'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎234] (305/748)

234
PERSIA
line may be seen encampments of low tents, and Jcapars or huts,
made of date-sticks and leaves, the nauseous domiciles of the lower
classes of the population. Such pretentiousness of air as the
modern town can claim is largely due to the wise expenditure,
by Sir L. Pelly, of part of the Mansion House Persian Famine
Relief Fund in 1870-1, in the employment of local labour. On
the southern side, or along the base of the triangle formed by the
apex of the peninsula, the town was formerly fortified by a high
wall with twelve towers and bastions and two gates, in front of
which stood some old Portuguese guns, brought either fromReshire
or Ormuz. The last time that this wall was repaired was in 1838,
when Mohammed Shah rebuilt it, to withstand a possible attack
from the English, who had occupied Kharak Island in that year.
It has since fallen to pieces, and is now a model of nineteenth
century Persian fortification.
The climate of Bushire is trying though not acutely unhealthy.
In summer, however, the heat is exhausting, and the thermometer
Climate frequently registers over 100° Fahr. in the shade. The
and water average rainfall is about twelve inches in the year. Water
is scarce: and most of the neighbouring supplies are brackish.
The wells most commonly in use are situated on the plain at the
distance of over a mile from the town gate; but the best sources
are at five and six miles distant in the direction of Eeshire.
At the time of my visit the price of the ordinary quality was 5-
6 puis (|^.), of the better quality 16 puis (2^.) per donkey-load.
A large reservoir to collect rain-water was built on the sea-front
some years ago by a native merchant, and was opened for the
public use in April and May; but its contents were found to be
infested with the reshta or guinea-worm, which 200 years' ago was
complained of by Chardin 1 and Kaempfer, 2 as tainting the water-
supplies along the Gulf-coast.
Though Bushire is the main port of Persia, it possesses no
thing that could by the wildest exaggeration be described under
present conditions as a harbour. The anchorage is in an open
and unprotected roadstead at the distance of some three
e P0rt miles from the shore, is much exposed to gales, and in
bad weather is inaccessible. Every cargo has to be embarked or
disembarked in native buggalows, and the process of lading and
unlading is in consequence very slow. The inner bay on the
1 Voyages (edit. Langles), vol. viii. pp. 470-4. 2 Amoen. Exot, pp. 525-35.