166 
Wednesday y 25th March. 
We remained at anchor the whole of the day. Our 
vessel, which had been already laden very heavily, was 
now still more so, on account of 300 quintals of coffee 
which had been brought clandestinely in small boats 
from Djedda, without paying any duties. It belonged, 
they said, to Sidi Alarbi Djilani, the principal merchant 
in the city, and my friend. I received in fact a letter by 
one of the boats from this personage, in which he re- 
commended me to one of his friends, who lived at 
Medina. The ship proved to be too heavily laden with 
this increase of cargo, and made much water. 
Some other ships received also an overload of this 
contraband trade, while the whole fleet remained at 
anchor. 
I observed the passage of the Sun, and had for lati- 
tude 22 q 18' 11", which confirms that which I had 
obtained by the passage of Mars. 
Between us and the main land was an extensive 
island, very little elevated above the surface of the 
water. The Captain descended into the boat with the 
nets, and returned with some fish. 
The shore is very low for a league inland, at which 
distance commences a series of high and craggy isolated 
mountains. I perceived several small woods and trees, 
planted here and there, but the mountains appeared to 
me to be entirely naked. 
The weather was almost always cloudy. In the after- 
noon the wind freshened, and the sea appeared at a dis- 
tance to be agitated with a frightful hurricane, whilst 
we were entirely quiet at our anchorage. 
