408 Jourual of the Asiatic Society of Bengal [June, 1907. 



Chatgaon, and formed an excellent base- Hence, the Nawwab de- 

 cided to wrest it from its zemindar Dilaw war before sending the ex- 

 pedition to Chatgaon. On the 12th November, 1665, Sondip was 

 conquered and a Mughal thanah established there. A description of 

 Sondip and the history of its conquest would form another article.] 



The FepvIngis Desert to the Mughal side. 



[150, 6. J Ever since his coming to Bengal tlie Nawwab 

 had been planning how to put down the root of disturbance, 

 the Feringi pirates, either by -winning them over or by slaying 

 them. [151, a.] As already narrated, Shaikh Ziauddin Yusuf told 

 the Feringis of Ladhikol what the Nawwab had said, and they 

 wrote to their piratical brethren of Chatgaon reassuring them 

 and asking them to visit the Nawwab. When the Nawwab 

 was making his progress [from Rajmahal] to Dacca, [151, 6] 

 the [Portuguese?] Captain of the port of Hughli interviewed 

 him on the way. The Nawwab, after gracing him with 

 favours, asked him to write to the Feringi pirates of Chatgaon 

 tempting them to come over to the ^N^aww^ab^s service. When 

 he reached Dacca, the Captain of Tamluk also was ordered 



to write letters of invitation to them. When these successive 

 letters arrived at Chatgaon, and the news of the conquest of 

 Sondip and the establishment of a Mughal thanah there spread 

 abroad, spies reported these matters to the king of Arracatn 

 The news threw him into terror, and he wrote to his uncle's son, 

 the Governor of Chatgaon, to look carefully to the defence of the 

 country and fort, conciliate the Feringi pirates, and send to Arracan 

 their families and children, and informed him that a large fleet 

 equipped for battle was being shortly sent to Chatgaon for rein- 

 forcement. As he had from the above causes come to entertain 

 suspicion [of the fidelity] of the Feringis [152, a] he really 

 wished to lure their families to Arracan and massacre the 

 Feringis themselves at Chatgaon at an opportune time. The 

 hearts of the Feringis were distracted and shaken by the arrival 

 of the tempting letters and the news of the Mughal establish- 

 ment at Sondip. On learning of the wishes of the Magh chief, 

 they fled with their families in 42 j albas to Farhad Khan at 

 Noakhali for protection.^ [They were taken into Imperial service 

 and liberally rewarded by the Ifawwab.] 



Invasion immediately decided on. 



[156, b.] Captain Moor, the Feringi leader, reported to the 

 Nawwab, '* Owing to their pride and folly, the king and counsellors 



^ Tbe ' Alam fir n amah, p. 947, says : "The Feringis learning of [the 

 intended Arracanese treachery,] resisted and fonght the Arracanese, burnt 

 son^e of the ships of the letter, and started for service in Bengal with all 

 their goods and ships. On the 19th December, 1665, fifty jalbas of the 

 Fermgis, fall of gnns, muskets, and mnnitions, and all the Perinffi families, 

 reached Noakhali. " ^ ' 



