Give Your Smile to Me
The Wonders of Vilayet: Being the Memoir, Originally in Persian, of a Visit to France and Britain in 1765
By Mirza Sheikh I'tisām al-Dīn (Translated by Kaiser Haq)
5 Jan, 2022
Translation
The Mirza Sheikh I’tisām al-Dīn’s The Wonders of Vilayet: Being the Memoir, Originally in Persian, of a Visit to France and Britain in 1765 is a travel memoir, recounting the Mirza’s tour of France and Britain in 1765. The English translation is by Kaiser Haq.
The Bengal-born functionary had been a munshi, a secretary, for the nawabs of Bengal and the British East India Company. In 1765 he set out on a diplomatic mission to Britain on behalf of the Mughal Empire. The Mirza would learn only too late that his mission had been sabotaged by Robert Clive1, making the entire endeavour a wasted effort. But the diplomatic failure nevertheless resulted in a fascinating memoir.