‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [31v] (67/404)
The record is made up of 199 folios. It was created in 1932. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
18
WINDS
[Chap. I.
Besides the well-marked summer and winter periods, there are
two transition periods. During the period March to May, the
western depressions gradually become less important, Occasionally,
however, storms and depressions form in the Arabian sea and move
5 towards higher latitudes. These storms, like the usual tropical
cyclones, in most cases have a well-marked central region of bad
weather. They do not all move in the same direction; but they
have a general tendency to north-westward movement, and some of
them reach far enough northward to affect the Makran coast. Because
20 of the concentrated nature of the storm area, a severe storm may
be passing over a particular place without materially affecting the
weather at neighbouring stations.
Similarly, during the months of September to November, the
eastern depressions become less important. Occasionally, however,
i5 storms form in the Arabian sea; these storms, moving westward
or north-westward, usually cross the south Arabian coast far away
from the Makran coast, but occasionally one or two have been found
to reach the Gulf of 'Oman.
Strong winds, rough seas, and cloudy weather are said to be
20 encountered more frequently over the region of the Gulf of 'Oman
than over the other regions.
There is a general opinion that the storms in the Arabian sea
seldom reach the Makran coast; but considering the history of
previous known storms, it can be seen that the number of occasions
25 on which Arabian sea storms have been near or have passed over
the Makran coast is comparable with the number of storms that
have entered the west coast of India. In spite of the fact that
these storms usually lose part of their energy as they move to more
northerly latitudes, their effect is felt in a heavy southerly swell,
30 with falling barometer and cloudy unsettled weather, and, after
the storm has passed, in a strong breeze or moderate gale from south-
westward. A brief mention of the different storms that have been
known to affect the section between Karachi and the entrance of
the
Persian gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
is of interest:—
35 1—3rd week of April, 1847—a severe storm appears to have
entered the Gulf of 'Oman in the neighbourhood of Muscat,
with all the attendant severe weather of a tropical cyclone.
2—May, 1871—a storm in the Arabian sea, far from the coast,
appears to have caused a moderate south-westerly gale and
40 heavy sea and swell on the Makran coast.
3—3rd week of June, 1872—a severe storm gave an easterly
gale and rain along the whole coast, westward as far as
Charbar.
4—3rd week of May, 1886—a severe storm apparently entered
45 the Makran coast near Gwadar. Data are not available,
but a rapid fall of pressure with strong surface winds occurred
at Karachi and Quetta.
5—2nd week of June, 1889—a storm moving westward, parallel
with the Makran coast, passed Muscat on the 10th where it
50 caused considerable damage.
6—1st week of June, 1890—a storm, moving north-westward,
entered the Gulf of 'Oman with heavy gales and rain squalls
at Muscat and Jask.
7—2nd week of June, 1890—a moderate storm travelled along
55 the west coast and, between the 18th and 22nd, moved
parallel with the Makran coast, as shown by the very low
About this item
- Content
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. pilot comprising the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and its approaches, from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east. Published for the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty by His Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1932. Eighth edition.
The pilot begins with a number of introductory sections:
- Notice of caution when approaching British ports, including the closure of ports and examination of vessels entering ports (folio 1v, inside front cover);
- Notations of supplements and annual summaries of notices to mariners relating to this book (folio 2);
- Cautionary notes on the measurements, including those for (bearings, longitude, latitude, depth) given in the pilot, and the different methods of shading used to indicate colours of flags, tidal light signals and beacons in the pilot (folio 5);
- Advertisement to the eighth edition (folio 6) providing an outline history of the pilot, and updates to the latest edition;
- Contents page (folios 7v-8), referring to the pilot’s pagination;
- A list of views (illustrations), with reference to the pilot’s pagination (folio 8v);
- A glossary of terms (folio 9), organised alphabetically, and with an indication of their origin (Arabic, Baluchi, Hindustani, Persian);
- Notes on the system of orthography (folios 10-11);
- Information relating to Admiralty charts and other hydrographic publications and general navigation (folios 12-19), with sections on the correction of Admiralty charts, and their degree of reliance, navigational publications, including the Admiralty lists of lights and wireless signals, tide tables, and general remarks relating to practical navigation;
- A map of the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , dated July 1932, indicating those areas covered by Admiralty charts (folio 20v);
- A map of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman, dated July 1932, with an indication of those areas covered by Admiralty charts mentioned in the pilot (folio 21v);
- An insert (folio 22) detailing those elements not included in the present volume.
The main body of the pilot is arranged in chapters and appendices as follows:
- Chapter 1 - General Remarks: physical features, depths, political and administrative divisions, British representation, ports and anchorages, towns and population, languages, supplies, products, trade, currencies, weights and measures, the pearl fisheries, health, meteorological information (pressure, winds, cyclones and depressions, climate and weather, humidity, rainfall, dew, fog, visibility), currents, tides, tidal streams, signals, communications, pilots, deratisation, native craft, piracy, obtaining information, presents, coal, fuel oil, docks, repairs, standard time, passages;
- Chapter 2 - Approaches to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. from the south; the coasts of Oman, Batinah, and Ash Shamailiyah; Ras Al Hadd to Dibah;
- Chapter 3 - Approaches to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. from the east; the coasts of Las Bela, Makran, Persian Makran, including Jask; Cape Monze to Jask;
- Chapter 4 - Entrance to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Ruus al Jabal and the Persian coast, including Bandar ’Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and Qishm [Kīsh] island; Dibah to Ras Ash Sha’am and Jask to Charack [Bandar-e Chārak];
- Chapter 5 - Northeast side of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the coast of Persia; Charack to Ras Ash Shatt, including Bushire;
- Chapter 6 - The southwest side of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the coast of Trucial Oman A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , and the eastern side of Qatar; Ras Ash Sha'am to Ras Rakan;
- Chapter 7 - The southwest side of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; western side of Qatar, Bahrain [referred to as Bahrein throughout], and the coasts of Nejd [Najd] and Kuwait; Ras Rakan to Khor ’Abdullah;
- Chapter 8 - The head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; coasts of Persia and Iraq; Ras Ash Shatt to and including the Shatt al ’Arab; the Tigris and Euphrates;
- Appendix 1 - List of ports available for underwater repairs, with details of the largest dry or floating dock or patent slip at each port;
- Appendix 2 - List of principal ports, showing the particulars of depth at approach and anchorage, rise of tide;
- Appendix 3 - Meteorological data (air pressure, air temperature, rainfall, wind) - for Muscat, Pasni, Jask, Bushire, Bahrain; Kuwait, Mohammerah [Khorramshahr], Basra;
- Appendix 4 - Places suitable for magnetic observations;
- Appendix 5 - Tidal streams, with tables for four locations, including Henjam, and semi-diurnal and diurnal factors.
Throughout the main chapters there are illustrations of the parts of the coastline being discussed by the accompanying text. These illustrations, which are a mix of line drawing and reproductions of watercolours, indicate the profile of the land, and highlight distinctive topographical features such as trees and forts.
- Extent and format
- 199 folios
- Arrangement
The pilot is arranged into eight chapters (I-VIII) and five appendices (I-V). The arrangement of chapters is geographical, moving from the easternmost point of the Gulf in chapter II to the westermost point in chapter VIII. The contents page (ff 7-8) and alphabetically ascending index (ff 182-93) refer to the pilot’s pagination system.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 199.
Pagination: There are two printed pagination systems, which generally situate numbers in the top-left corner of versos and the top-right corner of rectos. The first, which uses Roman numerals, runs through the pilot’s introductory pages (ff 6-19). The second pagination system uses Arabic numerals, and runs through the remainder of the pilot (ff 23-197).
The number of each chapter is indicated throughout the chapter (expressed as ‘Chap.’ and the chapter number as a Roman numeral) in the top-left corner of rectos and the top-right corner of versos. The lines of text on each page in each chapter are numbered in intervals of five (i.e. 5, 10, etc.)
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C251
- Title
- ‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:145v, 145ar:145av, 146r:198v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence