Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 150

136
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1930
RUSTAMJI MANAK: A NOTABLE PARSI BROKER. BY HARIHAR DAS, B.Litt. (Oxon.), F.R.S.L., F.R.Hist.S.
(Continued from page 108.) It was not possible to obtain at Surat a more reliable and experienced interpreter than Rustamji to accompany the ambassador on his mission to Aurangzeb, and Sir Nicholas Waite and his Council were therefore quite justified in the choice they made. Sir William's prejudice against Rustamjî may perhaps have been due to the influence of his secretary, Mr. Mills. Sir Nicholas strongly advised the ambassador to avoid giving oocasion for misunderstanding to arise between Mr. Mills and Rustamjs, and also urged him to take the latter into his confidence because he was "well-vers'd in ye misterious intreigues of the Durbars may probably place money that will have it's operation sooner than greater sums all delays and formalitys being dangerous at this junoture when our rivals are for divideing your Excy etc from your (sic) and the most apt of your retinue, and 80 aged an Emperor and all the European Compas in combination for oposing any Phirmaund [farman] ..... if Rustum's found unfaithful to your interest please to return him imediately that regards your honor equally with his owne.''Sir Nicholas Waite and his council had such great confidence in Rustamji that they repeatedly impressed upon the ambassador their firm belief that the broker was “unspotted in your interest (however his other natural man may be inclined) for managing matters with those great men and their durbars in wch he is esteemed here a proficient master of those misteries. There was, therefore, no doubt in the minds of the Surat authorities concerning Rustamji's fitness for they wrote again to the Court of Directors on the 27th October 1701, complaining that the ambassador, not having sufficient confidence in Rustamji, had entrusted the management of affairs to Mr. Mills.
Throughout the difficult negotiations conducted by Sir William Norris with the Mughal officials Rustamji's help proved invaluable. He thoroughly understood the intricacies of such transactions at Court as would involve the distribution of presents, or in other words diplomatic bribery necessary to enable him to effeot the object of the mission. He was constantly in attendance upon the ambassador and was in fact the sole intermediary between him and the Court officials. He was thus entrusted with considerable responsibility and it is necessary to judge how far he honestly served his master and the Company during the negotiations.
In Sir William's journal glimpses can be obtained of Rustamji's own transactions, but these were of an unimportant nature. The latter, in the diary written in the form of letters from the Mughal's lashkar at Burhanpur, describes the causes which led to Sir William Norris' sudden departure from the Court and its sequel. The letters are written in " Gentu " script and were afterwards translated into Portuguese. It is doubtful whether the translator has retained the dignity and colour of Rustamji's original letters, for the Portuguese version (now preserved at the India Office) does not appear to have been carefully executed. The first letter, dated 12th November 1701, is addressed to his son Framji at Surat, with the request that he would communicate its contents to Sir Nicholas Waite and his Council. It contains details which explain the enormous difficulties experienced in the endeavour to secure the necessary farmins and the reasons for Sir William's detention on the way to Surat by the Mughal's general Ghazîu'd-dîn Khân Bahadur Firuz Jang. Rustamji's account is of great value as giving an exact description of what happened when Sir William Norris left the Camp without the Emperor's permission. Renatamji was always with the ambassador, and is there. fore able to give first-hand information of all that occurred. In his letter he describes the -negotiations between Nawab Asad Phân and the ambassador regarding the segurity of the
6 See 7569, 0. C., 57-1, India Office. 7 Ibid.