Trayels into the Levant. Part II 
Wind may not be faid properly to blow from L<?r, but from Courefion to the 
Sea. 
Gomm or The Town of Comronox Gomron^ other wife called Bender- AbaJJï, beeaufe it was 
Binder Abbafi; ^■^^ g^g^j Schab Abbas that began to put it in Vogue, is inconfiderable as to what 
it contains i for it is very little, and fcarcely deferves the name of a good Village i 
neverthelefs it is confiderable in refped of its fituation, which is very advanta- 
geous for Traffick. It is governed by a Chan, and has a Schah Bender, or Cu- 
Itomer to gather the Cuftoms which are worth much to the King of Perfta 
Part of the though one half of them belong to the Englijh, by vertue of the agreement 
Cuftoms be- (hey made with that Prince, when they affitted him in taking of Ormm ; but 
long to the ^j^^y ^cccivQ not the fourth part, the Ferfians giving them but as little as 
they can. 
There is very little then in this Town that is worth the obferving ; there is 
The Fort of only one publick Gate, zBazarznd afmallForton theSea-fide, which chiefly con- 
Bmdsr. fj(]-s in a fquare Platform of about four Fathom each Face, and fome two Fathom 
high: there are Port-holes in it for five or fix pieces of Cannon, but they have no 
more but two. The Etiglijh and Vutcb have each of them their Houfes very well 
built by the Sea-fide, with the Flag of their feveral Nations upon a high Pole on 
their Terralfcs. 
Two good Leagues to the SoMthrcard from the main Land, is that fo famed Jûc 
of Ormuf, which is at the mouth of the Gulf of Perfia, that reaches from thence 
Orms. to Bajfora^ which is the bottom of the Gulf. Ormus lies in the feven and twenti- 
eth Degree of North Latitude, diltant from Bajfora an hundred and fourfcore 
Leagues; it hath a Fort which was long held by the Portuguefe, until the year one 
thoufand fix hundred twenty two, that the great Schah Âbbas, King of Perfia^ 
aiïîfted by the E«g/i/^, took it from them by force. This Ifle which is but three 
Leagues in Circuit, is wholely barren, for it is all over Rock, that does not bear 
a pile of Grafs i nor has it a drop of Frefh water but what fails from the Sky, 
which the Inhabitants preferve in good Cifterns that are in the Fort, fo that they 
are obliged to bring every thing from the main Land. And neverthelefs, in the 
timecf the Portuguefe^ it had a very populous Town and exceeding rich, where 
all the Trade of the Indies was managed i ac prefent there remains no mark of it. 
The Fonu- and there is nothing Inhabited but the Fort. The Portugmfe loft that Ifland by 
guefe ^^^r the fault of the Governour, for all he needed to do was to have cut a little Ground, 
own fault. ^ let in the Sea- water, that would have furrounded the Fort, which ftands upon 
the point of the Ifland on the fide of Gomron, and then it would have been very 
hard to have maftered it. But out of a bravery or rather pride, which is natural 
to that people s this Governour made fo fmall account of his Enemies, and trufted 
' fo much to his own Valour, that he thought it would refleâ: upon him if he took 
any pains to make a Work to defend himfelf againft them; It is true alfo, there 
was a point of Honour in the Cafe, beeaufe he had not thought of that expedient 
himfelf, but was advifed to it by other Portugmfe -, for he anfwered haughtily, 
that he would not be taught by any man what he was to do. Neverthelefs bis 
llnfeafonable bravery not fuceeeding according to his expediation, and finding himfelf hard put 
bravery. tQ\i^ he became calmer, and gave confent, (but too late,) to follow that Counfel , 
for the Enemies were under the Walls, and at length he was forced to Surrender 
the place. So foon as the Perfians became Matters of it, they opened the Canal, 
as well knowing the importance of it. 
Oifters at Or- They catch excellent Oifters about the Ifle of Ormns h they are as fmall as Eng- 
lijh Oilkrs, but fo hard, that it is not poifible to open them with a Knife, nay it 
The Sand of is not very eafie neither to break them with a Hammer. Thj^Sand of Ormns is 
Ormus. alfo much talked of, for thedufting of writings and for that end a great deal of 
it is Tranfported into Chriftendom. 
Lmca. A League to the South- ff'efi of Ormus is the Ifle of Lareca, which is longer 
than Ormus, but the Ground as bad and Sandy. It reaches in length from North, 
tHorth-Weft, to South, South Eafi, and there is nothing remarkable in it, unlefs 
it be the Fort, and that is no great matter neither. The Dutch began it un- 
der colour of fettling a Fz&oty there i but the Perfjans fmelling cut their de- 
fign, drove them off and finifhed it : it is at prefent kept by a very few men. 
Error io Geo- A little farther off to the ffefi, South-Wejl, about a League and a half from La- 
^Smo ^^'^^^ though it be marked five in the Map, is the Ifle of ^efomo, which is twenty 
" Leagues 
