MIRZA ZU-L-QARNAIN, A CHRISTIAN GRANDEE. 143 



" It has occurred to me that it would not be too fanciful to suppose that this 

 discussion about Zu-1-Qarnain might have arisen from the coincidence of Mirza Zu-1- 

 Oarnain's arrival in Agra. He might even have been present at the discussion ! 



' ' Another curious thing about the entry of Zu-1-Qarnain's presentation in the 

 Badshahnama is the fact that it is immediately followed by a statement of Shah 

 Jahan's resolve to give a preference to Muhammadans in making appointments. This 

 would give colour to Father de Castro's statement that the Mirza was removed from 

 office." l 



Mr. H. Beveridge expresses his surprise that, if Mirza Zu-1-Qarnain was Governor 

 of Bharaich, Fr. de Castro should say he was in Bengal, and Sir Richard Carnac 

 Temple (The Travels of Peter Mundy, II. 380 n. 1) remarks that, if he was at Bharaich, 

 the distance from Hugh would be twice as great as stated. I have found lately in a 

 letter by Fr. d'Azevedo, Agra (undated letter, but belonging to the first months of 

 1632), that Don Goncalo, as the Mirza was called, was at " Gorepur " in 1631, which 

 we should identify with Gorakhpur in the United Provinces. This brings the Mirza 

 nearer to Bengal and Hugli, but produces, perhaps, a discrepancy between d'Azevedo 

 and the Muhammadan authors. In the Ain, Bharaich appears as a Sarkar of 11 

 mahals, while Gorakhpur contained 24 parganahs. 



On February 6th, 1633, Fr. J. de Castro wrote from Agra that the bell of their 

 church had been removed on the day of the Epiphany (January 6th, 1633) ; four 

 piyadas had been posted in the house to keep watch day and night, and the Fathers 

 had been forbidden to make any converts. The Mirza had shown himself firm in 

 certain demands of the King touching the faith. As for Hugli, the news had reached 

 them that the town had been sacked. 



Fr. Francis Corsi wrote to the General (Agra, October 5th, 1633) that they had 

 been a whole year subject to persecution. In September 1632, the Mirza's step- 

 mother and his two half-brothers had been seized, their property taken, and the two 

 half-brothers had of their own accord become Muhammadans, hoping thus to save 

 themselves. Then the Mirza was recalled from "Bengal," and Shah Jahan wished 

 to make a Muhammadan of him too, or else seize his treasures. He began, however, 

 by molesting the Fathers. On the day of the Epiphany 1633, their house was 

 invaded by armed soldiery, and the three bells — one of them a present from Jahangir — 

 were removed from the steeple. Even one of their great friends, a former pupil of theirs, 

 turned against the Fathers. Fr. Corsi, going to his house on February 18th, was 

 severely ill-treated . On February 23rd, the Fathers were suddenly ordered to leave their 

 house and kept four days in prison. On being allowed to go home, they found every- 

 thing in such disorder that it took them eight days to fit it up again. On March 6th, 

 a Sunday, they said Mass again; but the judge came that day, sat down, called the 



1 Letter of July 21, 1913. Two days later, Mr. H. Beveridge wrote : "I see from the Badshahnama, Vol. I, Pt. I, 

 p. 195, that one Salih, a brother's son of Jaafar Beg Asaf Khan, was made faujdar of Bahraich in the year of the accession 

 1037 (a.D. 1628). Mirza Zu-1-Qarnain was perhaps his successor. I have a doubt in my mind, however, if the place men- 

 tioned in p. 195 be Bahraich. It is spelt Bahraij, and possibly Broach in Gujarat is meant. Before that, Salih was 

 faujdar of Pilad, which is in Gujarat. 



2 Cf. Ain, II. 93 (Jarrett's transl.). 



