[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Travellers (1500–1858)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel) › [Storia do Mogor](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci) › [Storia do Mogor (Irvine)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine) › 281.14 # Storia do Mogor 281.14 Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 281.14 - **Language:** English ### [281.14.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.1) He bears himself in such a way as if he were not even aware of all the losses he is suffering. He has lost all the Dakhin, and sacrificed many soldiers and officers without allowing the least sign of chagrin to appear. Nor did he show any at the siege of Bījāpur, where he lost twelve thousand sappers by the explosion of the enemy's countermines. On the contrary, this contretemps having been reported to him by one of the principal commanders with evident signs of grief and sorrow, the king answered with a laugh that it was a mere nothing. The reason is that he has a perfect understanding of his empire : he knows it to be thickly peopled ; war holds his enemies in fear, while it secures the devotion of his nobles and vassals by providing them with occupation. It keeps their fortunes at the lowest ebb, to which he takes care to add the heavy contributions he obliges them to pay. At last the king remembered about the Chevalier Norris, and what had happened to him under his orders. He wrote a letter to his own general, Ghiyaz-ud-din Khan, suggesting that he should intercede with his majesty for the said envoy. An extraordinary proceeding this, but often resorted to by these princes when they have made some mistake, or they are in need of some one. For in such cases, instead of making overtures to persons involved, they always put them in the wrong, and force them to employ intercessors. ### [281.14.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.2) Ghiyaz-ud-din Khan carried out his orders, and bestowed a thousand caresses on the ambassador. In the letter submitted to the king, he represented that the said lord (Norris) had not done wrong in any way, that he had been a long time at the court, where he had been at great expense without obtaining what he wanted, a result sufficiently vexing. 'This is the reason,' he said, 'why I pray your majesty to grant his requests, since he has besought me to intercede with your mightiness on his behalf.' Upon receipt of this letter the king wrote one to the King of England in which, after the usual compliments, he assured him that he would protect the nation in all things that depended upon him, and would cause justice to be done to the English on all necessary occasions, so far as they were in the right. As a present he sent a sword and a poignard with gold hilts adorned with stones, valued at fifty thousand rupees. These were brought by a gurzbardar (mace-bearer) carrying a silver mace. This man's name was Maamad Alibeg (Muhammad 'Ali Beg), and he reached the ambassador on January 22, 1702. At this time news came to the court that the governor of Surat, named Daniscan (sic), had taken by force from the English merchants there merchandise worth 184,000 rupees or more. These goods he had made over to Abdulgafour ('Abd-ul-Ghafur) by way of recompense \[39\] for the injury he had suffered from pirates. ### [281.14.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.3) He had also taken goods from the Dutch, which they estimated at 456,000 rupees and more. These had also been given to the same man on the same account. The person I am speaking of is the most powerful merchant at Surat, and owns over twenty ships of his own. He is a Mahomedan by religion. The king approved of the governor's proceedings. \[He sent orders for the release of the general of Bombay and all the other Europeans. He said that for the future those who wished to trade by sea might do so, whether his own subjects or foreigners, provided that they had strength enough to defend themselves against pirates. If any losses accrued from that cause, he did not wish any complaints to be brought to him. He had deliberated on the matter, and held it to be a great injustice to oblige the Europeans to satisfy losses caused at sea by these robbers. This was opposed to the law of nations and prejudicial to the interests of his crown, since all the nations, finding themselves equally ill-treated, would unite and destroy all the ports in his (Aurangzeb's) kingdom. It was for these reasons that he revoked his previous orders. God grant that this may last, and that selfish reasons or false reports may not induce him to reissue those orders.\] ### [281.14.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.4) But he is not entirely satisfied. For he has issued fresh orders to restrict the European nations at Surat more than ever. These orders have been carried out with extreme rigour. The poor people are now often without bread to eat. The last resource they had has been closed against them. This consisted in certain supplies sent to them from time to time by the Capuchin fathers through a concealed door in their house. The fact was imprudently disclosed to the Mahomedans by an Englishman, who scoffed at their manner of watching them, which did not hinder them from receiving large supplies of provender. Upon this discovery being made, not only did they close the secret door, but hemmed in the Capuchins as they had done to all the other Europeans, so that they also are in the same trouble and are now suffering the pangs of hunger. The object of the Mogul in this matter is to extort from the Europeans an exorbitant sum of money, which he has piled up as the loss suffered by the Mahomedans from pirates during the last seventeen years. \[Folios 41 and 42 of the original are blank.\] ### [281.14.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.5) The persecutions at Tanjor, of which I am about to speak, have had several causes, divisible into principal and secondary. The latter were, as it may be said, the commencing and far-off predispositions to these calamities ; the proximate causes have but served to complete what the remoter began. The earlier or subsidiary causes had merely begun the irritation in the heathens' minds ; the later and more important have created this new hatred and this aversion, or at any rate have made them burst forth, not only against the Christian religion, but against all who profess it ; not only against ecclesiastics, but against laymen. Such conduct the heathen had never displayed before during all the sixty or seventy years since the reverend Portuguese fathers arrived and established that mission. The troubles broke out there and in the environs through new ways of preaching the Gospel. Never before had they adopted those lamentable methods, such as I shall note, thereby overturning and destroying by one blow the edifice that had been built up in the course of so many years, not to speak of what the heathen kings threaten to do in the future. ### [281.14.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.6) As in all composite results, the original and remote predispositions precede the derived and immediate, and require to be formally adduced first. Thus I have judged it advisable to explain, to start with, as clearly and briefly as I can, the most remote and less influential causes of the persecution of which I am about to speak. Having dealt with these, I shall proceed to the principal and immediate causes which have lighted up and brought into life what has happened, after the other matters had, as it were, prepared the way and predisposed men's minds on the subject. The first or less important causes are three; the recent and immediate are also three in number. I have learnt this from persons worthy of belief who made inquiries on the spot, and have sent in their report in writing, which I am about to reproduce. I need hardly speak of the general admissions made by Christians in Pondicherry itself, who learnt the facts from their relations and friends just as I did from my correspondents. But before entering on the facts, it is necessary first to describe the customs followed by the Hindus of these lands, which to them have the force of law. Until this is done it is impossible to conceive how their infraction has contributed to the recent persecutions. The first of these customs is that the idolaters are divided into castes as the Hebrews were into tribes, and this division is observed in the towns by residence in separate streets and wards. ### [281.14.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14.7) Above all others the priests, called Brahmans, insist wherever they are on a very strict observance of this custom; they allow none of the other castes to build houses in their midst or in their streets; above all, they will not tolerate those who eat flesh or fish. They fear either that the odour emitted by these articles when cooking might subject them to temptation, they never eating such things; or, possibly, there are other reasons, which I consider would take too long to set forth, and therefore pass over in silence as outside my subject. Thus it is obvious that to enter upon anything opposed to the above-named custom is likely to upset everything, and to expose oneself at some time or other to a rising not only of the caste affected, but also of others who claim to be upholding their own usages by helping to maintain those of others. Or else there may be a total desertion of their homes by these people, who go where they find themselves better treated, and are allowed to live peacefully in accordance with their customs, without any constraint by force or otherwise. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.14) · Pramāṇa