BOMBAY TO BUSHIRE. 
12 
narrow ladder, which, however, no attention could render convenient to 
a man encumbered with an immense large cloak and slip-shod slippers. 
At the bottom he w r as received by Sir Harford Jones. The ship was 
immediately filled by the suite of the Sheik , who, rvith all the curiosity 
and effrontery of Asiatics, spread themselves through every part. Our 
guest w T as attended on his visit by the principal men and merchants of 
Bush ire , among whom the Envoy recognised the face of many an early 
friend. All the party seemed much pleased with their reception, and 
expressed their high admiration of the beauty, order, and cleanliness of 
the ship. The conversation was general, and consisted mostly in 
inquiries after former friends, and in reviving the recollection of the 
histories of old times. Sir Harford Jones had known the Sheik 
when he was a fine boy: there was now indeed little left to be admired; 
his face was inanimate, and his body bent double with excessive 
debauch. The whole party were generally but a rude sample of the 
elegance of Persians, nor indeed is the true Persian to be found at 
Bushire , where the blood is mostly mixed with that of Arabia. 
The only man of the party, whose face interested me, and exhibited 
signs of intelligence, was a Turk, by name Abdulla Aga, an old 
friend of the Envoy’s, who had been Musselim of Bussorah , and had 
ruled that part of the country for many years, with great respectability 
and eclat. He had been driven by injustice to take refuge at Bushire ; 
though from the known integrity of his character, and the attachment 
of the people of Bussorah and Bagdad to his person, many still expect 
that lie will one day attain the Fachalick of Bagdad. After this good 
Mussulman, spreading his carpet near one of the twelve pounders, had 
said his prayers, (with a fervency, undisturbed by the busy, novel and 
noisy scene around him) the visit broke up. 
The Sheik and Abdulla Aga, who both had suffered by their long 
excursion in the morning, preferred to return on shore in the Nereide’s 
boat with Sir Harford Jones. We had not long put off from the 
ship, when a salute of fifteen guns commenced for the envcjy, to the great 
consternation of the remaining part of the Persians, who were just 
