The New York herald., 1870-02-01
THE PERSIAN GULF
City Life and Social Customs
I'm Arabia.
The Slave System and Slaves from
Abyssinia.
British EncrOnchm m cnfs at
Muscat.
Decline Of American Commerce ON
tho Coast.

tho Coast
MrscAT, Dec. 10, 1859.
Although there IL direct IN AL line between Nus
eat and India tnere probably little really known
m Calcutta or Bombay OF what life and society arc
here ike AZ n Paris or New York. Anglo Indians
viii tell you that Muscat IL Deastly little Arab
satyn-the hottest hole ont or pandemonium-in .
chronic state of epidemic typhoid fever-containing
nothing to eat pus dates, ash and cames' milk, and
inhabited by a band OF nerce and intolerant fana-
tics who count pious act to the throat OF
mhdei. This Is somewhat exaggerated version Of
she truth. Your correspondent has stayed here
couple OF weeks, and mas had rather y good time
1han otherwise and perhaps the results of his Oh
eervations may pe OF interest.
But lt is not everybody who knows where Muscat
b without rrst consulting q geographical diction-
ary. 1t Is therefore well, perhaps to that
xuscat Is the capital city and seat Of government
Of the province OF Oman which consists OF long
strip OF country along the southeastern and southern
shores Of Arabia. From the time OF Mahomet until
the fifteenth century oman was part OF the saracen
empire. Then 1t was conquered by the Portuguese
under Albuquerque, who held 1t for century and
half; and after passing for short time into the
hands OF the Perslans o patriotic sheikh, named
ALmed-ebn- Saeed, declared the country ndepcn.
cent and proclaimed himself Sultan. the sover-
eighty or Oman has ever since remained IN his
family; and until very lately the dynasty was an
exceptionally good one. Muscat was IN its zenith
about thirty years ago. 1t could then boast navy
Of thirty vessels; ana as the Sultan furnished
voys for the protection of traders against the
pirates who then infested the waters OF the gull,
Huscat became the centre OF trade. Tue English
Gunboats have, however, now eiectually suppressed
.pnccaneering, and great deal Of commerce which
.used formerly to come 10 Muscat now nows direct
80 the other parts OF the gulf-to Llnga. Bunder
Abbas and BusnTe. FROM Ihis cause aud the folly
OF Its later rulers Muscat Ii steadily declining. The
snly civilized sailing craft that now come here are
Sour or i've American ships who load dates for Bos
ton, and occasionally little French schooner. The
English trade is all done by means either of the
steamships which call mere fortnightiy on their way
VD and down the Persian Gulf or OF native bugga-
lows. 1t may here DO mentioned that the United
States is one of the three Powers that have secured
70 their citizens by treaty the privilege OF CONNER
cial intercourse with Muscat.
For OF mites along uhts side Of Arabia tile
and Muscat IS situated at the head OF little bay
formed by TWO spurs running down from this range
sarrounaed BY masses OF dun brown rock, over
which you Will wander vainly In search OF tut OF
moss Or . blade 81 grass Tney s, are absolutely
even hint OF verdure. But perhaps II Is tnls very
sterlty OF Its surroundings thai gives Muscat such
q pleasing appearance when viewed iron point
sufficiently remote from the smells OF lts least
spectacle quarters to allow OF impartial criticism.
II only the dwellings, inside the walls be reckOned
the city 10 somewhat less than half mile square,
ana "a but better class Of people afford
aness houses are all Of considerable SIZE and Seing
faced with light coored Htucco ana huddled TO-
ssnce to to DIST distinguish the narrow = N passages @ tnat nat
divide them tney seem but single mass OF white
darker INT Of sne nils that rise SHARPLY az On each
side OF them. As you come nearer, however, ana as
AAlp hrnf m n nU,n 4
invade your nostrils, you notico that these
.Dienaid piles oi buildings are IN . very
dilapidated condlion, many OF them, In fact,
being merely mass Of ruins As TO streets, there
are none there arc passages between the houses,
feet in width frequently less, and are never tra-
versed by q wheeled venlcle. The Sultan, when he
sometimes on norseDacK. am told there IL no car
Tiage OF any description IN the country.
In MaseaJ all tue houses are outit On pretty much
The same model-a thin shell Of buildings, one room
tnck, enclosing an interior quadrangle. Some OF
them have balconies running round the outside, bat
more nave yerandas round The little open square IN
tho centre. The roofs are nat, and tue windows are
merely oplong holes, projected from tne genera.
public partly by wooden shutters and parlly by
ycreens OF plaster lattice work. All OF these houses
date back to remote antiquty there are very few IN
l am living In was built at the beginning
OF the last century. and has not been re-
pared or even waitewashed within tue memory
OF man. Its walls have suffered sadly rrom time,
ilI-usage and rough weather; on the outside the
plaster has in many places fallen away, exposing
Ine rough stones That form the body OF the wall,
wnlle on the INSIDE the c1pnam has acquired Pc
culiar dingy brown hue from smoke and constant
contact with the SKINS OF Ethiopian slaves In the
room where ne dine pare or the WalI has been car.
ried away BY cannon shot ilred during the rcvoiu-
ttun OF three years ago. My no3r preserves the bah
as o curiosity; he was shaving when It took tue
liberty OF entering the room Then one staircase is
partly broken down add the wooden columns OF the
veranda, cracked with the heat, have staggered
away from the perDendicuiar ana threaten soou TO
Inll And the whole house mas an Hlr Of fcebleness
and decay, and 1t requires bus slight exercise of
fancy 10 people ITS gloomy corners with the gaosts
OF generations OF lazy Arabs and OF their wives,
concubines, eunucns and negro slaves who lived
here before 1t came into the occupation OF Frank.
only ones OF any importance are tue forts OF wnch
there TWO Of considerable sze one at each side
the city, whie there are four smaller ones perched
on various ni peaks, two OF tncm commanding the
pass which leads into Muscat from tns interior. and
she other Two guarding the extreme mouth OF the
h2rbor. All these forts are very OLD, ana when a
salute fred the dust falls out from tho cracks IN
she walls and the whole STRUCTURE shakes ana tren-
bles a. though is were ABOUT TO tumble down. The
Imaum lives . large house, in ncwise remarkable
for cleanliness or neatness The ruins OF the Old
Portugesc Governors palace are still standing, but
are remarkable nothing except their age.
AL the poorer classes iiya OUTSIDE the ga:cn In
miserable little nuts made out Of a few poles and
palm leaf matching. Here also are OF tue pro-
vision shops dates, caneis mix, nsh. locusts and
Q sweetmeet known as hulwan peing the principal
articles OF trade But these villages are only allowed
to stay here during The piping times OF peacc.u
whenever Muscat Ii bcsie2ed as It generally IS once
down, lest they should give cover TO the enemy,
whils their Inhabitants are brought inside the walls
vi
less they generally no. they sensiby Detake tham-
selves to the quIeest corner oI the county they
nnd.
The population OF Muscat comprises Arabs ne
0roes, Hindoo5 Beioochees. The Arabs f0rla
about q third anu the negroes another third ine
HDdoos are nearly oil merchants OF the "Danianu
caste; they come almost exclusively from Cutcn aud
Rajpootana; ana now nearly al tue trade os tne place
Ii in their hands. The Be0ochees are nussulInans
but are looked down upon by the ARABIA ~ al lnie
But OF course the main staple or the population
IRE the Arabs ana their negro slaves the Arab mere
mas much the same appearance and character that
he Is credited with IN the ARABIAN Nights" and
elsewhere. He wears the same long beard, not un-
frequently dyed auburn red, which, according to
tradition was the nue. OF that or ths prophet; MS
head Is covered with The same hinge turban; his
clothes such as he has are Of the ioosess
and easiest shape; aud in his gfrdfe s stuck
q curved dagger, with highly decorated hit; and
ne Is o model Of laziDess and patience and placid
contentment and inactive benevolence. bow no
lives IN q mystery. Some Arabs are certainly to be