I found this book on Project Gutenberg by a Westerner. It's called Modern Persia by Mooshie G. Daniel. It contains sympathetic accounts of the Bab and Babism.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21512/21 ... .htm#II_IVIn stature he was tall and slender, eyes black; eyebrows, heavy and long; beard, patriarchal. His countenance was very pleasant and attractive. In conversation with high and low classes of people alike he showed himself a servant of all. He was poetical, a great orator and a deep thinker. He wrote many beautiful poems. His epistles to his disciples were philosophical. His words in sermons touched the hearts of men. When orthodox Mohammedans saw that Bobeism was spreading among the people, the priesthood and the government joined in severely persecuting the disciples of the new faith. The disciples were scattered by this persecution to different cities which resulted in a still greater spread of the new doctrine.
This is quite the fascinating book! Factually, he isn't even incorrect in many aspects though he did get the Bab's given name wrong and his transliteration is obviously very poor.