'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.' [‎438] (469/582)

438
VOYAGE FROM BUSHIRE,
coasting-boats between these islands and the Persian shore, which
is only sailed through in the day, on account of the dangers there;
but is constantly frequented, inasmuch as it saves a considerable
distance to those going up or down the coast along shore, in cut
ting off the great circuit that must otherwise be made, to go clear
without the shoals to the westward. This last piece of informa
tion I received the most positive assurances of, and indeed it was
subsequently confirmed to me by a person who had sailed through
it, and whose description of the island and channel agreed ex
actly with the testimony of the others. Nearchus, therefore, might
easily have taken his fleet through this passage, as none of his
vessels probably drew more water than the common coasting-boats
of the present day.
It was highly satisfactory to ascertain this fact, as one of the
chief difficulties to render intelligible in the relation of this voyage
by Arrian, lay here on this part of the coast. The distance sailed
from Gogana to the mouth of the river Sitakus was eight hundred
stadia, or about fifty miles, and the run was not made without
danger. On this passage Dr. Vincent remarks, that the coast itself
measures that distance, without allowing for the circle that must
be taken to round the shoal off Cape Verdistan. It is not pro
bable, he adds, that an English vessel should ever determine
whether there is a passage within the breakers; but within, un
doubtedly, Nearchus must have sailed, to make the stadia agree;
and though M'Cluer makes an anchorage almost in the centre
of them, a passage close to shore must be dubious, unless it could
be proved that it is still practicable for native vessels. If there is
a passage, he concludes, the measure of Arrian is correct; if there
is no passage, it is the first on this coast which has been deficient. #
It is a pleasure to remove the difficulties and reconcile the
seeming inconsistencies of early writers in any way, but especially so
in cases where it serves to establish the fidelity of an ancient and
curious journal like the present, relating to one of the most in-
* Dissertations, Persis, p. 285.