Page 65 - History of Portuguese in the Gulf_Neat

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164 APPENDIX A.
Persia and Cape Rozalgatc in Arabia ;l and the Strait of Basorri,
from Harmuz or Gerun inwards to Basori2 itself, standing at its
head, where it receives the united flood of the historic Tigris and
Euphrates.*
Now betwixt these—though not fairly in their midst, for the
first is about a hundred leagues long, and the other two hundred
—this Isle of Harmuz or Gerun stands like a gate-post or beacon.
It is some six or seven miles about; five miles from the nearest
place in Persia, that is, from Dogar,4 and nine leagues from
Arabia, on which coast the fairway is not as good for great ships
as on the Persian shore, but yet navigable.
This little isle contains some things worthy of note, whereof I
shall briefly relate a few, for the reader’s pleasure.5
This Isle of Gerun was of old volcanic, for which reason it
remains so rugged as to amaze the explorer of its interior. It has
a lofty range of hills running east and west from the sea to sea.6
From the foot of this to the northern promontory, whereon stands
the fortified city, there is a less rugged plain. But beyond7 the
main range, there is nothing but lesser ranges, separate hills, and
a rugged wilderness. There is plenty of good rock-salt, and very
pure sulphur ;s whereof, during my stay, there were found mines,
and much got out of them. During the rains, which are very
heavy, the storm-water from the hills flows over the plain around
1 The modern “ Gulf of Omsln.”
* Modern “Persian Gulf,” proper. Yet we still talk of ships
employed at Mdskatas on service “in the Persian Gulf.” The “Straits
of Ormuz” of to-day are the narrows, between Hormuz and Rds Mu-
sanddm. 1 The Shat-al-Ardb.
4 Further on “Dogar” is described as “a stream.” It is not on
modern maps ; but Valentyn’s map of Persia has a “ B. closar.”
Couto {Dec. X, Liv. II, cap. xii) mentions “ Dogar,” and Barros
{Dec. Ill, Liv. vi, cap. iv) has “ Ducar” (for “ Dugar”).—D. F.
5 With the description that follows compare that of the Dominican
writer given in Appendix D, infra, and those of Barbosa (pp. 41-46) ;
Linschoten (vol. i, chap, vi) ; Pyrard (vol. ii, chap, xviii); Comment, of
Af. Dalb. (vol. iv, chap, xliii); P. Della Valle {Viaggi, Pt. II, p. 524
et seq.) ; and Nieuhof {Churchills Voyages, vol. ii, p. 232 el seq.), the
last being largely copied from Garcia dc Silva y Figueroa (see
UAmbassade de D. Garcias de Silva Figueroa, pp. 31-46). See also
Capt. A. W. Stifle's account, with map and plans, in the Geographical
Magazine, April, 1874 ; and Mr. Wm. Foster’s “A View of Ormus in
1627 ” (with curious sketch by David Davies) in Geographical Journal,
Aug., 1894 ; and the plan and views in Danvers’s Portuguese in
India, vol. ii, pp. 211, 298 ; vol. i, p. 330.—D. F.
6 The central peak is 690 feet high {Persian Gulf Pilot).
1 I.e., south of.
8 Cf. Barbosa, p. 41. In the Lembran^a de Cousas da India
(Lisbon Acad, of Sciences ed., p. 46) “ 0 emxofre d’orumuz” is given as
one of the articles of trade at Cambay. The Comment, of Af. Dalb.
(vol. i, p. 188) also mention the sulphur mines.—D F.
m
KINGS OF HORMUZ. 165
the city, and thereof is made much salt, by the mere operation of
nature and the heat of the sun, which is very great there. And it
is a thing worth wonder, that though this isle stands in 27I1 deg.
N. lat., its summer heat is almost past bearing, and such as only
on trial could well be believed. There are in the isle three
perennial springs, in different places at the foot of the hills, whence
flow three streams of clean and clear water, but as salt as the sea.
And this salt gathers and hardens so under the sun, that I have
often ridden over it, the water yet flowing below.
All this salt, as well as the rock-salt, which is clearly seen to
increase like the rest, is very medicinal. But only that won from
the water by the sun’s help is used in victuals and condiments.
For the rock-salt is so strong that, instead of preserving meat, it
wastes the same, or any other provisions on which it may be strewn.
Nevertheless some ships, and specially those from Cochin, take
it in as ballast, and carry it to Bengal, where scarcity gives it a
value. For in all the lands thereabouts is no salt made, but in
the Isle of Sundiva alone.2 There must be a like dearth of salt in
many provinces of China, where it furnishes the chief of the royal
customs. And this would seem to be the reason why most of the
hams which the Portuguese bring thence are cured with alum.1
Now we will drop the salt, as not necessary to our narrative. The
Isle of Gerun, or Harmuz, has two bandels, or bays, the eastern
and western, so hollowed out of the coast that their heads lie close
together,4 in a sandy point, where now stands the Portuguese
fortress,5 one of the finest in all the East in importance, and in plan
and construction. On this spot dwelt the old man Gerun, from
whom the isle has its name.
There is no fresh water, but rainwater caught and stored in
many cisterns,6 which are of great relief to the poor in summer.
1 Sic m orig.
2 For a description of this island, and a summary of its history
since the sixteenth century, see Hunter’s Imperial Gazetteer of India,
s. v. “ Sandwip.” A letter, dated 29th Dec., 1610, from the Viceroy of
India replying to one from the King of Spain, refers to the revenue
from salt in Sundiva, which, Filippe de Brito reported, “was of
importance, and might become considerable.”—D. F.
3 Rock-salt has not been found in China ; alum is abundant. A
large revenue is still obtained from the gabel (see Wells Williams’s
Middle Kingdom, vol. i, pp. 308, 443).—D. F.
4 “Juntas.” As a matter of fact, they were united by an artificial cut
in later years, but not when Teixeira was there, nor when his book
was printed, nor at this day, 1898 {Pctsian Gulf Pilot).
5 See the plans of Hormuz referred to in the note on p. 164.-D. F.
0 Cf. Linschoten, vol. i, p. 52. In 1583 the captain of Hormuz,
Mathias de Albuquerque, fearing that in a siege the water-cisterns in
the fort might be breached, caused to be made twenty-seven large
“ tanks ” of teak, like those used on board ship, to hold water (Couto,
Dec. X, Liv. vi, cap. x). The remains of the water-cisterns are
still to be found, scattered over the island.—D. F.