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

52 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP, II.

bay. He was also placed at the head of the fishermen caste from which he had formed his little army, and invested with the power of adjudicating civil and religious disputes among them—an authority which up to this day is enjoyed by his descendants, though not in the same degree as before. On the death of Rastamji Dorabji Patel,’ which took place on 12th April 1763 at the venerable age of ninety-six, he was succeeded in his various offices by his son, Kavasji

1 Rastamji’s wife, Firoza, was an Irani lady, and her marriage with Rastamji was brought about under such romantic circumstances that we are tempted to give an account of them here :—Her father and mother resided in Persia, and, being unable to withstand the persecution of the Mahomedans around them, were forced to embrace the Islami religion. They had two lovely daughters, whom, however, they wished to keep as Zoroastrians. They therefore brought them up secretly in their original faith, and were in search of an opportunity to send them to Bombay, where they could be married to persons professing their cherished religion. At this moment, as luck would have it, Firoza’s parents came across a German traveller who bore the reputation of being a good man, and they implored him to take charge of their two daughters, and to hand them over to the care of some respectable Zoroastrian in Bombay. The good and gallant German was willing and ready to oblige. Both the girls were exceedingly modest and prepossessing in appearance. One of them captivated the heart of the German, who made no secret of it to her parents, and proposed to marry her if they permitted him, and to take her sister to Bombay. Firoza’s parents agreed to this proposal, for they would rather wed their daughter to a Christian than bestow her upon one of the persecutors of their race. The girl, too, was willing to bestow her hand and heart on her and her sister’s saviour, and they all came to Bombay. The German then took his affianced to Europe, where they were married, and are said to have lived happily for many years. The other daughter, Firoza, was entrusted by the German traveller to a respectable Parsi shopkeeper, Bhikhaji Beramji Panday, to be given in marriage to some respectable Parsi. In those days there was