History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

136 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP. 11.

Rs.25,000 each, and the interest of the whole amount is applied to charitable purposes by trustees specially appointed.

We have spoken of the shrewd commercial sagacity of Messrs. Dinsha and Nasarvanji. During the period known as “the share mania” they were among the few who kept their heads clear, and, though it was impossible to protect themselves from losses, they happily were among those who preserved a good portion of their fortune. Their chief losses were due to irrecoverable advances to friends. It is said of Mr. Dinsha that he sacrificed no less a sum than thirty lakhs of rupees by the failure of his friends. He never went to law to recover any money thus lost. The same has been said of the younger brother Mr. Nasarvanji.

To Mr. Dinsha Manakji Petit the cotton spinning and weaving and dyeing industry owes very much of its development and prosperity. He is the chief shareholder in the Manakji Petit, Dinsha Petit, Mazagon, Victoria, Framji Petit, and Gordon Mills. His firm, composed of himself and his sons, acts also as agents to these concerns. Mr. Dinsha is said to be the richest Parsi—we might add the richest native—in Bombay at the present time, and his liberality and generosity keep many useful and charitable institutions alive, not only among the Parsis but among all castes and creeds. His charities are all dictated from