bank of mangrove treea. This elevated crater-lake is called Kharif 

 Sha'rdn, and tte view from it is described as both romantic and 

 beautiful. Below tlie spectator are the dark waters of the 

 crater with its fringe of trees, while, on one side, are rocky 

 heights frowning over fertile valleys, and, on the other, the blue 

 sea, with an island or two in the distance '- At the town of 

 Kharijah, still further to the east, the country in places is again 

 fertile, abounding in grass and date-palms, with excellent pasture- 

 lands affording food to numerous herds of cattle ; but, with the 

 exception of these occasional oases, the coast-line is essentially 

 barren. 



Beyond "Ras Eehmdt the land is bold, with a succession of 

 rocky points ; but, a little to the east, the town of Al Ghaidhar 

 is embosomed in luxuriant groves of date-palms. Purther on is 

 the headland of E.as Banira, with its valley of the same name, 

 with palm trees, whilst the inland valleys here produce large 

 quantities of diira. The mountains that define them rise to an 

 altitude varying from 5000 to 6000 feet ; and their summits are 

 said to be occasionally covered with snow in the cold season. 

 Capt. Haines has stated, from personal observation, that heavy 

 and continuous rains fall in November and December, July and 

 August, and even in April and May ; and he records that he has 

 seen rain for three consecutive days. 



Prom Barum to Makallah, the coast is low, barren and sandy, 

 forming a slight bay with great mountains in the background, 

 chiefly composed of limestone, but with interbedded sandstones 

 and masses of granite and basalt. 



At Baj Makallah the hills come down to the sea, and above 

 the town they rise to about 300 feet as a reddish cliff, while above 

 this towers the flat-topped summit of Jebel Q-ara. A few miles 

 further on is the village of Bu Heish, surrounded by date-trees, 

 in a well-watered valley about 1| mile from the shore. Another 

 fertile district lies around the town Suku-l-Basir (the Grhai'l ba 

 Wazir of Hirsch), a few miles north-west of Shehr on the coast. 

 Sixty years ago, Capt. Haines found at the latter place much 

 tobacco, plenty of vegetables, good dates, and pure water. 

 Although other small oases are present, the coast-line from 

 Makallah to the cliffs of Hami, thirteen miles beyond Shehr, is 



' I have consulted Capt. Haines's original MS. preserved in the India Office. 

 It is illustrated by some stetches ; and among them there is a pen-and-ink 

 drawing of this lake taken from the margin of the crater. 



