'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.' [‎461] (492/582)

THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .—BIDDULPHS GROUP.
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rent. In our progress through it, we had as yet seen no weeds, for
which the Red Sea was so celebrated, under its title of Yam
Sooph, and which, indeed, still abound there as much as ever ; but
floating serpents, of which I do not remember ever to have heard
mention in the Arabian Gulf, are found in this of Persia, as well
as on the coasts of Scind, Guzerat, and Hindoostan. Whether
any, or which of these facts may at all account for there being no
worms throughout this sea, to injure the bottoms of vessels, would
admit of some, consideration. The whole of the bottom, from Ras-
el-Khyma up to Kateef, and, as some say, even as far up on this
side as the mouth of the Euphrates, presents broken ground and
sudden overfalls, or unequal ridges, to the lead, differing five and
even ten fathoms at a cast; and the pearl-divers observe, that in
these pits of the bottom, the best oysters are found, under the
overhanging edges, or brinks of these openings.
Proceeding upwards from El Kateef to the northward, or
towards Graine, the coast of the continent is but little known to
Europeans, and is navigated with great caution by the natives,
who, from the abundance of shoals in it, never move but in the
day-time, with persons stationed on their yards and at their mast
heads to look out, and anchoring always before sun-set, as is done
on the coast of the Red Sea. In this interval of space, there is
however, in the offing several islands, to the number of seven, as
the native pilots say. Four of these, which were seen and visited
by Captain Biddulph, of his Majesty's sloop Hesper, have obtained
the name of Biddulph's Group, and of these he gives the following
P0S Th" first island is in lat. observed on it 27« 55' 50" north, and
long by lunar distances 49" 26' east. This is not more than three
hundred yards long and sixty broad, being merely a sand-bank
elevated only four or five feet above the surface of the sea, totally
destitute of vegetation, and lying in a direction of east-north-east
and west-south-west. no qi /
The second island is in lat. 27 J 44' north, and long. 49 81 east.
This is nearly a mile in length, in the direction of north-east by