1860.] Geological Specimens from the JPersian Gulf. 363 



Maharag is situated is surrounded by freshwater springs which, as 

 before stated, are over-flown at high-water ; and in addition to these 

 there are others which bubble up through the island itself. 



" There are also many which issue through the northern part of the 

 island of Bahreyn, but they appear to be confined to this part of the 

 island and are not found southward. 



" I regret that I had not an opportunity of getting geological 

 specimens of the island of Bahreyn, the highest point of which is 

 about 400 feet above the level of the sea. 



" Eeverting to the spring from which the " Mahi" was supplied 

 with water, I would add that, besides being 10 miles from Manama, 

 it is 7 miles also from the nearest land which is the "N. W. point 

 of the island of Bahreyn. There is a snug anchorage cióse to it in 

 a bight between reefs ; the place is called ' Khor Fusht,' and a 

 vessel lying there is sheltered from all winds. It has this convenience, 

 viz. that the water is deep cióse to the reef, so that a vessel can lie 

 cióse to the spring. The difficnlty, however, is to fmd the spring, 

 because even at low water, there is from 2 to 3 feet over it. 



" Lastly about 30 miles N. W. of Bahreyn, near Al Katif, is a 

 small island called ' Deman,' five miles oíf which, in the sea, is another 

 freshwater spring on a point of the reef called ' Basal Khali,' it has 

 also three feet of sea over it at low tide." 



Having thus added what Captain Constable has kindly given me 

 respecting the "freshwater área" as it may be termed, of the 

 Persian Gulf, let us proceed still northward to the head of the Gulf ? 

 keeping on the Arabian side, and the first islands that we pass are 

 those of El Kran, Arabi, Farsi and Hurgooz, which in my last report 

 I have stated to be composed of limestone-gravel milliolite, and still 

 further northward we come to those of Om el Maradim, G-aru, and 

 Kubbar, of which the geological specimens now before me give the 

 same composition. 



But the point of most interest communicated to me by Captain 

 Constable respecting this part of the Gulf, is that of his having 

 sailed through two floating tracts of Naphtha here at different 

 intervals, respectively cióse to the two groups of islands last mention- 

 ed, making this, as it were, the " Naphtha arca" of the Gulf. Of 

 these phenomena Captain Constable states as follows : — 



3 B 



