Star.
London, England, 1830-04-22 00:00:00

111 A SCAT.

News having arrived of the accidental burning of the
greater part of Mascat, and as the knowledge of this
place is rather limited, we present an extract from a
work written by Vincenzo Maurizi, the History of Seyd
Said, the Sultan of Mascat, which includes an ample
and particular description of the place :
The city of Mescal, his (the Sultans) residence, is situated upon
a promontory, extending some distance into the sea, in 23 deg. 32
min. north lat. and being surrounded by rocky and lofty mountains,
which reflect the rays of a burning sun, the heat is very troublesome
to the inhabitants, and still more so to foreigners who are unaccus-
tomed to it. For a particular account of the weather, I beg leave
to refer my readers to a meteorological table at the end of the
work ; but to give a more lively idea of the effects of the climate,
I cannot avoid relating a circumstance which fell under my own
observation :—An Arab had been kllkd by the blow of a mbre,
which laid open his brain, and on examining the wound it appeared
that the dues mater was completely divided ; and this membrane was
so coarse and hard, that it resembled the sole of a slipper, a pheno.
:moon so extraordinary that I can only attribute to the powerful in-
fluence of the solar rays. The Arabs of this province never cover
their heads at any period of the year, excepting only the chiefs, the
merchants, and a few of the citizens of /ducat. A few Bedoweens,
Beduini, or Bedu, also wear the fes, which is so generally used in
otherparts of the East. As the heat is so excessive, the Sultan and
some principal chiefs visit Bores in the months of June and July,
in orderto enjoy a more agreeable temperature than the city affords.
" The port of Masat is circular, and is formed by an islet about
an Italian mile in circumference, hich is immediately opposite the
city, and renders the &chomp very secure ; some wells in the neigh.
bourhood afford a supply of excellent water; vegetables and fruit
also abound ; the latter consists of date, lemons, oranges, &c. Poultry
are reared in large quantities, the cattle are numerous, and to be
bought very cheaply. The sea abed' plenty of fish, which, together
with rice and dates, form the chief sustenance of the inhabitants;
and the surplus of the former, extraordinary as it may appear, prin.
cipally supports their oxen, cows, and other cattle. If the master
of a ship is desious of havhig the very best water, he should fill his
casks at some wells about a mile inland; although that of the,
&TM (which is furnished by the Government) is very tolerable,
since the Sultan has caused a canal to be dug, which conveys it to
the beach. Upon the whole, there is no place so well provided with
this first necessary in the Gulf of Persia, a circumstance which has,
perhaps, mainly contributed to its commercial superiority.
" The shores of the Mascatian territory abound with an infinite
number of shellfish of fine flavour and beautiful shells, a great por.
tion of whice are constantly found without inhabitants; they arc',
often dragged up from the bottom of the sea, where the brilliant va.
riety of their colours render them conspicuous at a considerable
depth, for the water Is as clear as crystal. When the sky was un.
clouded, during the absence of the moon, I have found the nights
almost as light as when that luminary, in European countries,
shines in all her splendour, from the brightness of the stars, and
'the coruscation of the waves, on whose bosom each planet and
constellation was painted in its original glory : to this may
be added, that the sea universally abounds with many tubes
of phosphorescent animals. The lofty rocks which surround the port
of Illaecit are totally without vegetable covering, except • few
stunted bushes ; yet foxes, called talep by the Arabs, are found an
the island which forms its entrance; these animals can have no
means of sustenance, except the fish they may chance to catch;
water there is none but what remain in the crevices of the rocks after
rain, but this must be an uncommon resource, as sometimes not a
shower falls during a whole year; in that case, therefore, the blood
of the fish can be the only liquid within their reach.
" The greater part of Mascat is well built of stone, and when 1
left it, Seyd Said was busily erecting a handsome palace in the style
of European architecture; which, when completed. will form an
agreeable contrast with the more ancient pan of the town. A
church, built by the Portuguese in 1630, in still in existence ; in
appearance it resembles a monastery, and serves as a place of judi.
cature. The present name, Ri Grata, is doubtless corrupted from
the Pot tuguese Egreja, which signifies church.
" Seyd Said has surrounded his capital with a thin wall, but the
barrier of steep rocks which nature has formed, and on which watch
towers are erected, and sentries constantly placed, afford it a much
more secure protection. Two old Portuguese castles defend the
port, of which one is formidable from Its size and advantageous
situation on the summit of a peninsulated rock; the largest is called
by the Arabs, Nlaranee, or Mcrani, and the smaller, Jelalee, or
perhaps these names may bear some resemblance to the
urigiral appellations. There are also two batteries erected by
the Arabs.

,4 The population of Block is considerable, though its exact
amount is uncertain from the constant influx of foreigners, pro.
ductti by its extensive trade ; the merchants are numerous, some of
them possessing capitals 0f11,000,000 of dollars; among the citizens
arc 4,600 Bantams, or Benlani, whose industry Is particularly con.

" In the want of a correct data, I shall not probably exceed
the reality by stating the number of inhabitants in 1802, to
have been near 69,000. The common dress is a cloak of white
linen or fine muslin, with a turban to cover the bead, but such
expensive articles can only be afforded by those in good cir-
cumstances; eke poor here, as in the greater part of Arabia,
are half naked; and it h a general custom among them .o
wear a leathern girdle which keeps their rags together; this
ligature is so tight, that it forms a cicatrice on the skin of the
and saves to hold paper, an inkstand, a knife; in short, what.
ever they possess ; for an Arab, like another Diogenes, usually car.
rice all his worth upon his person. The women seldom wear veils,
except the wives of the Seks, who imitate the general dress of the
Oriental ladies, and the richer class of courtesans from Persia, and
other countries, who swarm in this capital, and are considered one
most beautiful women of Homan.

The municipal administration of Masai is directly superintended
by Seyd Said himself, or in his absence by some of his nearest re.
lations ; and the ,police resembles that of other Oriental cities, iu
being absolutely despotic, and often directed by superstition and
caprice ; however, the property of individuals is generally safe, and
particularly of Europeans, on account of the respect in which the
English are held : notwithstanding that the Arabs dete4t the
Franks, and are often laying plots against them, the traveller will
sometimes meet with instances of great ftiendship when he most
stands in need of assistance.

" In this country, exposed to a burning sun, totally without
amusement, and seeing no specimen of the ' human face divine' but
the brown sombre countenance of the Arab, a stranger suffers a de-
gree of melancholy, which often at length affects his health, as the
reader will perceive from my own experience in another part of this
work."