DESCRIPTION OF ARABIA. 77 



scarcity of this most necessary article being thus 

 added to many other privations.* On this desolate 

 spot Colonel Murray and a detachment of British 

 troops were stationed during the French invasion of 

 Egypt at the beginning of the present century. 

 Lord Valentia has mentioned several errors dis- 

 covered by Captain Court, who completed his sur- 

 vey in 1806. He states, that the actual distance 

 between the island of Perim and the nearest part of 

 Africa is only ten miles and a half, instead of six- 

 teen, as laid down in the chart of Sir Home Pop- 

 ham ; that the distance between the two shores, in 

 latitude 13°, is only thirty-five miles, instead of fifty- 

 two ; and that there exists a shoal in that latitude 

 which narrows the channel to fifteen miles, and is 

 entirely omitted by Sir Home.f 



To the ignorance and rude apparatus of the Arabs 

 the Red Sea is still a dangerous passage. Not dar- 

 ing to venture into the open waters, the native pilots 

 coast round the shores, at the hazard of being 

 dashed in pieces upon jutting rocks, or stranded on 

 coral reefs. Their ordinary vessels are dows and 

 khanjas. The latter are large boats, but without any 

 deck, save a little on the bows and that of the fore 

 awning, under which is the cabin, open to the front, 

 but without ports or windows ; light and air being ad- 

 mitted through a neat open wicket at the side. Tliis 

 is all the improvement that has been made since the 

 days of Arrian, who speaks of the small boats made 

 of skins and plaited stuffs, or of single logs of wood 

 called monoxyla, which the ancient inhabitants used 

 for fishing pearls, employing osier baskets instead 

 of nets. J The dows are of a singular construction ; 



* Journey from India, chap. ii. t Travels, vol. ii. p. 403. 



t The rude structure of their boats in former times was more ■ 

 the effect of superstitioxi than of ignorance. " It was an ancient 

 prejudice of those frequenting the Erythra3an Sea," says Pro- 

 copius, " that rocks attracted iron, though the Roman ships 

 found no such thing." Hence the Arabs carefully excluded that 



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