The Sun.
London, England, 1819-06-05 00:00:00

LITLRAR Y REVIEW.

A VOYAGE up the PERSIAN GULPII, and a JOURNEY
overland from INDIA to ENGLAND, in 1817 ; containing
an Account of the Arabia Felix, Arabia Deserta, Persia,
Mesopotamia, the Garden of Eden, Babylon, Bagdad, Koor-
distan, Armenia, Asia Minor, &c. &c.—By Lieutenant
Wit. Liam 1-IFunE,.of the Madras Military Establishment.

Tire Woik before us comes forward at a very
seasonable period, as we have now a Persian Am-
bassador in this country, and have entered into
amicable connexions with his Government. It
is toll of interesting information, and is appa-
rently written With candour, liberality, and a
strict regard to truth. But we shall at once pro. 7
ceed to notice its contents. Of the Pirates of the
Persian Gulf, Captain MODE gins the following

account :
" Their history reaches beet to a very remote
antiquity, as the Empire of the pirate King, seiz-
ing (as described in the Koran of Ebu Hankal),
on every valuable ship, is said to have been known
priOr to the deliverance trout Egypt :of, the Chil-
dren of Israel. The vVababees, in, particular,
first mentioned by Niebuhr, are also noticed as
springing from the province of Nedsjed, where
Moseillama, the great contemporary adversary of
Mahomed, first propagated tits doctrines of his
faith. These are probably the same with the Mo-
beyyidites, Or the eufid Jamehghians (as they are
called by the Persians), who 'were anciently fol-
lowers of Hakeni Elsa Hashers!, sometimes called
Al Mokanna, and Al Bokai (or the veiled) by the
Arabs. Of this ,sect it is related, that in the
reign. of Calif al Mohdi, of the race of AbbaS,
Hakem Ebu Hasem, their Prophet, gained a num-
ber of proselytes in Naklishab and Kash, giving
out that the divinity resided in his person, and had
descended to him from Adam, though the Pro-
phet had appeared. He acquired great power,
but being at last besieged by the Calif's forces, be
poisonerfand burnt his wives, children, and concu-
bines, and threw himself into the flames, in the'
163 year of the Helirza, promising his followers
he would again appear." It is from the history
of this impostor our author informs us, Mr.
Moore has taken the ground work of the part of
his celebrated poem, which he styles " The veiled
Prophet." His remarks on our Trade up the Gulph,
which cannot be entered into at length ,contain many
useful hints, which our Free Traders, who go out
almost freightless, might avail themselves of to ad-
vantage. The overland part of the journey com-
mences from the author's departure from Bussora,
being now for three weeks amongst the Bedouins;
and writing from their camp, he says : " Sheik
Hamood is the Chief of the Memifies, a princi-
pal tribe amongst the Bedouins of the Desert ;
.1 had, therefore, a favourable opportunity of ob-
serving their manners, if the expression may be
used, at the Court itself. Nothing can exceed
the simplicity of living that may be observed it)
the tents of these eastern patriarchs. The pen
cannot describe the anasauming courtesy, the
open, generous hospitality of these lawless rob-
bers of the Desert, to the confiding traveller who
throws himself on the honour of their tribes.
" During. the temporary absence of his father,
the eldest son of Sheik Mahamoud (a handsome
youth of 16) was presiding in his stead. He
was sitting on a carpet, in a large open tent,
with a numerous retinue of venerable bearded
Chiefs, sitting or standing (according to their
rank and occupations) on either side. The fur-
niture of the tent consisted of the carpets only,
which they were reposing; upon; whilst their
more favourite coursers were picketted in the
vicinity ; and a few tents and large droves of
camels filled up the surrounding scene. On our
introduction, the youth gracefully rose, and
kindly beckoned me, with intuitive politeness, to
his side ;' Secretaries were reading dispatches,
messengers were receiving their orders, whilst the
pipe and coffee filled up the intervening time, un-
til the expected arrival of their Chief ; the patient,
hardy warriOrs of the desert, watching attentively,
but not meanly obsequious, each nod or smile of
their favourite hope, and offering their opinions
and councils with perfect freedom wherever the
occasion required it. At last a general buzz an-
nounced the long-expected approach of the great
personage ; the Council rose (the youth himself
setting the example), and went to meet the group
that was advancing towards the tent."—(He con-
cludes this part wi.h a curious description of his
reception, and of a public entertainment in the
Arab Camp.)
After entering at some length on the later
History of the Montific Bedouins, he introduces
the Reader at once to a remarkable tribe whom
be became unexpectedly acquainted with. The
meeting is truly characteristic of the incidents of
an overland journey.—" Our course now lay
through a perfect desert, Shatra being the northern
boundary of the little cultivation that can be dis-
tingeished above the junction of the riders. We
proceeded for two hours in a melancholy silence.
`suddenly, in a flat dreary tract, overgrown with
furze and broshwood, we came to the bank of a
River, that bears the name (amongst the Arabs)
of the town we had left behind. We had scarcely
descended the steep declivity that leads to this
hidden stream by a narrow rugged path, before
the hideOus battle shout of the Bedouins assailed
our ears ; and we found ourselves surrounded, in
a ruotneat,- by the most uncouth, savage, milieu
race we had yet encountered ; and who seemed
to rise from the parent earth, with their bristling
spear, and pointedaatms, a dreadful ruthless, savage
progeny. Our Sayid certainly behaved with the
greatest coolness and hot epidity on this trying
occasion. Urging his aisle courser forward, with-
out the slightest hesitation he sprang off his back
in the midst of them, and throwing himself on the
ground, ill the pt ostrate at Goole ot devotion, placed
a sm.!l brass amulet, inscribed with sentences
from the Koran, under his head, beginning the
recital of his Creed in a loud, monotenous, yet
impressive tone. On the instant, every voice was
hushed, the dreadful yell that had spread far and
wide around us, subsided in the solemn sound ;
and as the prayer was continued, the arm pas
u4nerved that had raised the sword to strike ; the
hand was withdrawn that had reached the fatal
kry of destruction, and all was peace ; their spears
eloprio!! on the ground, as they joined, with
errant zeal, in the sacred devotions of our holy