"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٣‎٨‎٣] (١٧٨٢/٥٢٦)

(255?
383
H. M. s. "Redbreast," Commander H. B. T. Somemlle, was Khor ; aV
employed during the winter of 1904-05 in examining the Khor-al- Bahrain.
Oalai'ah islet of Bahrain Island, which it was hoped might afford harhonr
Sites superior to those of the exposed anchorage off Man^mah The
survev however, showed that the entrance was difficult and the holding-
ground poor, and no steps were taken for the utilisation of the inlet
beyond the erection of a permanent heacon to mark the entrance. A res 1
survey of Manamah harbour and its approaches had already been made )y
the Koyal Indian Marine Ship "Investigator "in 1901-02
The increased importance of the Persian Gulf after 13 1 anse ic ^ompi
need of a geographical and historical handbook of that region for the use j, i n G „,{
r^itic!l officers to be felt. The compilation of the present Ga.etteer
of the Persian Gulf, 'Oman, and Central Arabia was accordingly omcred
bv Lord Cnrzon in 1903 and begun in the following year. In the wntcr
of 1904-05 the writer, assisted by Mr. J. C. Gaskin, afterwards Conmcr-
cial Assistant to the Resident at Baghdad, and by Lieutenant C I.
Gabriel, a candidate for the Political Department of the Govemmmt 0^
India to which he was subsequently appointed, toured m the Gil an
collected information for the Gazetteer. Among the places visited oy the
writer at thij time were Masqat, Sohar, Sbarjah, Bahrain, Kuwait, tasrah
Baghdad, Kirbala, Hillah, Muhammareh, Bushehr, Bandar Abbai, and
Jashk; he lad previously accompanied the cruise of Lord Curzonin the
Persian Gul: at the end of 1908. Detailed surveys of different d B tricts
in the Gulf were made during the cold weather of I9U4.0O m comection
with the Gazetteer operations, by a party from India under Surveya Slier
Jang, K B; they resulted in large scale maps of the Bahrain Islau s 0
the country about Kuwait and between Kuwait and the Turkish fr.11t.cr,
of the Bishehr peninsula, and of the tract in 'Oman forming c name-
diate hinterland of the towns of Masqat and Matrah. T. mr „ ev , a „a
Va-ious other explorations were made, both independent y 0 a» explorat i 00 ,
connertion with the Gazetteer. In 1901 Ca lf %^ ^^
Political Agent at Masqat, with Captain H. H. Dow mg 0 _ 1 ^ ' partly in
. TnvTnm the Oman bultatate connectiou
Intelligence Branchj Simla ; ascended y _ qvi i • with the
from the sea to its head, returning to Masqat via Wadi Samail; an Gazetteer .
1902 Major P. Z. Cox, unaccompanied by any European, made a teur
of 400 miles across the whole breadth of 'Oman from Abu Dhabi
to Masqat and obtained much new /Jy
tricts of Dliahirah and Oman Proper. 1 nh^wed
River in 'Arabistan, HI then very ^
in 1904 by Major Burton, His Britannic Majesty s i
at Muhammareh, who also investigated the geograp y o