BUSHIRE. 
39 
some places of very difficult access, is still remembered with horror by 
the inhabitants. The wreck of that ship is still to be seen in the har¬ 
bour of Bushire. 
It may be conceived that the arrival of the Embassy produced an 
unusual activity in so dull a place; and as curiosity is a principal fea¬ 
ture of the Persian character, it was not long before our ship was filled 
with the natives. So large a man-of-war as the Lion had never before 
been at Bushire; and report having exaggerated her size, and particu¬ 
larly the number of guns she carried to something marvellous, they 
were prepared to eye us with feelings of great wonder. 
The Governor of the town, who was a genuine Persian, a native of 
Shiraz, accompanied by a very numerous suite, composed of the chief 
officers and principal merchants, besides servants, guards, &c. came off 
to greet the Ambassador on his arrival. We could remark a great 
difference in general appearance between the Persians of the shore, 
and those whom we had brought with us, much in favour of the latter ; 
it being evident that these had acquired habits of cleanliness during 
their stay with us, to which the former could have no pretensions. 
Above all things, that which most excited their curiosity, was the 
circumstance of our Ambassador having brought his harem with him; 
for although the Easterns look upon it as indecorous to make enquiries 
about each other’s women, yet still we could observe how anxious they 
were to know something about ours. Perhaps their curiosity about the 
women of Europe is quite as great as that of Europeans about those of 
Asia. I can state, in confirmation of the last assertion, that one of the 
first questions put to me by my acquaintances in Europe, has ever been 
on that subject; and from the conversations I have had with Asiatics 
upon the same topic, both parties have universally appeared to entertain 
in their imaginations the highest ideas of the beauty of each other’s 
women. When a Persian wishes to give an high idea of a woman’s 
beauty, he says, she is Missal Frengui, like an European ; and on the 
other hand, Europeans pay the same compliment to the fair sex of 
Georgia and Circassia. The Ambassador introduced the Governor 
into the separate cabin of his wife, where was also another young lady. 
