"بلاد فارس." [و‎‎١‎٥] (٤٨/٣٤)

21
Bushire, 950 miles, with 3 horses, may be put down, with extras, at £30, while
the expenses from 24th October to 27th November come to £33-11-0, or
roughly, at a rate of £1 per day.
28th November, Monday. —Cheques on Bombay can he cashed in Bushire,
Ticket by the B. I. S. N. Co. to Bombay R180. Telegram to England, R16-4-0.
Tips, B 8 . Said good-bye to Boss and went on hoard the mail boat by steam
launch. S. S. “ Pemba?’ Captain Bobertson.* Left at 6 p.m., dined on deck.
Lot of horses on hoard.
29th November, Tuesday. —Steaming along quietly all day.
30th November, Wednesday this morning at Linga at 7, and left
again at 12^. Lot of houses on the shore, with high hills behind. The coast
people are all of Arab origin. Shipping rice, &c.; plenty of fish. At Linga
lots of buggalow r s lying off laden with dates for Bombay ; also took in about
four buggalow loads of rice. Bise of tide in Gulf about 9 feet ', night tides
higher than the day. Distance from Bushire 478 miles.
1st December, Thursday. —Approached Bunder Abbas at daylight. Kishm
Island, the summer resort. There are several isles about, viz., Laraz, Hormuz,
and on the opposite coast of Arabia there are good harbours. Immediately
behind Bunder Abbas is Jahal Gouar (7,690), a mountain the height of Simla,
rising at once to its full height within a few miles of the sea. It scarcely looks
its height, but the air is so clear; there are other mountains also close by—
Shimil 0 (8,500) and Bakhum (10,660), another 9,200 ^ and another 5,120.
Bunder Abbas is the chief port in the Gulf, and it is said Bussia intends to
have it as being better than Bushire and 'with a better land approach. See
Sections 7D ; the heights are taken from St. John’s, and Pierson’s maps. This
may be so, but for the present her aim is to control Khorassan and to gain some
point south of Meshed where she can cut off the khafilas of Indian trade from
Bunder Abbas via Herat to Central Asia. It is also said that so soon as the
concession w r as reported as given to an English Syndicate to construct the
Euphrates Valley line, Bussia at once flooded the route with Armenian traders.
Took in sixlarge buggalows full of cotton, wool and rice foi Bombay. ^ Italian
war steamer “ Bapido ” came in. Heard that 2 servants of a Baniah had
secured a wonderful pearl for which B10,000 had already been offered and
refused. Distance from Linga 110 miles.
2nd December, Friday .—Dzit Bunder Abbas, 6 p.m. yesterday. Steaming
away for Muscat ; very calm.
3rd December, Saturday. —Arrived at Muscat early; 248 miles from
Bunder Abbas; no end offish, porpoises, &c. Bocks painted with names of
vessels in big white letters. H. M.- S., ce Osprey,” U. S. S. “ Brooklyn, &c.,
spent the day with the Mocklers. Muscat—a small town situated in the hills,
protected by w 7 alls and towers. The Sultan receives about B80,000 a year trom
England on account of the payment that formerly used to he made to ^ him by
his'brother at Zanzibar. The Sultan of Zanzibar having agreed with Sir Bartle
Erere to abolish the slave trade, England in return propesed to relieve him of
the ohlio'ation or necessity of paying Muscat. The Sultan of Muscat has
another "brother in Arabia who bursts out occasionally and attacks Muscat.
Sultan very hard-up. H. M. S. “ Osprey ” in harbour. Large exports of dates
to America, the Muscat or black date being preferred to the Busra or brown
date. Hulwar made in great quantities. Drainage very had. Cesspools in
centre of court-yard. Left again at 6 p.m. Mr. McKenzie on board; he had
been preparing estimates to rebuild the Besidency.
4th December, Sunday. —Steaming along ; weather very clear.
5th December, Weather very fine.
6th December, Tuesday. —Made the Manora light, Kurrachee, at 3 a.m.
500 miles from Muscat. Number of boats; tramway, extra lines of railway
wharves, &c. ; place very busy. Drove up to Ffinch’s; saw the General s old
house my old*house ; fresh wmer has done much for the place, grass growung
on the lawns and all sorts of flowers ; bouquets being cut from garden. Peepul,
* Captain Robertson informed me that on one voyage at the time of the Mohurrum, a Seyd on board in
describing the Passion Play of Persia, so affected bis audience that half the 3rd class passengers and the whole ot
the Arab syces were worked into a state of uncontrollable excitement.