JOURNAL 



OF 



THE ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



No. 46.— October, 1835. 



1. — Report on some Inscriptions found at Hammam, on the Southern 

 Coast of Arabia, 1835. By Messrs. T. G. Hutton, Asst. Surgeon, 

 and Lieut. J. Smith, of the Palinurus Surveying Vessel. 



[Communicated to the Asiatic Society by the Government of Bombay. See 



Proceedings, 2nd Sept.] 



March \4th, 1835. — The accompanying inscriptions were found in 

 the neighbourhood of Dis, a Bedouin town, a few hours distance 

 from Ras Sharma, on the southern coast of Arabia. 



The natives who came off to the ship represented it as a populous, 

 well-cultivated district, abounding in vegetables and fruits of various 

 descriptions. Having learned from these persons that there were a 

 number of ancient buildings, and some writing in a character unknown 

 to the Arabs, we naturally felt an inclination to make a personal 

 inspection of them ; and to effect this with security, Captain Haines 

 sent our pilot, a native of the place, on shore, to request the Ruling 

 Sheikh to grant us his firman, and a few Bedouin attendants. In 

 reply, a letter was sent off, making a most exorbitant demand of 

 money, rice, copper, and sundry other very useful articles, specifying 

 the individual quantities with much nicety and precision, as a price 

 of his protection. This of course was politely declined ; and from a 

 subsequent conversation with some of the party themselves, they 

 appeared not only to regret the exercise of their cupidity, which had 

 deprived them of at least a few presents from the ship, but seemed 

 to be sensibly ashamed of a conduct so much at variance with the 

 hospitable treatment we had universally met with since leaving 

 Maculla. 



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