Page 629 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

GULF OF PERSIA. 585

port where all the British and foreign trade with Persia centres. It is
walled in, and about two miles in circumference, Its bazar is well
supplied from the country with all sorts of provisions and fruits, and a
number of merchants reside here, who carry on a very extensive trade;
caravans arrive and depart daily. There is no water in the town that
is drinkable—all is brought from places about two or three miles distant.
The Shaikh or governor has, in addition to Bushire, all the places on
the coast from Bunda Dellim to Hal ilia, under his authority, and several
places fifteen or sixteen miles inland. His government is despotic in
the extreme, and having four ships, besides several large Buggalows, of
his own, he engrosses most of the freight, as he will not allow the mer­
chants to ship their goods on any other vessel until his are loaded, The
anchorage is in a road formed by two banks, two and a half miles off
the town, having from four to two and a half fathoms at low-water, soft
muddy bottom. The following directions will conduct a ship into the
roads, should she not be able to obtain a pilot; but I should always
recommend a pilot being obtained:—

DIRECTIONS FOR GOING INTO BUSIIIRE INNER ROADS.
A ship coming from the northward, with a northerly wind, should
stand along the bank extending off Rohilla Point in a line of four
fathoms, until she gets the flagstaff to bear N. 77° E., shipping in the
inner roads N. 41° E., or the Old House or Sand Island N. 47° E. ;
then haul up N. 573 E. (in doing which you will cross over hard sand), until
the flagstaff bears E., Old House N. 46° E., shipping N. 39° E. (In
crossing the hard sand, should a vessel decrease her water to less than
two and a half fa'horns, she should bear away more for the town, and haul
up immediately she increases that depth.) When the above bearings
are on, haul up as high as N. 19° E., carrying soundings from two and
three quarters to three fathoms, until the flagstaff bears S. 45° E., Old
House N. 60° E., shipping N.' 62° E. You may then with the ebb tide
bear away for the shipping, keeping a good look-out for the point of the
reef, which is nearly dry at low-water; but should the flood be running,
it would be advisable for a vessel to keep up about three quarters of a
point to windward of the shipping, and bear away when the point is
abreast of her.
A ship coming from the southward, with a southerly breeze, may-
stand along the low land in a line of three and a half or four fathoms
until the flagstaff bears N. 37° E., shipping N. 12° E., House on Shaikh
Shaad N. 2S° E.; then bear away N. 4° E. until the flagstaff bears S. 36°
E., shipping N. 52° E., Old House N. 51° E. (In standing along this
course, a ship will decrease her soundings at low-water to two and a

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