53 
1904.] H. Beveridge —Observations on General Maclagan’s paper. 
My friend Mr. Whiteway has kindly referred me to Diego-da-Couto’s 
account in his 9th Decade, Chap. XIII, p. 63, ed. seq. of the edition of 
Lisbon, 1786. It appears from it that the embassy referred to by Abul 
Fazl was that which is known as Antonio Cabral’s, 1 and which is referred 
to by General Maclagan in a note at p. 48. 
Couto does not say distinctly where the embassy was received by 
Akbar. Probably this took place at Surat, though there may also have 
been negociations at Daman. The fact is that Akbar was as anxious to 
conciliate the Portuguese as the Portuguese were to please him. For 
his stepmother Haji Begam and also other ladies wished to visit Mecca, 
and could not do so without the favour of the Portuguese. It is there¬ 
fore quite possible that, as Couto states, Akbar had previously sent an 
embassy to the Viceroy. Couto gives a translation of a firman granted 
by Akbar on 18th March 1573, that is ten days after Akbar had left 
Surat. Possibly this was granted at Broach, where Akbar halted on 
his way from Surat to Ahmadabad. Couto also tells us that Akbar was 
waited upon by the Portuguese merchants at Cambay and that he 
assumed the Portuguese dress there. 
In the annals of the 23rd year Abul Fazl records III. 243, the 
arrival from Bengal of a Portuguese named Partab Bar and his wife 
Nashurna 2 or Nasunta. He describes Partab Bar as an officer of the 
merchants of the ports of Bengal. Afterwards, p. 320, he refers to him 
as giving protection to one of the Bengal rebels, and Blochmanu, Ain 
translation 440, calls him the Portuguese governor of Hooghly. If this 
is so, the Portuguese records should give his name, for presumably they 
contain a list of the governors. As remarked in Elliot, VI. 59, where 
the passage from the Akbarnama is translated, the names of Partab and 
his wife are very doubtful. 
There are several variations in the MSS., and among them is the 
reading Tab Barsu, which the author of the Darbar-i-Akbaii seems to 
have found in his MS. (see his work, p. 67.) He also does not appear 
to have found any mention of Partab’s wife, and indeed the fact that 
tbe lady did come is not free from doubt, for there are, I believe, other 
MSS. which omit her name. However, I think that there can be no 
reasonable doubt that Partab Bar or Tar is either a corruption or the 
1 Du Jarric also speaks of an embassy of Cabral’s in March 1578, and in this 
he is supported by the authorities, e.g., Peruschi, who ascribes Akbar’s original liking 
for the Christians to Antonio Cabral’s communications. He, however, also makes 
mention of Tavares. He gives the name of the priests of Satgaon as Julian 
Pereira. 
2 Variously called Nashurna, Nasunta, and Basurba. Possibly, as a lady has sug¬ 
gested to me, the name is Assunta, and the N belongs to the title Donna. Or it may 
be that the alif of ba, “with” is the first letter of her name. 
