54 WEALTHY MERCHANTS. 



less, commenced life as a dealer in empty bot- 

 tles, and by industry, intelligence, and enter- 

 prise, accumulated that colossal fortune ; and 

 there are, it is said, several other merchants at 

 the western Presidency, both Parsee, Hindoo, 

 and Mahomedan, not much inferior in wealth 

 to the deceased Baronet. Amongst my ac- 

 quaintances I may also mention Juganathjee 

 Sunkersett, at whose gardens, which are the 

 finest in Bombay, I attended a very brilliant 

 entertainment ; but the gentleman with whom 

 I became most intimate was Mirza Ali Ma- 

 homed Khan, whom I greatly liked. The 

 Mirza is by birth a Persian, and fills the office 

 of Turkish Consul at Bombay. In habits, and 

 manners, and tastes, he is almost a Euroj^ean ; 

 indeed, he has resided some time both in Eng- 

 land and France. At the Mirza's house I be- 

 came acquainted with Sir Cursetjee Jamsetjee 

 Jeejeebhoy, Bart., and found in him a gentleman 

 of the most enlightened views, in all relating 

 to India. There, also, I met the Arab com- 

 mander of a frigate then in course of construc- 

 tion for the Sultaun of Zanzibar. This gentle- 

 man, on my remarking how perfectly he spoke 

 English, informed me that he had been taken 



