e” 
178 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Szrr. 
Col. G. E. Evezard, Magistrate of Poona, proposed by Mr. W. T. 
Blanford, seconded by Dr. F. Stoliczka. 
Col. A. D. Dickens has tendered his resignation as a member of 
the Society. 
The following letters were read— 
From M. L. Ferrar, Esq., C. 8., Seetapore, Audh, regarding the 
birthplace of Rajah Todar Mall. 
“In Fasc. IV, of your translation of the Ain Akbari, you record 
that Rajah Todar Mall was born at Lahor. Would you kindly 
inform me which of the native Historians gives his biography. I 
ask this, asthe people of Léharpur, a large town of 11000 inhabit- 
ants in the parganah ofthe same name, in this district (Sitapur) 
and included in the Ain Akbari in ‘ Sirkér Khairabad’ all believe 
that he was a native of their town. I am inclined to think that they 
have good grounds for their belief, for in the first place the Rajah 
was not a mythical personage, like Ram Chandr or king Birat, 
whose birthplace is claimed by many places—and secondly, hard 
by Léharptr is Rajdpur, called after the Rajah, and having a year- 
ly mela in his honour. At the present time, there is a large com- 
munity of K’hatris (the Rajah’s caste) at Laharpur. I think the 
point is worth clearing up.” 
Mr. Blochmann said — 
On the receipt of Mr. Ferrar’s letter, I looked up several MS. 
histories, and found that the Madsir ul Umaré and the Zafrih ul 
’Imarat call the Rajah a Lahaurt. The Madsir must have derived 
his information from the Akbarnémah, though I have not yet 
found a passage in that work, where the Rajah’s birthplace is 
given. I then asked Mr. Ferrar, to obtain more particulars re- 
garding Todar Mall’s father, who is not mentioned in the 
histories, as I thought that the Laharptri Rajah might be the 
Todar Mall Shahjahdni, a distinguished Hindi courtier of Shah- 
jahin’s time. But the Laharpuris evidently mean Akbar’s re- 
nowned minister of finances. Mr. Ferrar replied— 
‘TJ will make more enquiries from the Laharptr people about 
Todar Mall, and shall let you know the result of them. Mean- 
while, and since my last, I have been informed by a respectable 
‘ 
