M JOURNAL B. A*. 0EYLOF. f EXTRA' NO,". 



send : a Maliratta slave." I liked the young Mahratta girls } so I 

 replied "I desire only the Mahratta," The minister had one 

 brought- to me, by name Gulistdn^ which signifies "the flower of 

 the garden" (or more exactly * the parterre of flower £). She 

 knew the Persian tongue, and pleased me highly. The Maldive 

 inhabitants have a language which X did not understand. 



The next day, the Vizier sent me a young female slave 

 from Cor omandel by name Anbery {ambergris colour). On the 

 following evening he came to my house with some of his servants, 

 and entered attended by two little [boy] slaves. I saluted him, 

 and he asked me how I did. I made vows for his welfare and- 

 thanked him. One of the slaves put before him a lokchah 

 {bokchah),* that is, a kind of napkin, from which he drew some 

 silk stuffs and a box containing pearls and trinkets. The Vizier 

 made me a present of them, adding, " If I had sent these with the 

 young slave, she would have said 'This is my property i,l brought 

 it from the house of my master.' Now that the things belong to 

 you, make her a present of them." I addressed prayers to God 

 for the minister, and rendered to him expressions of my gratitude^, 

 of which he was worthy. 



Of the Vizier's change of disposition towards me ; 

 of the project which i formed to depart ; and 

 of my continued sojourn at the maldives. 

 The Vizier Soule'imdn, the Mdndyec, had proposed to me to 

 espouse his daughter. I sent to ask the permission of the Vizier 

 Djemdl eddin to conclude the marriage. My messenger returned 

 saying, " It does not please him ; he wishes you to marry his 

 daughter when the legal term of her widowhood shall have ex- 

 pired." I refused to consent to this union, fearing the sinister 

 fortune attached to the daughter of the Vizier, since two husbands 

 had already died without having consummated the marriage. 

 In the midst of all this a fever seized me, and I was very ill # 



* Lokchah or bokchah : — If the latter be the correct reading — ? burugd 

 the cloth worn over the face at times by Maldive ladies, — B. 



