'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎490] (521/582)

490
ISLAND OF LARACK.
from Kishma by a strait of about a mile wide, with a clear passage
through, of six fathoms, and safe anchorage both within and on
either side of it. The island is low towards its edges, moderately
high in the centre, nearly round in form, and seemingly from
four to five miles in diameter, its southern extreme being in lat.
26° ST' north.
Some observations made on this island during the expedition
against the Joassamees in 1809, state that the soil of which the
island is composed is chiefly sand and clay. Wherever the sea
has made an irruption, the clay is petrified into hard rock; and
not long since the roots of a plantation of date-trees were dis
covered in a complete state of petrifaction. Immediately beneath
the surface of the soil, in a valley, which has been seemingly over
flowed by the sea, salt was also found in large spiculae. On one
of the highest parts of this island were found two excavations,
which were conceived to be mines; and from the appearance of
the soil, it was thought probable that iron and brimstone had
been found therein; indeed sand of a ferruginous quality abounds
over every part of the island.
There is said to be fresh water on the south-west point only;
but this article was formerly collected, during the rains, in large
tanks, of which several are still remaining in a state that would
require little expense to put them in perfect repair. In a failure
of rain, water could be had from the villages of Kishma only ;
but these, as well as the ruined ones still seen on Angar, are
now all depopulated and abandoned. The island of Kishma,
and that of Angar, to the south of it, seem to have been included
in the ancient name of Ongana, which might easily have been
corrupted into Angar, and applied only to the last by the- mo
derns, since the former was distinguished most appropriately by
the Arabs as the 4 long island,' in contradistinction to all the others
of the Gulf.
We had the tides in our anchorage here similar in rates,
course of setting, and height of rise, to those of Ras-el-Khyma,