NATURAL HISTORY. 



563 



direction from Dalmy, in latitude 

 25° 1' N. longitude, per cln-ono- 

 meter, 52° 2o' E. is very low, 

 nearly on a level with the sea, about 

 two miles in length, and very nar- 

 row ; the colour of the sand so 

 nearly resembles the horizon in 

 hazy weather, that great caution 

 and a good look-out are requisite 

 when approaching it. 



Sherarou Island. — To the north 

 westerly direction of Danie, in 

 latitude 25° 13' N. longitude, per 

 chronometer, 52° IS' E. bearing 

 NNW. 12 miles, appears low, with 

 two small hummocks on each ex- 

 tremity ; and off the nortliern 

 point, at half a mile, a small rock 

 projects above water, and a few 

 smaller rocks off some white sandy 

 bays at the foot of the hummocks, 

 which appear formed of dark me- 

 tallic suljstance : the island is nar- 

 row, and about three or four miles 

 in length : in a north-western di- 

 rection from this isle, the coast 

 ought to be approached with care, 

 as it is \ery low, but said to be 

 clear of shoals . 



The channel between Danie and 

 Sherarou is clear of shoals, but 

 the 0% crfalls are rather sudden ; 

 but we had not less than 3| fa- 

 thoms, sand and a mixture of white 

 coral. 



Huwlool Island. — North easterly 

 direction of Sherarou, in latitude 

 25° 41' N. longitude, per chrono- 

 meter, 52° 23' E. bearing NNW. 

 distance 10 miles, appears high in 

 the centre, gi-adually decreasing at 

 each extremity ; no trees and no 

 appearance of vegetation ; the 

 water deep close too. 



'J'he above described islands ap- 



pear formed of the same metallic 

 substance as the islands of Polior, 

 the tombs, &c. &c. off the Persian 

 side of the Gulph, of a brownish 

 colour, their base being formed of 

 coral. They are said not to pro- 

 duce any good fresh water j but, 

 by digging wells, I have every 

 reason to imagine from tlie ap- 

 pearance of the soil, and what I 

 witnessed on the island of Arzenie, 

 the rain having formed high banks 

 by the rapidity of its torrents, good 

 water might be procured. I do 

 not imagine any of these i.slands 

 are equal to much cultivation with- 

 out the aid of considerable indus- 

 try ; but their situation appears 

 particularly convenient, as they 

 are placed nearly in the centre of 

 a very extensive pearl fishery, on 

 which the finest pearls in the 

 world are produced — the season 

 for the fishery from April to Sep- 

 tember : the extent of the bank is 

 200 miles in length, east and west, 

 and north and south 70 miles. 



The exact position of these is- 

 lands I am afraid will not be found 

 quite accurate, as their positions 

 are stated merely from cross bear- 

 ings, and the strongly heated at- 

 mo.ephere had consideiably affected 

 the rate of my chronometer ; and 

 the sun and moon not being within 

 distance together, with occasionally 

 hazy weather, caused some dif- 

 ficulty to be surmounted with re- 

 spect to judging of the imaginary 

 distance off shore, but 1 hope their 

 situations are sufficiently accurate 

 to render the strangers to this side 

 of the Gulph some assistance in 

 navigating thcLr vessels. 



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Dau6t 



