Page 356 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

TRAVELS IN OMAN. 317

flowed from. India, past its ports, to Eu­
rope, enriching every country in its course,

Oman alone was exempted from sharing in
its benefits. But, in a country where, from
the frugal habits of its people, the artificial

wants are few, and its natural wants are, as
in this instance, supplied by agricultural re­
sources, there cannot exist much internal

commerce. Its people are therefore in a
measure independent of other nations, and

too proud of their birth, country, and freedom,
to mingle with their less fortunate neighbours :

they have ever retained the same isolated
and original condition. The only class who
do engage in commercial pursuits are those

residing near the sea, where we may infer
that, while attending their fisheries along an

extensive line of coast, they first acquired a
disposition for enterprise and navigation. In

the latter they must at an early period have
attained considerable perfection, since we
learn that their ships, in the twelfth cen­
*
tury, sailed from Sohar on distant voyages,
even so far as China. At present nearly the

whole of the commerce of Om&n passes

* Geo. Nubiensis.