Fresh Water Springs at the Bottom of the Sea. 141 



the possession of the Ootoobies, a powerful tribe of Arabs from 

 the desert opposite. About one and a half or two miles to flie 

 north-east lies the little island of Arad; merely a low sandy islet, 

 with a few date trees upon it, and a hamlet composed chiefly of 

 fishermen's huts. The harbour for shipping is formed between 

 Bahrain and Arad islands, from which project extensive reefs of 

 rocks. The depth of the harbour is from three to four and a 

 half fathoms, with a sandy bottom. On the western and north 

 sides of Arad, at some distance from the beach, are springs of 

 fresh water gushing from the submarine rocks, where the salt 

 water flows over them at the depth of a fathom or two, accord- 

 ing to the state of the tides. Some of the fresh water springs 

 are close by the beach, and here the fishermen fill their jars or 

 tanks without difficulty, but many of the springs are distant 

 from the shore ; and whenever the fishermen on the bank near 

 them require water, they bring their boat close over the spring, 

 and one of the crew dives under the surface of the salt water 

 with a leathern mussuck, or tanned skin of a goat or sheep, and 

 places the neck or mouth of it over the spring. The force of the 

 spring immediately fills the bag with fresh water, and the man 

 ascends without difficulty to the surface, and empties his cargo 

 into a tank, and he descends continually to replenish his mus- 

 suck, until the tank be filled. Captain Maughan was told that 

 some of the springs are in three fathoms water. The mussuck 

 they use may contain from four to five gallons ; the people who 

 generally fish about these islands are pearl divers, accustomed 

 to dive in twelve and fourteen fathoms water for pearls. They 

 are a quiet, and, if not molested, a harmless race of Arabs ; 

 during the summer time they wear but little clothing. There 

 are also springs of fresh water under the sea near the north- 

 eastern part of Bahrain island. From all that Captain Maughan 

 could learn, above thirty springs of fresh water have been dis- 

 covered in the sea in the neighbourhood of Bahrain and Arad. 



The sandy beaches of the neighbourhood are composed of 

 the usual sea-sand, chiefly composed of broken corallines and 

 shells. The nearest high land is the coast of Persia opposite, 

 about Cape Verdistan, Kongoon, Assiloo, &c. ; and it is com- 

 posed chiefly of sandstone, black coarse marble, and gypsum. 



