Page 634 - PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORTS V1

118 ADMINISTRATION RETORT OP TIIR PEIJSIAN GULP POLITICAL
interior, dwelling with the tribes and collecting information regardingthe
country and people, the results of his observations being emWied iQ
his travels in Arabia published in 18*38, accompanied by a map. Tlie
map was the first trustworthy delineation of a country hitherto unknown
to Europeans, and imperfect as it is, is still the most valuable we posses?,
and it has served as the groundwork of all subsequent ones. Lieutenant
Wcllstcd claims to have laid down his positions accurately from astro­
nomical observations, but I may remark that they arc not all to be quite
depended on, the important town and valley of Scraail, for instance,
being placed some twenty miles too far west. 'Wcllstcd was accom­
panied during the greater part of his journey by Lieutenant Whitelock,
I.N., who also traversed a considerable tract alone, at one time visiting
ltostak and at another crossing from Sliinas to Shargah. These routes
are shown in Wellstcd's map, which Whitcloek assisted to produce.
Whitelock's account of his journeys was presented, I believe, to the
Bombay Geographical Society, but it has not appeared in their transac­
tions and lias hitherto unfortunately been allowed to remain in obscurity.
Several other officers of the Indian Navy made trips into the interior
about this time, and one, a Mr. Cole, journeyed from El Ashkareb to
Mu skat by way of the Green Mountains, but none of these can be said to
have added tc our geographical information. In 1808 a French Botanist^
named Aucher Eloy, a man of the most indefatigable energy and per­
severance, visited Muskat and traversed a considerable extent of the
country on foot in search of plants aud other natural history specimens,
of which he made a large collection. He visited the Green Mountains
by way of Nakhl, a route untraversed by Well?ted or AVhitelock, and
returned by Zikki and the Wady Semail. He died shortly afterwards
in Persia on the way home, but his journals were published by Jauberi
in IS 10 with a map, in which Aucher Eloy's route through 'Oman was
shown. In IS 15 Colonel Ilamerton, the Political Agent at Muskat, made
a journey from Sbargah to El Bereymi, and thence to Sohar, of which a
short notice appears in the Bombay Government Selections, Volume
XXIV, aud lie is said to have made other trips, but no record of them i?
known to me. Ten years later, in 1855, El Bereymi was again visited
from Sbargah by Lieutenant Chester, I. N., who returned the same
way. Subsequently, when Acting Political Agent at Muskat, Lieutenant
Chester proceeded to the Green Mountains for the benefit of his health,
which had broken down, but, his illness increasing while on the road, he
was compiled to return before reaching them.
In 1S62 Mr. W. G. Palgrave visited 'Oraftn and has described hii
experiences in his well-known travels in Central and Eastern Arabia.
M r. Palgrave touched at Sohar and was shipwrecked near Burka, from
whence he travelled by land to Muskat. The information given by hip1*
however, does not appear to be of much value. Many of the localities
mentioned arc not recognizable and are unknown to the Arabs 60 far
my enquiries extend, while other names have unmistakeably been copied
from Wcllstcd, who again had copied from Vincenzo in whose book they bad
1k*cu misprinted. In 1SG0 Lieutenant Stiffe, I. N., surveyed the harbour
of Muskat and executed a plan of the environs which has been published
ns Admiralty Chart No. 2869, and leaves nothing to be desired so far a#
it goes. Lieutenant Stifle also visited the town of Bosher, 20 miles fro®