CHAP. IX. Unhealthiness of Visit to Surat. Christians insulted by beggars. nance, whilst sixty field-pieces were in readiness. A few months before his arrival the Dutch had attacked Bombay, but were forced to retire to their boats without any booty whatever. Bombay, however, was so unhealthy that Dr. Fryer describes it as a charnel-house. The site was unwholesome and the air was bad. These evils were aggravated by the intemperance of the English settlers. English wives were sent out, but their children. turned out poor and weakly. From Bombay Dr. Fryer proceeded northwards to Surat. Here he remained several months, and saw much of the ways and condition of the people. Surat had been much changed since Della Valle's visit. The town swarmed with Fakírs, and there were evidences on all sides of the intolerant rule of Aurangzeb, as contrasted with the lax toleration which prevailed in the reign of Jehangir. No Christian could appear in the streets of Surat in Muhammadan good clothes, or mounted on a proper horse, without being assailed by Muhammadan beggars,-bold, lusty, and often drunken. These pious rascals inquired loudly of the Almighty why he suffered them to go on foot in rags and allowed Christian Kafirs to go on horseback in rich attire. Sometimes they would run a "muck;" that is, rush out sword in hand and kill all they met, until they were killed themselves. They were especially ready to commit such violent actions if they had been sauctified by a pilgrimage to Mecca. However, Christians had small ground of complaint, for rich Muhammadans were often persecuted in like manner by these noisy knaves. Muhammadan merchants; their houses and courtesies. The Muhammadan merchants at Surat lived in lofty houses, flat at the top, and terraced with plaster. Glass was dear, and could only be obtained from the CHAP. IX. Venetians via Constantinople. The windows were mostly folding-doors, screened with lattices or isinglass, or more commonly oyster-shells. The Moghuls wore rich attire, with a poniard at their girdle. They were neat in apparel and grave in carriage. They were courteous to strangers, receiving them at the doorway, and ushering them into a court or choultry, spread with carpets, and open to some tank of purling water. There they took off their shoes, made the usual salam, and took their seats, having long velvet cushions to bolster their back and sides. affected poverty. The Banians, or Hindu brokers, lived in a diffe- Hindu Banians: rent fashion. They affected no stately houses, but dwelt in sheds. Even the richest crowded together, three or four families in a hovel, with goats, cows, and calves, until they were almost poisoned with vermin and nastiness. But they had reason for what they did. Any Banian suspected of being rich was certain to be deprived of his wealth by the Nawab of Surat, unless he had secured the protection of some powerful grandee. Fakirs. The Muhammadan Fakírs were the pest of the Muhammadan country. Aurangzeb, the reigning Moghul, had lived for some years as a Fakír before he came to the throne, and he was said to favour the order. The Fakirs were supposed to be holy men, who were abstracted from the world and resigned to God; on this pretence they committed various extravagances and performed strange penances. One Fakir vowed that he would hang by his heels until he had collected money enough to build a mosque. Another travelled about the country on an ox, with a horn blowing before him, and a man fanning him with a peacock's CHAP. IX. Vagabond lives of the Fakirs. Grandeur of the Fakirs. tail. As he went he rattled a great chain fastened to his foot to proclaim his necessities; and the poorest Hindus gave their alms, otherwise they might be accused before the Kází of having blasphemed Muhammad, from which there was no escape except by paying a large ransom or becoming a Muhammadan. Most of the Fakírs were vagabonds. Some lived in gardens and retired places in the fields, like the seers of old and the children of the prophets. They professed poverty, but took what they pleased wherever they went. During the heat of the day they idled away their time under shady trees; at night they entered the town in troops, and collected alms more like robbers than beggars. Merchants who had been successful in their ventures would often bestow their bounty on the Fakírs. Sometimes the holy men demanded alms of bazar dealers and shopkeepers, or rushed out in the streets and bawled for a hundred rupees, and refused to be satisfied with less money. The Nawab of Surat was a great man. Every defied by the morning he went in state to his judgment-seat attended by three hundred footmen carrying firearms, three elephants, forty horses, and four and twenty banners. He was always accompanied by the Kázi to assist in law points, and he too had a large train. Moreover, the approach of the Nawab was always heralded with loud trumpets and thundering kettledrums. Yet with all this pomp and authority the Nawab was unable to curb the Fakírs. Sometimes the Fakirs formed themselves into an army, delivered offenders from the hands of justice, and could hardly be restrained from breaking out into open rebellion. Oppressions of the Nawab and his soldiery. The poorer inhabitants of Surat were entirely at the mercy of the Nawab and his soldiers. Any crafts man might be pressed into his service, and compelled CHAP. IX. either to work without wages or to get off by pay ment of a fine. the Mahrattas. At the time of Fryer's visit the remains of Sivaji's General fear of fury were still to be seen at Surat. The inhabitants were in hourly fear of the Mahrattas, and were collecting a hundred thousand rupees with the hope of quieting Sivaji until their walls were finished. They had seven hundred men to guard the walls of the town, besides European gunners at every one of the six gates. There were also thirty-six bastions, each mounted with half-a-dozen guns. The top of every bastion was guarded with spiked timber to annoy any one who attempted to scale it. Every gate was also barbed with iron spikes to break the rushing in of elephants. Nawab of Surat. ping. The Nawab of Surat had a force of fifteen hundred Army of the men in pay, armed with matchlocks, swords, and javelins. He also had two hundred horsemen, with quivers full of arrows at the bows of their saddles, lances at their right stirrup, swords of an unwieldy bulk, and bucklers hanging over their shoulders. The Moghul shipping lay pretty close together in Moghul shipthe Surat river. Some of the vessels were more than a thousand tons burden. Altogether there were more than a hundred good ships, besides smaller vessels. All these vessels were built for the Moghuls by English shipwrights, who were driven by poverty to undertake the work. One of them received a just reward. He tried to smuggle some goods through the custom-house, but was detected by the Moghul officers and flogged most unmercifully. But although the Moghuls procured ships, they Timility of the dared not venture out to sea without European passes Moghuls at sea. CHAP. IX. Moghul Viceroy of Guzerat; troubled by Kolis, Mahrattas, and Rajputs. Bigotry of 60 and pilots. Some of their ships carried thirty or forty pieces of cannon, but it was more for show than service. Besides merchantmen, there were three or four men of war as big as English third rates. There were also frigates fit to row or sail, made with prows instead of beaks, but they were more useful in creeks and rivers than on the open sea. Aurangzeb had also four great ships in constant pay to carry pilgrims to Mecca passage free. 61 The port of Surat was included in the province of Guzerat. Muhammad Amin Khan was Viceroy of the province. He was the son of Amír Jumla, who established Aurangzeb on the throne. His metropolis was not at Surat, but at Ahmadabad. He had vast forces, wealth, and territories, but he could not prevent the Kolis from pilfering, nor Sivají from plundering, nor the Rajpút outlaws from harassing the country. He could have beaten them all in a pitched battle, but they thwarted him by surprise and thievery; not a kafila or convoy was safe without a guard of soldiers. But for these dangers Surat might have been the greatest emporium in the world. The religious bigotry of Aurangzeb was abundantly manifested at Surat. He interfered in the Muharram, when the Shíahs mourned over the slaughter of Ali, and his two sons Hasan and Husain. He did not suppress the ceremonial, but he sought to reduce it to a form of pious respect, so that unbelievers should not think that Muhammadans were inclined to hea 60 Dr. Fryer says that the Moghuls found it necessary to carry European passes. Portuguese, Dutch, and English all sold passes, under which the Moghul ships were secured from the attacks of all ships belonging to the respective nations. Unfortunately these passes would not secure the Moghul ships from the attacks of pirates. 61 The Kolis, or Coolies, have already been described by Thevenot. |