'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.' [‎458] (489/582)

formation of pearls.—laghere.
It has been thought that these fresh springs rising at the bot
tom of the ocean, as well as the plentiful fall of rains from above,
are favourable to the formation of the pearl. Mr. Moner says,
' The fishermen always augur a good season of the pear w en
there have been plentiful rains ; and so accurately has experience
taught them this, that when corn is very cheap, they increase then-
demands for fishing. The connexion is so well ascertained, (at
least, so fully credited,—not by them only, but by the merchants at
large,) that the prices paid to the fishermen are, in fact, always
raised when there have been great rains.'* There is a ennous
passage in Benjamin of Tudela, relating to the supposed formation
of pearls, which seems to prove that it was a belief pretty wide y
extended; for he speaks of the people of Kathipan, a very distant
place in India, where there were fifty thousand Jews ; attributing
the formation to the fall of a dew at a fixed period, which they col
lected from the surface of the waters, and afterwards caused to
descend to the bottom of the sea.f
In the bottom of this bay of Bahrein, about twelve hours' sail
to the south-west of Has Rekkan, or Ras Sharek, and from five to
six hours' sail to the southward generally of Bahrein, is the creek
and port of Laghere. In this creek, the boats of the pearl fishery
are laid up during the winter, to the number of several hundred
sail, as the creek is capacious, and extends for many miles inland.
This town of Laghere is considered as the Mina, or Port of Lahsa,
a large Arab town, about three days' journey by camels into the
* Morier's Travels through Persia. 4to.
f 4 C'est en ce lieu (Kathipan) que se trouve le Bdellium, qui est un ouvrage merveilleux
de la Nature fait de cette maniere. Le 14 du mois Nisan, il tombe, sur la superficie des eaux
une rosee que les habitans recueillent; apres 1'avoir renfermee, ils la jettent dans la mer, afin
qu'elle aille au fond. Mais au milieu du mois Tisri, deux hommes descend au fond de la mer,
attaches a des cordes, qu'on retire, apres qu'ils ont ramasses de certains reptiles, qu on ouvie
ou qu'on fend pour en tirer la pierre precieuse qui y est renfermee."—Bergerow'-s Collection de
Voyages. Paris, 4to. p. 52, 53. By whatever name the pearl was known in the country of
Kathipan, it is evident that this description of the manner of procuring Bdellium, can be meant
of pearls only.