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

244 AIISTORV OF THE PARSTS. [CHAP. VI.

The spirit of foreign adventure was almost wholly absent. The oppression and rapacity of the conquering races who swayed the country in turn had diminished that spirit, if at any time it existed. Again, the barriers of caste and custom, which even a century and more of British rule has not availed to demolish, acted as a formidable obstruction. The Parsis, however, had always been free from caste prejudices, and on the advent of Europeans soon betook themselves to occupations they had never attempted before. In the factories of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, and the English, the chief native agents were Parsis, acting as middle-men between the Europeans and natives. In this capacity a field for commercial enterprise was opened to them of which they were not slow to take advantage. Niebuhr has made mention of them. Anquetil du Perron has remarked on their enterprise from personal experience acquired during a stay of some years in the city of Surat. After the decadence of Surat as a commercial centre the Parsis came to Bombay and there found increased opportunity for the employment of their energy, as the biographical sketches of the most prominent of them show. lLavyji and some of his descendants continued their connection with the Government dockyard, but members of the other branches of his family established themselves as merchants. A large number of Parsis

also began business as merchants, traders, shopkeepers,