Hamilton's account op the east indies. 489
Jaques begin the Gulf of Perfia, on the Arabian fide. About Zoar begins the de-fert, that runs as far northerly as Aleppo . The mountains near the fea are fandy,and the valiies and plains fterile, and ill inhabited, and as ill watered.
About the year 1620, Perfia was in a flourilhing condition, and was a terror toall its neighbours. Shaw Tamas, fon to the famous Shaw Abafs, was then King,and being of a martial difpofition, had a defign to annex all the Arabian coafl oppofiteto Perfia, to his own dominions, and accordingly tranfported from Cong, a city of hisown that lies on the fea-lhore, an army of 35 or 40,000 men to conquer it. Thearmy met with no oppofition in landing, and they foon overran the country wher-ever they went; but they had not been long in purfuit of their conqueft, till provifionsbegan to be fcarce in the army, which, with the fcarcity of frefh water, and the into-lerable heats, both of fun and winds, brought a contagion on the Perfians, that killedthe better half of them, and obliged what was left to return back to Perfia by {hip-ping, as they had come from it.
Thofe barren coafts are needlefsly fecured by fandy banks, that run 10 or 12 leaguesoff from the fhore, which would make navigation impracticable, if it fhould meetwith encouragement; but the two iflands of Bareen, lying in the latitude of 29 de-grees 30 minutes, almoft in the bottom of the gulf, and belonging to the crown ofPerfia, have the belt pearl fifhing in the world.
About the beginning of this century, the Mufkat Arabs took pofieffion of the Ba-reen iflands; but the honeft pearl fifliers deferted it whilft the Arabs kept pofieffion,who finding that their new fettlement could not defray the charge of keeping, withoutthe pearl fifhers, they left it; and the fifhers, who are moftly Arabs, returned to their*induftry, and continue the fifhery.
The great Turk gives laws to all the countries that lie between the river Euphrates and Ethiopia ; but there are many Iheeks who inhabit thofe deferts, that make butfmall account of him or his orders, becaufe the fterility of their country makes themfecure from great armies coming amongft them, and a fmall one dares not ventureamongil them as enemies. They being naturally thieves, rob friend or foe, or oneanother; fo that few people of fubftance have any commerce with them.
There are no towns of note between Mufkat and Baffora, but Zoar, and but veryfew inconfiderable villages; but there are two or three pretty convenient harbours forfhipping. The fouthermoft is about 6 leagues to the fouthward of Cape Mofenden,called Courforcaun. It is almoft like Mufkat harbour, but fomewhat bigger, and hasexcellent frefh water in deep wells, about a quarter of a mile from the landing-place.The village contains about twenty little houfes; yet there are pretty good refreshmentsto be had there. Cape Mofenden is of itfelf but a good number of fmall high iflandslying near one another, but they appear like a promontory on terra firma. And upto the weftward of the Cape there is another harbour, whofe name I have forgot; butthere are good frefh water and animal provifions to be had there. And now havingdefcribed Mufkat and its territories as well as I can, I’ll make one obfervation more,and proceed on my travels.
• Ever fince the Portugueze left Mufkat to the Arabs, there has been a continual war;hut in the main the Arabs have been the gainers, yet they have been obliged to builda nd buy fhips of force to confront the Portugueze at fea, and to keep their coafts freefrom their infults. Their fleets have often met, and had fome engagements, but few{hips have been taken or funk on either fide; but merchant fhips of both fides havebeen taken. The Portugueze ufe their captives with great feverity, making them la-bour hard, and inure them to the difcipline of the whip ; but the Arabs ufe theirs withvol. viii. p p very