THE PENINSULA OF ADEN. 217 
which, as part of the great coast-terrace of Hadramaut, connects it 
with the mountains of Jemen and Assyr, and running due east and 
west, is bounded by Cape Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb ; projecting to the 
north, some projections and connecting chains, as we observed was the 
case with the first mentioned promontory. Between the two there are 
deep bays, the lower coast of which is still five to six miles (German) 
distant from the range of hills. The entrance is contracted by nume- 
rous rocky islands, sand-banks, and flats ; the promontory itself, 
broken and cleft in various ways, is skiried. n detached rocks. The 
outline of the range presents, on the whole, little variety : it seems rising 
from the sea in the shape of terraces, and to end in a table-land, 
bounded to the north by the fertile mountains of Jemen, the real 
Arabia Felix. There are no valleys ; but deep excavations break through 
the range, affording access to the table-land, and conveying torrents 
with stones to the coast in the cool season, during the few days of 
rain. 
The eastern promontory, Aden, forms a heart-shaped peninsula, of 
which the diameter from east to west is one mile and a half (German). 
It is connected with the main-land by a low sand-bank, which is under 
water during the spring tides. To the westward of this neck of land 
a spacious bay extends, between the low coast of the main-land 
and the peninsula, which is the principal harbour, yielding protection 
and security to ships from all winds. A smaller bay lies to the eastward, 
with an open, unsafe roadstead, directly in front of the town of Aden, 
before which there is a small rocky island. The entire coast of the 
peninsula is variously indented with numerous creeks, especially on the 
south side, which is constantly washed or overflowed by the breakers. 
Deschebel Schamschan, 1660 feet high, an extinct voleano, forms 
the centre of the peninsula, and has extended its basis to the cir- 
cumference of the island, by its lava and stones. The summit, which 
has the form of a horse-shoe, open towards the east, embraces an 
almost circular plane, or valley, which may probably be considered 
as the former crater. The sides are extremely precipitous towards 
the inner curve, and almost perpendicular; externally, they are many- 
pointed and torn, and furnished with huge projections. The prin- 
cipal rock here, as well as in the mountains of Jemen and on the 
opposite African coast, consists of trachyte ; frequently passing into 
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