GOVERNMENT OF ARABIA. 137 



The British factory is a large and lofty structure ; 

 those of the French and Dutch are rapidly falling 

 into decay. The mansion of the dowlah is the best 

 in the city, having one front to the sea ; while on 

 two other sides are a square for military exercises, 

 and a range of official dwellings. None of these 

 have much pretension to architectural elegance. 

 The walls have fantastic ornaments in white stucco. 

 The windows are in general small, and not arranged 

 in any regular order ; they are closed with lattices, 

 and sometimes open into a wooden carved-work 

 balcony. 



The town, according to Lord Valentia, does not 

 contain a population of more than 5000 souls, though 

 the French travellers made it amount to twice that 

 number. The garrison consists of about 80 horse 

 and 200 matchlock-men, who receive a regular pay 

 of two dollars and a half per month. There is not a 

 vestige of discipline among them. When on guard 

 at the different gates they recline on couches, with 

 their matchlocks lying negligently by their side, 

 while the right hand is occupied with sustaining 

 either a pipe or a cup of coffee. Their greatest dis- 

 play takes place when they attend the dowlah to the 

 mosque, with the usual pomp of gay streamers, and 

 of green and red flags. A lively writer has described 

 a procession which he witnessed at Mocha ten years 

 ago. The dowlah rode a beautiful little iron-gray 

 charger, and was accompanied by about half a dozen 

 persons, well dressed and of some condition ; the 

 rest of the attendants, amounting to the like number, 

 were meanly clothed, and mounted on wretched 

 horses. A large band of regular infantry from the 

 garrison followed, in plain costume, — a common 

 blue shirt, small dark turbans, a rude body-belt for 

 their cartridges, and a priming-horn. They marched 

 m a wide front, their matchlocks sloped upon their 

 shoulders, their free hands grasping the firearms of 

 their comrades singing as they proceeded some war« 



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