinson who was intimately acquainted with Mr. O’Sullivan’s project.”
Translator’s notes
Besides the above-mentioned differences, the English translation differs from the original edition in the following respects. Mr. O’Sullivan had appended some notes, marked as coming from the translator and dealing “especially with the aspect of the phenomena cognate to those in the text whenever they are also met with in the Malay Peninsula.” Throughout Vol. I these translator’s notes are particularly valuable for the comparison of Achehnese with Malay usages, and they invoke — among others — the authority of Skeat’s Malay Magic for the customs of the Peninsula. The two geographical maps which accompanied the Dutch edition were entirely re-cast for the English edition; the spelling of Achehnese words was somewhat modified to suit English eyes and ears; and the photographic plates of the first edition were partly omitted, partly replaced by better ones, and partly inserted for the first time.
See Also
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
A. W. S. O’Sullivan, cited on the title-page of Vol. I as “the late A. S. O’Sullivan, Assistant Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements,” was the translator into English of The Achehnese by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje. He was carried off by a sudden death in August 1903, before the work was entirely completed, and the final compilation of the index — and the translation of Snouck Hurgronje’s introduction — were then kindly undertaken by Mr. R. J. Wilkinson, who was intimately acquainted with O’Sullivan’s project.
Project of translation
When Mr. O’Sullivan, early in 1899, informed Snouck Hurgronje of his project of translating the book and requested the author to look through his version and give him the benefit of any amendments in the text which might seem to be needed, it was just the time that the real conquest of Acheh was being commenced; and Snouck, “spending a great deal of my time in that country, was in an incomparably better position to investigate that old pirate-state than I had been in 1891 and 1892.” After some consideration Snouck decided that the text should be left substantially unaltered; that only occasionally would some improvements and fuller explanations be included in it; that isolated additions to the text regarding individuals mentioned in it should be put in brackets after the names referred to; and that in an introductory article as much should be said regarding the course of recent events in Acheh as would suffice to give the reader some idea of their significance. The undertaking might, however, have been seriously delayed “owing to the fact that the translator and the author were separated — one in the Straits Settlements, the other in Netherlands India — and that both, wrapped up in official duties, would already find it as much as they could do to get through their self-appointed task, especially as the English edition would have to be printed in Europe.”
Sudden death and Wilkinson’s completion
When the book was at last completed in manuscript, and when the first volume had been printed in full and the second to the extent of some pages, Mr. O’Sullivan was, in August 1903, “carried off by a most sudden death.” Shortly before his death it had been arranged between the author and the translator that O’Sullivan should compile an alphabetical index rerum, which would take the place of the lists of contents of chapters as well as of the list of Achehnese words attached to the original edition. Besides this, Mr. O’Sullivan had planned a translator’s preface to follow Snouck’s. “This last feature must now be lost to the reader; the compilation of the index as well as the translation of this introduction was kindly undertaken by Mr. Wilkinson who was intimately acquainted with Mr. O’Sullivan’s project.”
Translator’s notes
Besides the above-mentioned differences, the English translation differs from the original edition in the following respects. Mr. O’Sullivan had appended some notes, marked as coming from the translator and dealing “especially with the aspect of the phenomena cognate to those in the text whenever they are also met with in the Malay Peninsula.” Throughout Vol. I these translator’s notes are particularly valuable for the comparison of Achehnese with Malay usages, and they invoke — among others — the authority of Skeat’s Malay Magic for the customs of the Peninsula. The two geographical maps which accompanied the Dutch edition were entirely re-cast for the English edition; the spelling of Achehnese words was somewhat modified to suit English eyes and ears; and the photographic plates of the first edition were partly omitted, partly replaced by better ones, and partly inserted for the first time.
See Also
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.