2-34 ESSAY Oft 



arc various accounts concerning the time of their 

 emigration, the manner in which it was effected, 

 and tlie number of the emigrants. There were pro- 

 bably several emigrations; the memory of which 

 has been preserved only by tradition; and there have 

 been two powerful princes oi' Persia, called Nushir- 

 va'n ; but we are not told which of them is meant 

 in these traditions. As they all agree that these 

 emigrations are posterior to the time of Muhammed, 

 we may infer that they are descendants of Khosru- 

 Perviz, who was also sirnamed Nushirva'n. This 

 Jast was the grandson of the great or first Nushir- 

 va'n ; and, in either case, they are certainly the de- 

 scendants of the latter also : but in my opinion, the 

 first emigrants were the sons of Khosru-Perviz, 

 and the great grandsons of the great Nushirvan. 

 Abul-Fazil is the first Persian author who 

 took notice of these emigrations, on the authority, 

 it seems, of traditions, and perhaps written records, 

 in the family of the princes of Udaya-pur. There 

 are also, in the Peninsula, written accounts, none of 

 which I have yet seen; but I have conversed with 

 several well informed men, and of great respectabi- 

 lity, who had perused them. They were also seen 

 by the late Nawab Ali-Ibrahim-kha'n, first magis- 

 trate of ^67?flre.? ; and who, about twenty-five years 

 ago, wrote a short Persiaii account on that subject, 

 which is now in the possession of his son, who lent 

 it to m.e. This illustrious descent of the Ra'na of 

 Udaya-pur is noticed by Dr. Hunter*, and the ori- 

 gin of the Peshzvds from those princes, and, of 

 course, from Nushirva'n, is amply detailed by Ber- 

 noulli, in his third volume. The descent of the 

 Parsis, in India, from the same source, is related 

 by Mandelslo, and other travellers. 



* Asiatic Researebes, Vol. VI. p. 8. 



