TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



station, which was described by Lord Curzon as " the 

 cradle of the Indian Empire." The interest of the place 

 lies in the battered forts, walls and gates of the city, re- 

 mains of old Portuguese buildings, Dutch factories, and the 

 curious medley of tombs in the old cemetery. Surat, 

 originally owned and ruled by Nawabs, was finally ceded 

 to the English Government in return for a heavy pecuniary 

 consideration, or in other words, purchased by " John 

 Company," probably at a bargain ! 



The family originally owning it had been for years 

 divided into minor factions, each claiming seniority. 

 One side of the house was represented, in my time, by an 

 interesting, intelligent old lady of over eighty, known as 

 the Begum. 



In paying ceremonial visits to either side of the house, 

 it was necessary to take great precautions in order to 

 avoid giving offence to the other, and as the palace was 

 common to both families, with the court-yards only 

 separate, the paying of these visits was a somewhat delicate 

 operation. 



This division into two or more factions, is not at all 

 unusual amongst families comprising the Indian nobility. 

 Neither is it rare to find great jealousy existing between 

 them. In the present instance the two families were 

 extremely jealous of each other, and this feeling was no 

 doubt greatly fostered by the underlings and hangers-on 

 of each, for the Nawab, the head of the other faction, 

 unlike the Begum, was a sensible, broad-minded individual 

 who was sending his sons to England for a 'Varsity edu- 

 cation ! 



The headquarters of the pearl trade is in Surat, the 

 valuable rights of the fisheries in the Persian Gulf, once 

 owned by a few merchants of native descent, being now 

 vested in a syndicate run with European capital. The 

 fisheries commence at the Island of Babreya, which lies 

 off the Arab shore near the centre of the Persian Gulf, and 

 continue for a distance of nearly a hundred miles. 



The most productive shoals are between the Island of 

 Atabool and the coast of Katar. Some of the pearls 

 found are of great size and corresponding value. It is 

 estimated that three-quarters of the world's supply of 

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