﻿Saeiien 
  island. 
  27 
  

  

  than 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  this 
  : 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  soaks 
  for 
  an 
  

   unknown 
  distance 
  inland, 
  through 
  the 
  porous 
  volcanic 
  material, 
  the 
  level 
  

   of 
  this 
  inland 
  subterranean 
  water 
  rising 
  and 
  falling 
  with 
  the 
  tide. 
  There 
  

   is, 
  in 
  fact, 
  an 
  inland 
  tide, 
  decreasing 
  in 
  amount 
  (on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  drag 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  resistance 
  offered 
  by 
  the 
  ash, 
  &c 
  , 
  to 
  the 
  free 
  passage 
  of 
  water) 
  

   to 
  some 
  line 
  where 
  it 
  becomes 
  zero, 
  and 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  remains 
  at 
  a 
  

   constant 
  level. 
  The 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  amphitheatre, 
  then, 
  soaks 
  downwards 
  

   until 
  it 
  reaches 
  the 
  inland 
  salt 
  water, 
  over 
  which, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   difference 
  in 
  specific 
  gravity, 
  it 
  flows 
  onward 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  At 
  high 
  tide, 
  

   therefore, 
  the 
  drainage 
  reaches 
  the 
  sea 
  through 
  ash 
  which 
  is 
  never 
  wetted 
  

   by 
  salt 
  water, 
  while 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  it 
  percolates 
  through, 
  and 
  washes, 
  material 
  

   from 
  which 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  has 
  just 
  retired. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  hot 
  spring 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  known 
  source 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  

   its 
  potable 
  character 
  is 
  of 
  importance 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  sulphur 
  

   question. 
  "When 
  sipped 
  in 
  small 
  quantity, 
  fresh 
  from 
  the 
  spring, 
  the 
  

   water 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  fairly 
  good, 
  1 
  the 
  heat 
  apparently 
  disguising 
  its 
  taste, 
  

   but, 
  after 
  cooling, 
  it 
  is 
  manifestly 
  brackish, 
  and 
  most 
  unpalatable, 
  so 
  

   much 
  so 
  that, 
  during 
  our 
  stay 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  steamer 
  

   was 
  exclusively 
  used 
  for 
  drinking 
  and 
  cooking. 
  While 
  water 
  containing 
  

   70 
  grains 
  of 
  saline 
  matter 
  per 
  gallon 
  is 
  considered 
  bad, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  

   spring 
  contains 
  over 
  £00, 
  and 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  carbonates 
  were 
  precipitated 
  by 
  

   boiling 
  the 
  quality 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  very 
  greatly 
  improved. 
  

  

  Were 
  there 
  a 
  sufficient 
  object 
  in 
  procuring 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  better 
  water, 
  

   Better 
  water 
  probably 
  {t 
  could 
  probably 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  sinking 
  inland, 
  

   obtainable 
  from 
  wells. 
  A 
  we 
  ]]^ 
  f 
  or 
  i 
  ns 
  tance, 
  at 
  the 
  western 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  newer 
  cone, 
  would 
  probably 
  yield 
  water 
  less 
  brackish 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  

   spring, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  closely 
  analogous 
  position 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  

   in 
  the 
  cantonment 
  at 
  Aden 
  which 
  yield 
  drinkable 
  liquid. 
  2 
  The 
  ground 
  

   might, 
  however, 
  be 
  found 
  too 
  hot 
  to 
  dig 
  through, 
  and 
  better 
  water, 
  at 
  a 
  

   lower 
  temperature, 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  at 
  the 
  debouchure 
  of 
  the 
  water- 
  

   course 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plain. 
  But 
  water 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  depended 
  on 
  

  

  1 
  It 
  bas 
  been 
  reported 
  of 
  good 
  quality 
  by 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  visitor 
  to 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  2 
  Vol. 
  VII, 
  p. 
  265. 
  

  

  ( 
  m 
  ) 
  

  

  