SOURCE OF THE NILE. 265 



~V£3Sfc— 



CHAP. XI. 



Occurrences at Jidda — V'tfit of the Vizir — Alarm of the Factory — -Gredt 

 Civility of the Englifh trading from India — Polygamy — Opinion of 

 Dr Arbuthnot ill-founded — Contrary to Reafon and Experience—— 

 Leave Jidda. 



TH E port of Jidda is a very extenfive one, confuting of 

 numberlefs flioals, fmall iilands, and funken rocks, 

 with channels, however, between them, and deep water. 

 You are very fafe in Jidda harbour, whatever wind blows, 

 as there are numberlefs flioals which prevent the water 

 from ever being put into any general motion; and you may 

 moor head and ftern, with twenty anchors out if you pltaie. 

 But the danger of being loft, I conceive, lies in the going in 

 and coming out of the harbour. Indeed the obfervation 

 is here verified, the more dangerous the port, the abler the pi- 

 lots, and no accidents ever happen. 



There is a draught of the harbour of Jidda handed about 

 among the Engli'ui for many years, very inaccurately, and 

 very ill laid down, from what authority I know not, often 

 condemned, but never corrected ; as alfo a pretended chart 

 of the upper part of the Gulf, from Jidda to Mocha, full of 

 foundings. As I was fome months at Jidda, kindly enter- 



VoL - L L 1 tamed, 



