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xiii. J COAST OF ARABIA. 273

seen near Kosa'ir; and about five years ago,
one was thrown ashore on the island of
Senafir.

The commodities now brought to Jiddah
from India are either disposed of during the
hajj to pilgrims, who again distribute them
through Turkey, Syria, &c., or are consumed
at Mecca, Jiddah, and other cities in Hejaz.
The cargoes of ships coming from Bengal are
more varied than those from other Indian
ports. Some arrive direct from Calcutta,
freighted solely with rice, sugar, and Dacca
muslin, the staple commodities; others bring
coarse and fine blue cloths, cambric, of which
the ihram is made, and indigo. Touching on
the Malabar coast, the ships fill up with teak-
timber, cocoa-nut oil, cocoa-nuts, black pep­

per, dried ginger, turmeric, &c., and sail direct
to the Red Sea. During the last ten years,
this branch of trade has been gradually de­
clining, and those now engaged in it barely
clear their expenses.
Ships seldom leave Bombay direct for the
Red Sea, unless they are small, and intended
for the coasting trade. If they obtain a suf­
ficient number of pilgrims to defray the

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