English
J 406 the Jews, so that, no trace of them remained there. After this, with the support of all the Musnlmans of Malabar, ho advanced to Kalikot, besieged the fort of the Portuguese, and fighting bravely defeated the latter, and stormed their fort. Iu conse- quenco, the power and prestige of the Malabarese Musalmans grew, and without any pass from the Portuguese they despatched on their own behalf vessels loaded with pepper and ginger to the ports of Arabia. In the year 938 A.H., the Portuguese erect- od a fort at Jaliat, which is six karoh from Kalikot; and the pas¬ sage of ships from Malabar was thereby rendered difficult. Similarly, the Christians 1 in those years, during the reign of Burhan Nizam Shah, erecting a fort at Raikundah close to the port of Jabfd, settled down there. In the year 943 A.H., erecting a fort also at Kadatklor, the Christians acquired much power. At this time, Sultan Sulaiman, son of Sultan Salim of Turkey,* planned 1 The word means both ‘ a Christian,’ as well ns a ‘ fire-worshipper.’ In the latter sense, it would imply the ‘ Parsees.* a In 1538, Solyman the Magnificent, Emperor of Tarkey, captured Aden (Hunter’s History, Vol. II, p. 147). Constantinople, the capital of the old Enstern Roman Empire, is still known amongst Mnsalmins in India as ‘ Hum. “ To the ‘ martyr’s blood * of the Portuguese, the Moslems opposed their Holy Fleet. First the Arabs of the Indian ports supplied the fighters for the faith. Then the Mameluke Sultnu of Cairo sent armaments. Finally enter¬ ed or. the scene the mighty power of the Turkish Empire, wbioh deemed its subjugation of Egypt incomplete as long as the Portuguese threatened the Bed Sea. The Arabs of the Indian ports quickly succumbed to the cavaliers of the Cross. The Mameluke Sultan of Egypt, hard-pushed by the Ottommas from the north, could make no headway againet the Portuguese in the east. Bat the Turks or'Rutnis’ turned back the tide of Christian conquest in Asia. 4 The cry, the Rumis are coming ’ which afflicted Albuquerque, for ever resounded in the ears of his successors. When the Portuguese closed the Malabar shore route to the Moslem world, the Arab ships struok boldly across the Indian Ocean for Aden to south of Ceylon, passing through the Maidive Island or far out at sea. When the Portuguese secured the strong position of Diu at the north entrance to Indian waters, the Turks constantly harassed that station and tried to outflank it by menacing the Portuguese factories westward on the Persian Golf. When the Portuguese sought the enemy in the Red Sea, they were often repulsed, and their momentary successes at Aden ended in lasting fnliore. In vain the Lisbon Court tried to make a few years* arrangement with the Turks, offering in 1541 to supply popper in exchange for wheat, and passes for Moslem ships in Indian waters m return for free entrance to Aden and the Arabian ports of the Red bea. J ho nnholy project came to nought. Four years later, in 1545. the Turks boldly attacked 407 to turn oat the Portuguese from the ports of Indin, and to take possession thereof himself. Accordingly, in the year 944 A.H., he Sent hia Vazir, Sulaiman Pagha, with a fleet of one hundred war¬ ships to the port of Aden, in order to take it first, as it formed the key to the maritime position of India, and then to proceed to the ports of India. Snlaiman Pasfca in that year wresting the port of Aden from Shaikh Daud, and slaying the latter, sailed out for the ' port of Deo, and commenced warfare. He had nearly stormed it, when his provisions and treasures ran short. Therefore, without accomplishing his mission, he sailed back to Turkey. And in the year 963 A.H., the Portuguese became dominant over the ports of Harmuz 1 and Muscat, over Sumatra, Malacca,* Milafor, Nak, Fatan, Nas]ikur, Ceylon, and over Bengal to the confines of China, and laid the foundations of forts at many places. But Sultan Ali Afchi stormed the fort of Sumatra; and the ruler of Ceylon also defeating the Portuguese, put a stop to their molesta¬ tion over his country. And the Samri, ruler of Kalikot, being hard-pressed, sent envoys to All Adil Shah, and persuaded the latter to fight with the Portuguese, and to expel them from his kingdom. And in the year 979 A.H.,' the Samri besieged and stormed the fort of Jaliat, whilst Nazim Shah and Adil Shah pushed on to Raikandah and Goah. 3 The Samri, by the prowess of his men of bravery and heroism, captured the fort of Jaliat but Nazim Shah and Adil Shah, owing to the venality of their disloyal officers who suffered themselves to be taken in by the bribes offered them by the Portuguese, had to retire without achieving their objects. From that time forward, the Portuguese the Portuguese Diu j in 1547, their janissaries appeared before Portuguese Malacca; in 1551, and again in 1681, their galleys sacked Portuguese Muscat My present objeot is merely to bring into view the straggle between Islam and Christendom for the Indian Ocean in the centnry preceding the appear¬ ance of the English on the scene. I dare not expand these preliminary chapters by the deeds of heroism and chivalrous devotion on both sides. ’• See Dr. Hunter's History of British India, Yol. I, pp. 130-132. I I.e.,t)rmuz. * Malacca was taken by the Portuguese under Albuquerque in 1511. See Dr. Hunter's History, Vol. I, p. 127. 3 On the Portuguese seizing Goa in 15i0, the Portuguese naval supremacy along the South-Western Indian epast was thoroughly established, and no Musalman Bhip could safely trade in Malabar waters without a pass from the Christians. See Dr. Hunter’a'History of British India, Vol. I, p. 126. • 52 Christians, adopting a settled policy 1 of molesting and oppress¬ ing the Mnsalmans, perpetrated much highhandedness. "Whilst some ships of Emperor Jalalu-d-din Muhammad Akbar, which without a pass from the Portuguese had prooedded to Makkah, were returning from the port of Jiddah, they looted them, and inflicted various molestations and humiliations on the Musal- mans, and set fire to the ports of Adilabad and Farabln which belonged to Adil Shah, and ravaged them completely. And com¬ ing under the guise of traders to the port of Dabil, the Portu¬ guese schemed by means of fraud and treachery to get hold of it also. But the Governor of that place, Khwajah Aliu-l-Mulk, a merchant of Shiraz, becoming apprised of their intention, killed one hundred and fifty principal Portuguese, and quenched the fire of their disturbance. -o- SECTION II.—DESCRIPTIVE OP THE DOMINATION OF THE ENGLISH CHRISTIANS OVER THE DOMINIONS OF BENGAL, AND THE DAKHIN, &c. Be it known to the minds of enlightened researchers, that from the date that the ships of Jalalu-d-din Muhammad Akbar Pad¬ shah* were captured at the hands of the Portuguese Christians, the sending of ships to the ports of Arabia and Ajam was totally suspended, inasmuch as the Emperor viewed the acceptance of passes from the Portuguese to be derogatory, whilst to send the ships without such passes was attended with danger to the lives of passengers, and with peril to their property. But the Emperor’s Umara, like Nawab Abdu-r-Rahim Khan Kban-i- l “ From the time of Albuquerque the inexorable issue between Catholio.sm and Islam in Asia stands forth. Each side firmly believed itself figh. ing the battles of its God. ‘ I trnst in the passion of Jesus Christ in who I place all confidence,' Albuquerque declared in 1507 before entering on governorship, ‘ to break the spirit of the Moors (Mnsalmans). Wo desire nought else but to be close to God ' ran the Moslem summons in 1539 It denounced the aggressions of the Christians of Portugal tv _ • „ f i, q f ho held back, his sonl would descend into hell. (ania 11: c**-,*., 7*. Vl 9 Aktor the Great, Brapcror ...India, born 1542, reigned 1556.1606, .nd was the contemporary of Queen Elizabeth. 409 Khan an* &c. t taking passes from the Portngnese Chris! ians, sent oat ships to the ports. And for some time the state of things continued in this wise. When Emperor Nuru-d-dm Mu. bamtnad Jahangir ascended the throne of Dphli, he permitted the English Christians, who, in their articles of faith, totally differ from the Christian Portuguese and the Christian French, <&c., and who thirst, for the latter’s blood, and are in hostility with the latter, to settle down in the tract of Surat, 8 which pertained to the Province of Gujrat. 8 This was the first place amongst the Indiau sea-ports, where the English Christians settled down. Before this, the English Christians used to bring their trading ships to 1 Abdor Rahim, Kh an-i-Khnnan. was a son of Bairam Khan, and was born at Lahore, 964 A.II. In 984, he was appointed to Gujrit. He conquered for Akbar Gujrat, and defeated Sultan Muzaffar, King of Gujrat, at the battle of Sarkij. His great deeds were the conquests of Gnjrat and Sindb t and the defeat of Snhail Khun of Bijnpor. (See Blochamann’s Translation of Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. I, p. 834). * In 1607 Captain William Hawkins landed at Snrat with a letter from James I. to the Mughal Emperor (Emperor Jahangir reigned 1605-1627), and proceeded to the Conrt at Agra. In 1611 Sir Henry Middleton landed at Swally. In 1012 Captain Best routed the Portngnese squadron near Surat, and obtained congratulations of the Mughal Governor, who allowed the English to settle at Snrat in 1618. Downton's sea fight in 1615 established English supremaoy over the Portuguese. In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe wad sent byJamcBl. to be ‘ambassador to the Great Mogul.' Surat was the chief starting place for Mecca, and the Portuguese squadron had troubled the ooean path of pilgrimage. The Imperial Court, too happy that one infidel floot should destroy another, granted to Sir Thomas Roe an ‘order’ for trade.