ON THE ISLAND OF SOCOTKA. 493 



no afl5nity to any of tlic languages of the neighbouring coasts. Ifc sounds a 

 little like Kis Swahili, but not so soft. It is not Mahri, for the Sultan said 

 it in no way resembled it. The sound is not so guttural as Arabic, and 

 seems to require less effort in enunciation.' Somalis do not understand it. 

 Wellsted says the people of the opposite Arabian coast understand it, but 

 that is not the case. Perhaps Portuguese may have had something to do 

 with it. We made a vocabulary, which increases that of Wellsted, and 

 Captain Hunter, who has considerable knowledge of the tribes in that 

 region, is at present occupied with an investigation into its peculiarities. 

 But I liave not heard as yet the result of his studies. 



The fact that the Wahabbees visited the island accounts probably for 

 the absence of the many churches, or traces of them, said to exist in 

 ancient times on the island. Wellsted observed some ruins, believed to be of 

 a church. There are, however, still evident the ruined forts of the Portu- 

 guese. The largest of these is at Feraigey. No written records have been 

 found ; possibly such would disappear along with the churches. Wellsted 

 speaks of inscriptions on the rocks being visible. None of these were 

 seen by us. But on the Kadhab plain there occurs a broad pavement of 

 limestone, 50 yards long by 25 to 30 yards broad, whereon numerous 

 hieroglyphics are cut. The figures are not in line, and do not give the 

 idea of any continuous sentence, and they lie at all angles to one another 

 and varying distances. Some resemble foot- imprints, others distinctly 

 represent a camel, others are like St. Andrew's cross, others are of 

 most irregular form. _ Of their nature and date I am ignorant, and if any 

 member of the Section, learned in such matters, will aid in deciphering 

 the copies I brought of them I shall be indebted to him. 



The government of the island is in the hands of the Sultan of 

 Keshin and Socotra. At present two brothers are joint Sultans, and one 

 lives at Keshin, the other resides in Socotra. They are nephews of the 

 one who, in 1834, refused to sell the island to the British. The Sultan 

 has complete sway in Socotra. He has a residence on Gharriah plain, at 

 the base of the Haggler hills, and has also a palace in Tamarida, where he 

 dispenses justice. Under him each of the large villages has its sheikh or 

 head, and the island is divided into four sections, each of which is in 

 charge of a ranger. The Sultan alone has power to inflict punishment. 

 In each section the land is let out to the various tribes of Bedouins, both 

 for pasture and for the collection of gum, payment therefor being 'made 

 in ghi. The Sultan only reserves one portion of land for the collection of 

 dragon's-blood for himself. 



The trade of the island at present is small, ghi being the chief 

 export. It is carried on by buggalows from the Arabian coast. ' These 

 arrive m the first months of the year with coffee, rice, and other articles, 

 -which they exchange for ghi, aloes, orchella weed, &c., which they 

 take to Zanzibar, and, on their return, they bring coco-nut, bombe, and 

 American piece-goods. They dispose of as many of these as possible, 

 and take outward ghi, aloes, dragon's-blood, blankets, &c., and return to 

 Arabia. Pearl-fishers from the Persian Gulf at times visit the island 

 and dispose of their pearls. The Sultan takes tithe of all exports. 

 From ghi his revenue is about 500^, aloes bring him 250^, edah gives 

 80^, and other sources bring it up to 1,000^ a year, which, with his 

 stipend of 360;^ from the British, makes him a comparatively rich man 

 in this region.' 



Such, then, is a brief survey of Socotra as it is at the present day. 



