Page 134 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

VII.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 95

afford a catalogue more numerous and varied,

more luxuriant in growth, or more perfect in
form.

Saturday, December 12 th. The people here
are less curious than might have been ex-

pected, considering it is doubtful if they have

seen an European before. They pass with a
single gaze, and then leave me to the undis­
turbed enjoyment of my pursuits. I discovered

to-day, to my great mortification, that the

jolting of the camels had rendered my chro­
nometer useless, although it was packed with

the utmost care. I am consequently obliged
to have recourse to the occultation of the stars

by the moon, as a means of obtaining the
longitude. To a person who is stationary, this

presents a very facile mode; but to the tra­
veller, many circumstances constantly arise,

which render the possibility of its adoption
less frequent than could be wished. I found

the latitude of the place by a meridional ob­

servation and the mean of several stars, to be
22° 27'; the variation by morning and evening

observation, was 2-7 westerly.
Sunday, 13th. I had several applications

made to me this evening for medicine. Fevers,