animals of every kind. The people are for the most part black, and their wealth consists more in animals than in other things. We remained here one day, and then set sail and took the route towards Persia. rative. He left Damascus on the 8th of April, reached Meccah in six weeks, and remained there several days at least. Was twelve days travelling to El-Medînah, where he also sojourned some time before starting for Juddah. He was detained a fortnight at the latter place, and was seventeen days more making the voyage to Aden. At Aden he was imprisoned for two months before being sent to Radâä, where he arrived during the hot weather, for grapes were in season, and on his release he travelled through a great part of Yemen, which occupied him not less than six weeks more. These periods combined make between seven and eight months, so that he probably left Aden about the middle of December, when the north-easterly monsoon was fully set in, and the fair at Berbera was at its height. THE BOOK CONCERNING THE CHAPTER CONCERNING DIUOBANDIERRUMI, AND WHEN We had sailed about twelve days we arrived at a city which is called Diuobandierrumi,' that is, " Diu, the port of 1 Though Varthema heads this chapter as relating to Persia, the two places first named obviously belong to the Indian province of Guzerat, and the change in the course of the vessel in which he sailed, originally bound for the former country, may have been caused by the shipment of cargo for those places at Zaila and Berbera, between which and the Sômâli coast there is still considerable traffic. Diu Bander er-Ram, which our traveller correctly renders "Diu the Port of the Turks" (or Greeks,) but which Eden, following the doubtful Latin version, mistranslates "The holy porte of Turkes," is undoubtedly the small island of Diu, situated in the Gulf of Cambay, at that period subject to Mahmûd Bigarrah, the reigning Sultân of Guzerat. I have sought in vain for the distinctive title which Varthema gives it, and which is Arabic in its form, in any other writer either before or after his time. The author of the Kurrat el-'Ayûn mentions a severe hurricane "at Bander Diu in the Indian Sea," in the month of January 1495, wherein many vessels were lost; and the Ruuh er-Ruah records the death, five years later, of one 'Abdallah ibn Muhammed ibn 'Alowi, a famous Seyyed of Yemen, "at Bander Diu in India ;" but the suffix "Er-Rûmi" never occurs in their works in connexion with the place. The following extract from the Histoire des Voyages, relating the events of 1530, though it fails to solve the difficulty, goes to prove that the name was familiar in those parts, and that foreigners styled " Rûmi" or " Rûm" resided at Diu about that period :-" Badur [Bahadur], qui avait succédé au tron de Cambaye, se crut redevable de son salut à Mustapha. Il lui accorda pour récompense le gouvernement de Baroche, avec le titre de Rumi, the Turks," which city is situated a short distance from the mainland. When the tide rises it is an island, and when it falls you can pass over on foot. This city is subject to the Sultan of Combeia, and the captain of this Diuo is one named Menacheaz. We remained here two days. There is an immense trade in this city. Four hundred Turkish merchants reside here constantly. This city is surrounded by walls and contains much artillery within it. They have certain vessels which are called Thalae, which are somewhat less than galleys. We departed thence and went to a city which is called Goa,1 distant from the above about three parce qu'il était Grec, et celui de Kan. Ainsi nous le verrons paroitre désormais sous le nom de Rumi-Kan." Vol. i. p. 118. The town of Diu is situated at the eastern extremity of the island, and is well fortified, being surrounded by a wall strengthened with towers at regular intervals. The channel between the island and the mainland is navigable only for fishing-boats and other small craft. Notwithstanding the excellence of the harbour for ships of moderate draught, there is but little traffic. (See THORNTON'S Gazetteer of India.) In this latter respect the place must have fallen off considerably since Varthema's time. M. Cæsar Fredericke, who visited it A.D. 1563, describes it as "a small city, but of great trade, because there they lade very many great ships for the straights of Mecca and Ormus with merchandise." (HAKLUYT'S Voyages, vol. ii.) Diu was captured by the Portuguese in 1515, and remains in their possession still. In 1539 they repelled an attack on the place by the Turkish fleet under Suleiman Pasha, who was obliged to return to Suez. On his way thither he remained some time at Zebîd, exciting the people to revolt, with a view to extort money from the Imâm. Such is the opinion of the author of the Ruăh er-Ruăh, who adds:-"I have, moreover, heard from credible witnesses, that he accepted rich gifts from the powers in India to induce him not to prosecute the war in that quarter." 1 This was unquestionably Goghâ, or, as it is now usually called, Gogo, a town situate in the peninsula of Katty war, on the western shore of the Gulf of Cambay, about one hundred miles to the north-east of Diu. Forbes describes it at present as "a neat and thriving seaport town, containing upwards of eight thousand inhabitants, and possessing the best roadstead in the Gulf of Cambay. Its seamen, called Goghârees, partly of the Mohammedan faith, and partly Koolee or Hindoo, the descendants of the navigators fostered by the kings of Unhilwâra, still maintain their ancient reputation, and form the best and most trusted days' journey. This Goa is a district of large extent and great traffic, and is fat and wealthy. The inhabitants, however, are all Muhammedans. We quitted Goa and went to another district called Guilfar, which is most excellent and abounding in everything There is a good seaport there, from which port setting sail with propitious winds we arrived at another port which is called Meschet.2 portion of every Indian crew that sails the sea under the flag of England. On the south-west corner of the town, and outside the circuit of the present wall, may, however, be observed the site of the ancient citadel...The situation was admirably selected for defensive purposes, being the highest in the neighbourhood, and commanding an extensive view of the gulf and the island of Perumbh, or Peerum, on the one side, and on the other of the whole country as far as the foot of the Khokura hills." (Râs Mâlâ, vol. i. p. 318.) In Hamilton's time (1688-1723) Gogo was "governed by an officer from the Great Mogul." It was taken from the Mahrattas by the British in 1805, and now forms part of the district of Ahmedabad. 1 From Gogo, Varthema must have crossed the Indian Sea and entered the Persian Gulf, for Julfâr is situated within the Gulf, on the western side of Mussendom, about twenty miles to the south of that cape. It is one of five towns belonging to the Shihiyyîn Arabs, and its inhabitants form the more stationary and civilized portion of that tribe, being engaged chiefly in pearl-fishing, trade, and agriculture. Their food consists of dates, wheat, barley, meat, and fish in abundance. The remainder of the tribe is occupied in gaining a precarious livelihood by fishing in the small bays on the coast, or in wandering over the arid rocks of the interior, which supply a scanty vegetation for their flocks. The male adults of the tribe are said to amount to 14,000. Julfâr was captured by the Portuguese in the early part of the sixteenth century. They maintained an establishment there, protected by a fort, for the purpose of pearl-fishing, until their expulsion from the gulf, when it reverted to the Arabs. In 1819 the town and fort were destroyed by a combined British and Máskat expedition, in retaliation for several acts of piracy committed by vessels belonging to the tribe. * Máskat (Muscat), the principal seaport town of the province of Oman, or, more correctly, 'Ammân. As that place is situated on the north-east coast of Arabia, bordering the Indian Sea, in lat. 23° 28′ N., long. 59° 19′ E., a retrograde voyage was made of two hundred miles. The native vessel, however, does not appear to have had a fixed course, although her destination on leaving Aden was the Persian Gulf; but the Arab skipper was probably guided in his movements by the THE CHAPTER CONCERNING ORMUS, A CITY AND ISLAND OF PERSIA, AND HOW THEY GET VERY LARGE PEARLS AT IT BY FISHING. Pursuing our journey, we departed from Meschet and went to the noble city of Ormus,1 which is extremely beautiful. freights which he picked up here and there on the coast, and our traveller availed himself of the opportunities thus afforded to satisfy his desire for seeing new countries. It was Máskat, at the period of Varthema's visit, was governed by a native sovereign who resided at Nezwa, two days' journey inland. captured by the Portuguese, together with several other places on the Bâtinah coast, in the early part of the sixteenth century. They retained possession till 1640, when they were expelled from the country by Sultan Bin Seif, in whose family the sovereignty of Ammân remains to the present day. 1 'Abd er-Razzâk, who visited the island of Hormuz sixty years before Varthema, speaks in similar terms of its commercial prosperity. (See India in the Fifteenth Century, HAKLUYT SOCIETY'S Publications, pp. 5, 6.) Ralph Fitch, in 1583, describes it as an island in circuit about five and twenty or thirty miles, and the driest island in the world; for there is nothing growing in it but only salt; for the water, wood, or victuals, and all things necessary, come out of Persia, which is about twelve miles from thence. The Portuguese have a castle there, wherein there is a captain for the king of Portugal, having under him a convenient number of soldiers, whereof some part remain in the castle and some in the town. In this town are merchants of all nations, and many Moors and Gentiles. Here is a very great trade of all sorts of spices, drugs, silk, cloth of silk, fine tapestry of Persia, great store of pearls, which come from the isle of Baharim [Baharein], and are the best pearls of all others, and many horses of Persia, which serve all India. They have a Moor to their king, who is chosen and governed by the Portuguese. PINKERTON'S Voyages, vol. ix. p. 407. Hormuz was captured by the Portuguese under Alberquerque in 1508, who were expelled in turn by Shâh Abbâs, assisted by the British, in 1622, since which time it has been a dependency of Persia. Shâh Abbâs transferred its commerce to Gombrûn, or Gamrûn, situate on the continent, and styled after him Bander Abbâs. The island was a dependency of Persia when Marco Polo visited it towards the middle of the 13th century, and, although governed by an Arab ruler, it was tributary to that power when taken by the Portuguese, who allowed him to retain his dignity on payment of an annual tribute of 15,000 ashrafi, about |