PASSAGE DOWN THE KED SEA. 35 



voyage the thermometer on the saloon stair- 

 case, the coolest place in the ship, was at 87° at 

 noon. The islands in the Red Sea are so nu- 

 merous that one cannot remember half of them, 

 but the principal are the Zebor Islands on the 

 Arabian coast, twelve in number, called also 

 the Twelve Aj^ostles, and Jubbul Teyeer, Bird 

 Island, a partially extinct volcano, which occa- 

 sionally emits smoke. On the 25th, it being 

 Sunday, divine service was performed by the 

 captain, to a congregation of fully two hundred 

 persons, and the accompaniment to the hymns 

 was played on the harmonium by one of the 

 officers ; I have often attended services less 

 pleasingly performed on shore, and the congre- 

 gation appeared very devout. Our passage 

 down the Red Sea was rather tedious, for the 

 Pekin is a slow vessel, but such is the only 

 thing against her. In approaching Bah-el-Mun- 

 dub^ we so closely hugged the Arabian shore, as 

 to have a good view of Mocho, and passed near 

 the long low island of Perim, the subject, a 

 short time since, of a much-vexed political 

 question. 



AYe reached Aden at 1 a. m. on the 28th Oc- 

 tober, and one of the passengers having re- 



