RACKMAH. 
of a conical figure. It blew fresh with a considerable swell. By 
twelve we were across, and discovered an archipelago of islands and 
rocks around the island above mentioned, which the pilot called 
Rackmah. . He informed us that there was a river, and very civil 
people, where every article was to be procured. As this was to me 
a very interesting assertion, I was greatly pleased by Captain Keys 
proposing that we should bear up and examine into the truth of 
it. At half after twelve we did so ; and with regular soundings as 
we approached the land ; at length cast anchor under the lee of the 
island, in four and a half fathom, with a hard sandy bottom. I asked 
the pilot if he could persuade the natives to come down to us, and 
1 would make them some presents. He said, no, they w^ould meet us 
on the beach, but would never come on board. This suspicion could 
not have originated without cause, and I fear that they, or their 
neighbours, have experienced ill treatment from European vessels. 
We saw several groves of trees, which made us hope the pilot had 
not deceived us. 
Mr. Salt wished to go to the village, which was at some miles 
distance tip a bay. He was accompanied by Mr. Hurst, the midship- 
man, and Hyder as an interpreter. I went in the boat to the island 
to examine it, and was attended in another boat by a Naig and 
three sepoys, my servant, and some lascars. We found an excellent 
landing-place about a mile and a half from the ship. No shells, 
that were new met our notice; we therefore ascended the hill, 
which was composed of a blackish brown stone that looked as if it 
had been burnt. Vegetation was nearly annihilated. I saw a Sali- 
cornia, an unknown shrub, and a species of Indigofera, of which I 
collected seeds. On descending to the opposite shore, I found the 
