Indian Antiquary Vol 60

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

Page 304

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JULY, 1931
credulity. It is most unlikely that Shah 'Alam either uttered the words attributed to him or authorized his emissary to repeat them. If it is true that he desired "only a few rarietys," his orders were not carried out for, with the hasbu'l-hukm received on 16 December 1708, was handed to the Governor of Fort St. George "A List of what proper for a Present" (see Consultation, 16 December 1708). In this document were included, not only "raritys of all countrys," but broadcloth, silk, velvet, china and glassware, Persian carpets, clocks and watches, swords, birds, horses and an elephant.
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31 Chop. Hind. chháp, seal-impression, stamp.
33 Turbits. Turbans.
33 Junckanes. This word commonly occurs as Junkan. It is a corruption of changam, customs. See Yule, Hobson-Jobson, s.v. Junkeon and Junkameer.
3 This seems to be an allusion to the time when Shah Alam opposed his father Aurangzeb. See note **.
35 The official here referred to is probably the waqi'a-navis, a news-writer or intelligencer.
36 Hackerys. Carriages drawn by bullocks. See Hobson-Jobson, 8.v. Hackery.
37 Sir William Norris was accredited to the Mughal by the New or English Company (whose headquarters in Madras was Masulipatam) and was therefore strongly opposed by the Old or London Company of merchants.
38 John Pitt, Consul for the New Company at Masulipatam. "Governor " Pitt was the celebrated Thomas Pitt (of Pitt Diamond fame), head of the Company's factory at Madras 1698-1709.
39 See note 33.
40 Masulipatam is nearly eight miles north of Divi. For seventeenth century descriptions of the town see Bowrey, Countries round the Bay of Bengal, 62-63 and notes, and for the long bridge erected by Mir 'Abdu'llah Bakir, Governor of Masulipatam in 1672, see Diaries of Streynsham Master, II, 146, 152, 159, n. 2.
41 For the visit of Aba'l-Hasan Shah, the last of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty of Golconda, to Masulipatam in 1675, see Bowrey, op. cit., p. 88 n. It was, however, three years later, in December 1678, two years after the death of Robert Fleetwood (who had farmed lands from the King), that the monarch spent the day in Fleetwood's house at Navarâzpuram. He was "much taken with the very fine large strong built house," which was of brick, and expressed his intention of taking up his residence there at his next visit (see Diaries of Streynsham Master, I, 284, n. 1; II, 161, n. 5.
43 The Loyall Subject, commanded by Captain William Goodlad. See Bowrey, ap
cit., pp. 88, 90.
43 The writer has mixed up the two visits of the King. It was in 1675 that he went on board the Loyall Subject at Masulipatam, and it was in December 1678 that he made the hunting expedition to Divi, when Scattergood's father was one of his attendants (see ante, vol. LII, p. 23).
**It was in 1686 that Aurangzeb invaded Abû'l-Hasan's territory, and in 1687 Golconda fell, after a brave defence of seven months.
45 Nawab, Viceroy or Chief Governor. Faujdár, Military Governor. Waqi'a-navis, intelligencer (see ante, note 35).
48 Sir Edward Winter, Governor of Fort St. George 1685-1668. For an account of his rule and the imprisonment by him of his successor, George Foxcroft, see Mrs. Penny, Fort St. George, Madras, pp. 21-28; Foster, English Factories, 1665-1669, passim; Love, Vestiges of Old Madras, I, 208-263. Sir Edward Winter's "strength and courage" are commemorated in the rhyming eulogy below his epitaph in Battersea Church where he is credited with having slain a tiger and dispersed "thrice twenty mounted Moors" single-handed.