'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From December 1854 to March 1856. (New Issue.) Edited by the Secretary. Volume XII.' [‎103] (212/258)

ON THE HYDROGRAPHY OF THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
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been very imperfectly examined, and as this is the side of the straits which
vessels always work along in preference to the Arabian, it is highly desirable
that it should be minutely surveyed.”
y~ The E. I. C. S. “ Coote,” Lieut. John Grieve, in 1842 suddenly shoaled her
water off Ras Aysheer. The ship tacked four hundred yards from the edge
of the shoal, but the shore was five miles distant.
The E. I. C. surveying ship “ Benares,” Commander Brucks, in January
1829 sailed along this coast, carrying the single line of soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. which we
see upon the chart. It has had no further examination. Ras el Khaur is the
entrance point of the Persian Gult j 3 fathoms is marked a mile of! it, nothing
outside of that! Horsburgh warns ships how they pass this point. For when it
bore <c N. by E. I E. the ship ‘ Phoenix’ shoaled to 4 and 31 fathoms on a
bank, then 4 or Ah miles offshore.”
The E. I. C- S. “ Clive,” Captain Hawkins, in 1835 struck on a rock off the
Great Tumb, not mentioned on the charts. This Captain Haines w as dispatch -
ed to examine in the same year ; he found a dangerous patch with 11 fathoms
on it. His survey was not published. It did not embrace more than the
S. W. corner of the Island, off which the rock was found.
I was informed by Captain Brucks that a spit extends off the north side of
this island, on which side no soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. are marked.
The line of coast between Cape Bostanah and Lingar (a town fast rising
into the most important commercial depot on the Persian side) is altogether
erroneous in its line of direction.
The island Nobflure is laid down from three to four miles too far north.
This lying immediately in the fair track up and down the Gulf, is an error ot
ereat consequence. Between this island and Polior there is a bank, which is
not marked on the chart. In May 1822 the E. I. C. S^‘‘ Ternate” steering
between these islands, bound to Bassadore, when Pohoi boie N. 8 E.,
distant about two miles, had 6 fathoms, hard sand; steered E S. E., and had
6£ 7, 8t c - By the chart there is 40 fathoms where the “ reinale
found these soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. .
The island of Inderabia will probably be found laid down nearly two miles
north of its actual position. The E. I. C. Schooner “ Constance,” when
under my command in 1851, very narrowly escaped shipwreck off this island
on a sunken ledge of rock on the south side, not laid down on the chart It
afterwards occurred to me that from its situation many ships must have been
imperilled by this danger; and I have ascertained from thc lo § book of the
F I C S ‘‘ Elphinstone,” that on the 25th of January 1835, that vessel, m
beating up the Gulf, tacked a mile distant from the centre of the Island, and
after standing off for a short time struck on these rocks.