astions, which was charged with upwards of forty barrels of powder, it
was exploded on the 17th of March, by which a practicable breach was
made in the salient angle of the bastion. The Persians made immediately
a fierce assault, and Shah Culi Beg got possession of the bastion with
200 of his bravest men, and maintained himself there for at least three
hours; but the Portuguese made a brave defence, and with powder-pots,
scalding lead, and other devices of fire, did much hurt to the
assailants, burning, scalding, and slaying many of them, so that the
Persians were at last driven out with considerable loss, most of them
being wounded, scalded, or scorched. On the same day, the city was set
on fire in several places, by the command of the Persian general, as was
reported, because his Arab soldiers lurked among the houses, and could
not be got forth to do any service in the siege.

To the number of four or five thousand men, we were now cooped up in a
barren island without shelter, producing nothing in itself except salt;
and I know not by what mistaken policy the general had been induced to
send away all the rice and other victuals, by which means we were
reduced to depend upon the continent for a daily supply of provisions,
and even water; so that, if a fleet of Portuguese frigates had come, as
was expected, we must have been famished, as the country boats durst not
have ventured to us from the main. The rain water in the open cisterns
was daily wasted, and became brackish, no care being taken to fill the
jars and private cisterns in almost every house, while it remained good.
The Persians are quite ignorant in the art of war, for they entered the
breach without fear, precaution, or means of establishing themselves;
and they lost with shame what they might have defended with honour. I
observed other defects in their management, even of the very sinews of
war; and I am astonished that Shah Abbas, the wonder of our age, should
have sent his army on this expedition so weakly provided with money,
arms, ammunition, ships, and all other necessaries. I am even satisfied
that all the money belonging to the khan was consumed in one month's pay
to our ships, and I fear we shall have to wait for the rest till the
plunder is converted into money. In regard to arms and ammunition, they
have only small pieces, with bows and arrows, and swords, some of their
chiefs having coats of mail. They were so scarce of powder, that after
blowing