AKBAR AND THE JESUITS. By Father Pierre Du Jarric, S.J.
Translated by C. H. Payne. (Routledge. 12s. 6d.) —Alcbar and the Jesuits is a translation of the Histoire pub- lished at Bordeaux by Father Pierre Du Jarric in the early seventeenth century, and students, of Indian history owe gratitude to Mr. Payne for making its material accessible. The broadness of Akbar's views afforded frequent oppor- tunities to the Jesuit Fathers to describe intimate phases of the Moghul Court. The avowed intentions, of course, of the Fathers were to see a Christian Moghul rule at Delhi, but the Portuguese both at Goa and at Lisbon did not omit to grasp a political chance through these professors of theology. Support is lent to this theory of the political nature of the Jesuit Missions by the fact that Fathers Xavier and Pinheiro were instrumental in destroying the plans of an English merchant adventurer—Mildenhall, who visited Akbar's Court in 1603— to secure trading facilities in India. This active participation 'of the Fathers in politics was responsible for- the'-deeline of missionary movement. At the time of Shah Jehan it was in a poor way,- and Aurungzeb killed it, until its refloreseence under our rule. There is an admirabler chapter of explanatory notes
at the end of the book. •
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