KAIS. 
31 
We made little way on the 23d, as the wind continued to blow fresh 
from the north-west, but weathered the island of Kenn, which is a low 
slip of land, and partially covered with trees, mostly date, and is situated 
twelve miles from the main. 
This island, called Kais by the natives, makes a considerable figure 
in Persian history, and is particularly mentioned in the Tarikh al 
Wasaf, a book highly esteemed by the Persians. Its history, as related 
to me by the Persian Ambassador, is founded on a tale, which perhaps 
may remind us of Whittington and his cat; for it is stated, that in the 
700th year of the Hejira, in the town of Siraf lived an old woman, 
with her three sons, who turning out profligates, spent their own patri¬ 
mony and their mother’s fortune, abandoned her, and went to live at 
Kais. A little while after, a Siraf merchant undertook a trading 
voyage to India, and freighted a ship. It was the custom of those 
days, that when a man undertook a voyage to a distant land, each of 
his friends intrusted to his care some article of their property, and 
received its produce on his return. The old woman, who was a friend 
of the merchant, complained that her sons had left her so destitute, 
latitude of the Great Tomb we found to be 26 ° 14' N, and its longitude 55° 19' 45" East, 
making the distance 8*7 miles between the Great and Little Tomb. 
The following day we were detained by light winds between Polior and Nobfleur, two 
barren and uninhabited islands. The bearings applied to our latitude observed, reduced 
from noon, made the middle of Polior in latitude 26° 18' N. and longitude 54° 36' 45", and 
by our observations carried on, we remarked, that it was 25*5 miles from the Little Tomb 
to Polior. The latitude and longitude of Cape Certes were ascertained from two stations, 
the base line of which, on a course of S. 85° W. measured 24 miles, when at the first 
station the latitude was 26° 32' 15" N. and longitude 54° -12' 45" E. and at the second 26° 
31'N. latitude, and 54° 42' 15" E. longitude. 
On the 22d February we saw the Hill of Charrack, conspicuous above the other moun¬ 
tains, and in the shape of the roof of a barn. At 9 A. M. our latitude was 25° 59' N. and 
our longitude by the time-pieces 54° 20' 52" East. The extremes of the islands of Serdee 
then bore S. 60° E. to S. 48° E. which by ci’oss bearings made our distance from the middle 
of Nobfleur 10*5 miles, bearing N. 42° E., and fi’om Serdee 13 miles, which applied to the 
above bearings, reduced to the true by allowing for the variation of the compass, 8° West, 
will make the latitude of Nobfleur 26° OJ' N., longitude 54° 27' 20" E., and Serdee in lati¬ 
tude 25° 53' N. and in longitude 54° 18' 30" East. 
