corruption of an English sailor) is now the principal Port of Persia.
It stands in lat. 28°. 59. in long. 50°. 43. E. of Greenwich. It is
situated on the extremity of a peninsula, which is formed by the sea
on one side, and on the other by an inlet terminating in extensive
swamps. At the narrowest part of this neck of land the seas, in the
equinoctial spring tides, have sometimes met and rendered it an island;
but this has happened once only during the ten years which preceded
our visit, and the effect then continued but two or three days; and so
visible is the present encroachment of the land upon the inlet, that
the recurrence of such an overflow will soon be entirely impossible.
Every appearance, indeed, proves, that the whole of the peninsula has
been thus gained from the sea. The extreme flatness of the general
surface, the soil itself, the water, and the relative position of the
whole peninsula to the mountains which rise abruptly from its inland
extremities, suggest the supposition of such an accumulation.
On the southern bank of the inlet is a long range of rocks, which,
though now two or three miles distant, may at one time have been washed
by the sea. In digging for water, the people of the peninsula have sunk
wells to the depth of thirty fathoms; and before they could reach the
spring they have been obliged to perforate three layers of a soft stone
composed of sand and shells. Generally of the whole soil, sand is the
principal ingredient.
The town itself of _Bushire_ occupies the very point of the peninsula,
and forms a triangle, of which the base on the land side is alone
fortified. At unequal distances along the walls, there are twelve
towers, two of which form the town-gate; they are all chequered at the
top by holes, through which the inhabitants may point their musketry,
and those at the gates have a variety of such contrivances. There is
at the the door a large brass Portuguese gun, a sixty-eight pounder,
on a very uncertain carriage; besides two or three in a much ruder
state. It is said that on some invasion when the place was beset, this
gun was fired, but the concussion was so great and unexpected, that
it blew open the gates, shook down fragments of the towers, and gave
the enemy an easy entrance. The materials of the town (a soft sandy
stone, incrustated with shells) are drawn from the ruins of _Reshire_,
in its neighbourhood. Most of the adjacent villages are built of the
same stone, the only species indeed found in the peninsula, and which
was already thus prepared for their use in the remains of _Reshire_.
But such materials are continually decomposing; and the dust which
falls from them adds to the already sandy ground-work of their streets,
and, when set in motion by the wind or by a passing caravan, creates
an impenetrable cloud. The streets are from six to eight feet wide,
and display on each side nothing but inhospitable walls. A great
man’s dwelling (there are nine in _Bushire_) is distinguished by
a wind chimney. This is a square turret on the sides of which are
perpendicular apertures, and in the interior of which are crossed
divisions, which form different currents of air, and communicate some
comfort to the heated apartments of the house. But the comfort is not
wholly without danger; as in an earthquake some years ago the turrets
were thrown down to the great damage of the surrounding buildings.
There are supposed to be in the town four hundred houses, besides
several alleys of date-tree-huts on entering the gates, which may
add an equal number to the whole. The number of inhabitants is
disproportionably large, but it is calculated that there are ten
thousand persons in the place. There are four mosques of the _Sheyahs_,
and three of the _Sunnis_; and there are two _Hummums_ and two
_Caravanserais_; but there is no public building in _Bushire_ which
deserves any more particular description. The old English factory
is a large straggling building near the sea side; the left wing is
breaking down. The _Bazars_ are exactly those of a provincial town in
Turkey. The shop is a little platform, raised about two feet above the
foot-path; where the Vender, just reserving the little space upon
which he squats, displays his wares. The shops, as in Turkey, are
opened in the morning and shut at night, when the trader returns to his
dwelling; for the shop is but the receptacle for his goods.
On the 2d Nov. a large fleet of boats came into _Bushire_ from the
coast, laden with coarse linen for turbans, earthen pots, mats, &c. for
which they carry away dates. These boats keep together for fear of the
_Joasmee_ pirates.
To the east of the town there is a small elevation, which happily
destroys the equalities of the buildings, and renders it no
uninteresting subject for a sketch, when enlivened by its concomitants,
water and shipping. Whatever may have been the former state of the
immediate neighbourhood, it is certain that there are now no longer to
be found the gardens and plantations which NEARCHUS described, or even
those which Captain SIMMONS delineated. Had NEARCHUS again described
_Bushire_ and its territory in this day, he would have said, that a few
cotton bushes, here and there date trees, now and then a _Konar_ tree,
with water melons, _berinjauts_, and cucumbers, are the only verdant
objects which, in any measure, alleviate the glare of its sandy plain.
I took a sketch of _Bushire_ from a rising spot near a well on a public
road.[24] A troop of young camel-drivers, who were going merrily along,
soon discovered me; and long continued to vociferate, with many other
names and jokes, “_Frangui, Frangui_,” the common appellation in the
East of every European.
The new factory is about one mile seven-eights from the town. The
Resident’s guard is composed of seapoys, who, by the regulations,
should be changed every five years, but they are permitted to remain
till they become so lax in discipline as scarcely to deserve the name
of soldiers. The guard is mustered at sun-set, when they mostly appear
in their shirts and night-caps, and the sentries walk about without
their muskets.
In a few days after our landing we rode to the ruins of _Reshire_.
The more immediate remains occupy an inconsiderable part of the site
of the old city, and indeed consist rather of the fortress than of the
general mass of buildings. The place is surrounded by villages built of
the materials, and (as other fragments about them still attest) upon
the site also of the original town. One of these villages is called
_Imaum Zadé_, and is exempt from taxes, because its inhabitants claim
all to be descended from MAHOMED.
[Illustration: _Bushire._
_Drawn by James Morier Esq^r._
_Published by Mess^{rs}. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown,
Paternoster Row, May 1, 1811._]
The fortress itself was built by the Portuguese, though the people
around are jealous of the acknowledgment, and substitute as its founder
their own SHAH ABBAS. On a hasty calculation it must have been a
square of two hundred yards. The reservoirs for water are still to be
seen; but a lad, whom we met in the enclosure, told us that he and his
companions were at work in destroying the _Hummums_. Twenty-five years
ago the Envoy saw it in many parts entire, with some of the houses
still standing. It is now a heap of dirt and rubbish. The line of the
fort, indeed, is traced by the ditch, which is excavated from the
rock; and the gateways also are discoverable, and some little masonry
remains to mark their strength. There are some flat and oblong stones
on the outside of the fort, which we conceived to have been placed over
Portuguese tombs. There are, however, some curious characters upon
them, which Sir HARFORD JONES, who recollects them when they were more
legible, conceives to be between the old _Cufick_ and the _Nekshi_.
In another excursion we advanced to _Halila_, about nine miles from the
town, and on the south of the peninsula of _Bushire_. Here, indeed,
there is a projection of the land, where it is still possible for very
high tides to rise above the surface. The ground is very much broken
into caverns and deep chasms. _Halila_ is a small village; it has a
trifling square fort, with a tower at each angle, but without any
guns. Cotton is sown more systematically in the territory immediately
adjacent to _Halila_ than in that of _Bushire_. Here and there over the
plain are some little spots sacred to the dead, and defended by small
works of stones.
The _Sapphire_ lay about four miles off the shore, in four feet and a
half low water, and in quarter less five at high. The ground was marl
and very thick mud, so tenacious, that it was necessary every three
or four days to move the anchor. The refraction was so great, that,
for their daily observations at the sun’s meridian, they were obliged
to allow for it more than what is noted in the nautical tables. In my
visit on board, I took the following bearings from the quarter-deck.
Town N. 55 E. _Concorde_ Lodge E. _Halila Peak_ S. 70 E. _Asses Ears_
and _Reshire Point_ S. 35 E. Cape _Bang_ (the extremity of the land) N.
11 E.
The water of _Bushire_ has a cathartic quality of most immediate effect
in a stranger’s habit, but after the experience of about a month it
ceases to have so violent a power.
The meteorological journal which I kept may not be useless, and I give
therefore the month of November in the Appendix. On the night of the
10th of that month, a most violent storm blew from the north-west. The
whole atmosphere was in a blaze of fire; the claps of thunder succeeded
one another with a rapidity, which rendered them scarcely separable,
and the rain poured down in torrents; but when all was over, the air
possessed a freshness which was most grateful. The storms from the N.
W. are very frequent in the winter; and though in no part of the world
do I recollect to have seen one so tremendous as this, I am told that
it was not to be compared with some which are experienced at _Bushire_.
In three or four days the mountains which bore N. N. E. from our
dwelling were already covered with snow. This was reckoned early in
the season. The people soon begun to put on their warmer clothing.
Coughs and colds became very prevalent, particularly among the Indian
servants, who were clad more lightly than either the Europeans or the
natives.
About the 20th of November the people commence ploughing; the soil is
so light that it is turned up with very little labour; the plough,
therefore, is dragged mostly by one ox only, and not unfrequently
even by an ass. All their agricultural implements are of the rudest
construction. At this period, larks fly about in large numbers, and
feed upon the seed just sowing. There are also great flocks of pigeons,
cormorants, curlews, and _hoobaras_ (bustards). On the 25th we saw a
white swallow flitting about the house. Sparrows were not so numerous
as in the beginning of the month. Flies appeared with a south wind;
but were scarce when it blew from the northward. The fruits in season
were melons, dates, pomegranates, apples, pears, and sweet limes; and
a small and very pleasant orange was just coming in. Our vegetables
were spinage, _bendes_, and onions, and cabbages and turnips from
_Bussora_. Of our meat, the finest was mutton, veal was coarse, but the
beef pretty good, and the fowls were admirable. There were no turkies
or geese indeed; nor ducks, except some that we occasionally got from
_Bussora_.
The climate of _Bushire_ is healthy, if we might judge from the two
or three examples of strong and active old age which came within our
notice: one, my own Persian master, MOLLAH HASSAN; another in the
Resident’s family, who has trimmed pipes for two-thirds of a century,
and who was a young man with mustachios and a sprouting beard, when
NADIR SHAH was at _Shiraz_. Another is an old fellow of the name of
AYECAL, which, from the keenness of his love of sporting, has been
familiarized by the English into _Jackall_.
The better sort of women are scarcely ever seen, and when they
are, their faces are so completely covered that no feature can be
distinguished. The poorer women, indeed, are not so confined, for they
go in troops to draw water for the place. I have seen the elder ones
sitting and chatting at the well, and spinning the coarse cotton of
the country, while the young girls filled the skin which contains the
water, and which they all carry on their backs into the town. They do
not wear shoes; their dress consists of a very ample shirt, a pair of
loose trowsers, and the veil which goes over all. Their appearance is
most doleful; though I have still noticed a pretty face through all
the filth of their attire. The colour of their clothes is originally
brown, but when they become too dirty to be worn under that hue, they
are sent to the dyer, who is supposed to clean them by superinducing
a dark-blue or black tint. In almost every situation they might be
considered as the attendants on a burial; but in a real case of death
there are professional mourners, who are hired to see proper respect
paid to the deceased, by keeping up the cries of etiquette to his
memory.
Among the superstitions in Persia, that which depends on the crowing
of a cock, is not the least remarkable. If the cock crows at a proper
hour, they esteem it a good omen; if at an improper season, they kill
him. I am told that the favourable hours are at nine, both in the
morning and in the evening, at noon and at midnight.
But the lion, in the popular belief of Persia, has a discernment much
more important to the interests of mankind. A fellow told me with the
gravest face, that a lion of their own country would never hurt a
_Sheyah_, (the sect of the Mahomedan religion which follows ALI, and
which is established in Persia,) but would always devour a _Sunni_,
(who recognises before ALI the three first caliphs.) On meeting a
lion, you have only therefore to say, “_Ya Ali_,” and the beast will
walk by you with great respect; but should you either from zeal or the
forgetfulness of terror, exclaim “_Ya Omar!_ Oh Omar!” he will spring
upon you instantly.
III. Animals of the _Dashtistan_. About twenty-five years ago, in
the time of SHEIK NASR, who possessed both _Bushire_ and the island
of _Bahrein_, and who consequently was enabled to improve the
native breed of Persia, by bringing over the _Nedj_ stallion, the
_Dashtistan_ became celebrated for a horse of strength and bottom. But
the original breed of Persia, that which is now restored, is a tall,
lank, ill-formed, and generally vicious animal; useful indeed for hard
work, but unpleasant to ride compared with the elegant action and
docility of the Arab. There is another race of the _Turcoman_ breed,
(such as are seen at _Smyrna_, and through all Asia Minor), a short,
thick, round-necked, and strong-leg’d horse, short quartered, and
inclined behind. There is also a fine breed produced by the _Turcoman_
mare and the _Nedj_ stallion. At two different times, large lots of
horses were offered to us for sale: the first, by the people of the
_Shiraz_ officer, who asked immense prices, and when refused, departed
in apparent ill-humour, but generally returned and took the reduced
sum which was offered. In this way also we purchased a lot of forty
horses, principally of the _Turcoman_ breed, which had been destined
for the Indian market, and for which an average price of three hundred
and twenty piastres for each horse had been asked at _Bushire_, but
which at the end of the month were sold to us for two hundred and
fifty. The distinct and characteristic value of the horses of the
country, was exemplified in a present of two, which the Envoy received
from the _Sheik_ of _Bushire_. One was a beautiful Arab colt, of the
sweetest temper I ever knew in a horse, frisking about like a lamb, and
yet so docile, that though now for the first time mounted, he seemed
to have been long used to the bit, a sure proof in the estimation of
the country of the excellence of his breed. The other was a Persian
colt of the most stubborn and vicious nature; to the astonishment and
admiration however of the Persians, the Envoy’s Yorkshire groom by mere
dint of whip and spur, subdued the creature and rendered him fit to
ride: a triumph which established the groom’s reputation readily, among
a people peculiarly alive to the superiority of their own horsemanship.
A horse more than ordinarily vicious was tamed in a singular manner
by the people of the country. He was turned out loose (muzzled indeed
in his mouth, where his ferociousness was most formidable) to await
in an enclosure the attack of two horses, whose mouths and legs at
full liberty were immediately directed against him. The success was as
singular as the experiment; and the violence of the discipline which he
endured, subdued the nature of the beast, and rendered him the quietest
of his kind. The horses are fastened in the stables by their fore
legs, and pinioned by a rope from the hind leg to stakes at about six
feet distant behind, so that although the animals are well inclined to
quarrel, and are only four or five feet asunder, they can scarcely in
this position succeed in hurting each other: frequently however they do
get loose, and then most furious battles ensue. I have often admired
the courage and dexterity with which the Persian _Jelowdars_ or grooms
throw themselves into the thickest engagement of angry horses; and, in
defiance of the kicks and bites around them, contrive to separate them.
The Resident’s stud consists of about twenty horses, mules, and
asses; eight of the horses belong to the East India Company, and are
principally employed in carrying _choppers_ or couriers to _Shiraz_.
These are obliged however to be renewed very frequently, because
one such journey generally destroys the animal that performs it; so
difficult are the passes of the mountains, and so unmerciful are the
riders.
They have in Persia a very large and ferocious dog, called the _kofla_
dog, from his being the watchful and faithful companion of the _kofla_
or caravan. Each muleteer has his dog, and so correct is the animal’s
knowledge of the mules that belong to his master, that he will discover
those that have strayed, and will bring them back to their associates;
and on the other hand, when at night the whole caravan stops, and
the mules are parcelled in square lots, the guardian dog will permit
no strange mule to join the party under his charge, or to encroach
upon their ground. His strength and his ferocity are equal to his
intelligence and watchfulness.
We chased one day a large white fox. They prey about the open country
round _Bushire_ in great numbers, for the natives do not destroy them
with all the zeal of Englishmen. The wild animals of the _Dashtistan_
are the wolf, the hyæna, the fox, the porcupine, the _mangousti_, the
antelope, the wild boar, the _jerboa_, and sometimes the wild goat. The
mountains of the _Dashtistan_ have also the lion, and he has been known
to descend into the plain. On the 12th December, Captain DAVIS, of the
_Sapphire_, shot two cormorants out of a flock that were squatted on a
tree. Partridges also have been seen to settle in the same situation.
The hawks, which are used in hunting, are the _cherk_, the _balban_,
and the _shahein_.
We set off on the 29th of November, before sun-rise, to hunt with
hawks. The freshness, or rather the coldness of the morning, was quite
revivifying. We were accompanied by an old and keen sportsman, who
had long been renowned in the plains of _Bushire_ for his expertness
in training a hawk, and his perseverance in hunting the _hoobara_ or
bustard. The old _Reis_, the name by which he was known, was one of the
most picturesque figures on horseback that I ever saw. He was rather
tall, with a neck very long, and a beard very grey. His body, either
through age or the long use of a favourite position on horseback,
inclined forwards till it made an angle of 45° with his thighs, which
run nearly parallel to the horse’s back; and his beard projected
so much from his lank neck, that it completed the amusement of the
profile. On his right wrist, which was covered by large gloves, his
hawk was perched. The bird is always kept hood-winked, till the game
be near. On our way we were joined by HASSAN KHAN, the Governor of
_Dasti_, who also carried a hawk, and who was attended by about fifteen
men with spears, the _kaleoons_, or water pipes, &c. We proceeded to
_Halila_, where we commenced our hunt. A _hoobara_ started almost under
the foot of my horse; as the bird flew, a hawk was unhooded that he
might mark the direction, and was loosed only when it settled. But the
sport was unsuccessful in two or three attempts; in fact, when the hawk
has had one flight, and has missed his prey, he should be fed with the
blood of a pigeon, and then hood-winked, and not permitted to fly again
in that day’s sport. As soon as the hawk has taken his flight, the
sportsmen remain quiet till they can see that their bird has seized his
prey, when they ride up and disengage them.
The _Jerboa_. On the 1st Dec. we caught some _jerboas_; and I had an
opportunity of delineating and observing with some nicety all their
different properties. The description of this animal has been given
so minutely by SONNINI, and, with the controversy on the subject, has
occupied indeed so very long a chapter of one of his volumes, that it
would be superfluous to go over again the same tedious ground. As there
are, however, some little exceptions in the _jerboa_ which I saw at
_Bushire_, I shall endeavour to point them out. In the first place,
that gradation from the bird to the quadruped, which SONNINI traced
in the hopping motion of the _jerboa_, did not strike me with the same
degree of conviction. When unpursued the animal certainly hops, though
this admission does not imply that he cannot walk without hopping.
But when he is escaping from any alarm, he may almost be said to lay
himself flat on the surface of the ground from the immense tension of
his hind legs, and literally to run _ventre à terre_. Yet as every
observer will feel that there are shades by which the works of creation
gradually resolve into each other, and which, by a slow operation,
connect the zoophyte with the animated world, and the bird with the
quadruped, the _jerboa_ may still serve as one of the first and most
perceptible gradations between two kingdoms of nature; but kangaroos,
a larger and nobler specimen, would illustrate the connection as
correctly.