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MAT, 1912.)
MORE ABOUT GABRIEL BOUGHTON
115
and received at Surat on December 22nd, 1646. It commences, however, with a reference to a previons letter of August 9th, and, allowing for the time taken in transit (cia Agra), I conclude that October 4th is its probable date. Had he written on September 4th, Boughton would most likely have said 'ultimo' instead of August' in mentioning his previous communication,
The letter is dated from Balucke', and the contents make it clear that this is Balkh, in Afghan Turkistan. It may seem somewhat surprising to find two Englishmen (Boughton and the companion he mentions ) in such an out of the way place as Balkh, which had surely never before been visited by any of their fellow countrymen ; but there is really no mystery about it. The reader will remember that Boughton had been sent up from Surat to the Court of the Mogal Emperor for the purpose of acting as physician to A sálat Khân, who was the Mfr Bakhshi and an especial favourite of Shah Jahan. Now, at this very time the imperial forces had conquered Balkh and were endeavouring to make themselvee masters of Badakhsbân, though they were being strongly opposed by Abdu'l-Aziz, the son of the fugitive ruler of that country. Asalat Khân had evidently been sent to take part in the operations, and Boughton, as his body physician, would naturally go with him. It is less clear what Barnes, the other Englishman, was doing in those parts. There is no one of that name in the contemporary lists of the East India Company's servants, and indeed the fact that Boughton mentions Barnes's desire to be granted a salary shows that he was not a recognized member of the service. Possibly, he may bave been the (unnamed) trumpeter who, as reported in an Agra letter of November 12th, 1645 (0.C. 1961), had been sent up from that place to the court at Lahore on the 29th of the preceding month.
After this preface we may proceed to examine the letter itself, premising that the words between square brackets are conjectural insertions to carry on the sense where gars occur in the original. It begins as follows:
" Worpli. etc., Since my [last unto ) you, dated August the 9th, by a Dutch [man] whom A[sb]alat
Ckaune licensed to dep[art for] bis count[ry], hath not bappined any thing]e worthy [y]our Worps. perusall; only th[inke i]t requisite [to] acquaint you how that in [my former unto you I did write that Assala[t Okaun je bad granted mee leave for four or fi [ve mojotbs with his brother, Keyling Ckaw[ne], to goe to the Kinge and make an end of [the trouble]some bussines formerly by your W[orps) as in letter specified ; since which hee ba[th changed bis] mind and will not permitt my soe [departing], Lotwithstanding my earnest in treaty; yet] promises means] how it shall be don[ e j if theire p[
sent." The rest of the page is practically illegible. In many cases the beginning and end of the line can be read, but the loss of the central portion renders it impossibja to make out the sense. We gather that Sadallah Khân bas departed for Kabul, after writing to some official (apparently Mirza Amin, the Governor of Surat ) to treat the Englisb better; and that the Emperor has ordered Asalat Khân to remain in Balkh as Governor during the winter, promising to recall him in the spring. The letter proceeds :
"This hee hopes (as doe wee); bat [tb] uncertaino, by [rea]son of the Kings waver
ing mind, which, like a weat[her] cocke, turns with the wind. But his I am certaine, [that] it is one of the unwholsome countryes that e[ver 1) was in in my life, for never since my en[tranc]o into this citty can I boe in perfect health ; [algo]
