Abraham Navarro

NAVARRO, ABRAHAM (d. c. 1692), envoy in China and India. Navarro, a London Sephardi who may have earlier lived in Jamaica, was commissioned in 1682 by the East India Company to accompany the ship Delight to China as interpreter and linguist. In 1683 it reached Amoy, where Navarro began negotiations for opening trade relations. When these failed, Navarro returned to India, and engaged in trade. In 1689 Navarro was sent to the court of the powerful Moghul ruler Aurangzeb to negotiate a peace treaty. After a personal audience with the emperor, a firman for the British trade was obtained.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.