BLACK ARABS. 411 



plantains, and "jack," was all that could be 

 procured ; but during the season, mangoosteens, 

 a variety of plantains and bananas, oranges, 

 pine-apples, mangoes, and other tropical fruits, 

 could be procured in abundance. Having ranged 

 about the Pedir Rajah's district, near the sea 

 coast, I returned on board in the evening with 

 the collection I had made. 



Among the natives that occasionally came on 

 board with the cargo boats, as well as those seen 

 on shore, consisting of different races of Hin- 

 doostan, Malays, &c. there were several with the 

 African features and hair ; none of whom, how- 

 ever, were well-formed or handsome men, but 

 still seemed to possess great muscular power. 

 They were of that African race designated the 

 " Black Arabs," who are shipped as seamen on 

 board vessels at Bushire and other places in the 

 Persian Gulf. When I was looking at this 

 variety of the human race, one of the rajah's 

 followers said he was the property of the rajah, 

 and he would sell him to me, if I wanted him. 

 As I did not require a specimen of that kind, I 

 declined this very obliging offer. The land and 

 sea breezes were for some days very regular, and 

 at others extremely irregular, varying also in 

 their degree of strength. The range of the 



