1846.] PORT OF ABAI. 135 



showed themselves at the beach, and the rivers appeared 

 to be more troubled with rollers than on our former visit, 

 no time was lost here, but pushing on for Oosookan the 

 ship found a safe anchorage on its western side, within a 

 white rock, which is connected with the island. The 

 ' Samarang ' passed through this passage in four fathoms, 

 trusting to a former line of soundings, but the day fol- 

 lowing proved that she had a very narrow escape, several 

 of the rocks being very near the surface. Such how- 

 ever, is the common fate of Surveyors, who often pass 

 unwarily over dangers of considerable hazard. My at- 

 tention was now directed to the Port and River of Abai, 

 where, indeed, we hoped to obtain a supply of fresh 

 water, as well as bullocks from the Port of Ambong, im- 

 mediately within us. 



Of this region Dalyrmple remarks : 



" Tampassook, Abai, Loobook, and Amboong are inha- 

 bited by Mahometans, and form one jurisdiction. The 

 first a fresh-water river, with a bar of two fathoms at 

 high water ; it is fresh at the bar, and within, has three 

 and four fathoms, it is reported to come from the Lake of 

 Keeney Battoo, and has a gold mine near it. 



" The river of the Tampassook, a few miles inland, ap- 

 proaches very near that of Abai, which is salt for many 

 miles up, leaving a long narrow Isthmus between them ; 

 the natives have had some thoughts of directing the 

 Tampassook River across this into the channel of Abai, 

 which is even now accessible at all times by small vessels, 

 and would then probably be so by large. 



" The harbour and river of Abai are superior to any 

 between Sampanmangio and Pulo Gaya (and, indeed, is 



