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

260 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP. VI.

timber, fuel, food grains, castor-oil, ““mowra” flowers, dry fish, and molasses. The Parsis of Balsar have farmed many villages in the neighbouring native ‘States of Dharampor and Bansda, while those residing at Bhavnagar are mostly cotton merchants.

Surat, as we have said before, ceased long. ago to be an important trade centre, but some of the old resident Parsi families who did not migrate to Bombay were large landholders, and enjoyed their rich holdings till they were unfortunately tempted to follow the dangerous example of Bombay speculators. After the crash of 1864-65 their property passed into other hands. At Navsari the families of the “desais” are, however, still enjoying those possessions which were granted to their ancestors long ago by the Gaikwar’s government in reward for the valuable services they had rendered.

The Parsis who have settled in other parts of India outside the Bombay Presidency are all more or less engaged in commercial and industrial pursuits. There are several Parsi firms in Calcutta where the spinning and weaving industry has also been fostered under their influence. They have established themselves as merchants, traders, and shopkeepers in the chief towns of all the districts of the Bombay Presidency, and in Southern and Central India, the Panjab, in Sind, Katch, Kathiawar, Ceylon, and Aden.* Beyond

1 Kavasji Dinsha of Aden is a well-known name. He is the head