Travels in Arabia by Lieutenant WellstedJournal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 7 (1837), pp. 400-403Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of BritishGeographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1797536 .

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Sqr. ROSE'S Journey to the Urcll. Sqr. ROSE'S Journey to the Urcll. 399 399

The interesting account of tlle traveller's visit to the Chinese military post of Baty, we cannot notice further, as it is foreign to our purpose, anxl we have only space for a few observations on the geographical location of the mineral riches of the Ural, whicl have lately risen into such importance.

The sanxl, containing sm;lll particles of golzl, occurs along the -eastern declitty of the Uralian range, in numerous places north of 56? N. lat., and extends, as we have alrea(ly olaserved, beyon(l 60? N. lat It occurs on the western declis-ity likewise, but only ill a few places, and contains iess gold. On the Siberian side of the range, the sand from which the gol(l is extracted contains about one an(l a half or two solotnik of gold in a pood, or froln 2-2-1To to, 9Jf0; that which contains less is at present not worked. But Mr. Rose says, that even sand containing only 7 6-1Xi of gold can still be waslled with profit. The expenses in washin gold containing between .?-2' 0 and 1 91, 0 of gold, amount commonly to of its net produce. Sometimes sand is found, of which -0,, an(l even ff is gol(l. A small quantity of silver is always mixed with the gold; it amounts to between 2 alld 11 parts in 100. Near the Altai mountains likewise, gold sand has been discovere(l in some places, and they have lJegun working it. The first esta- blishment for working this sand in the Ural was ma(le in 1814, at Beresowsk, near Yekaterinburg and since that time they have been increasing in number an(l extent. Last year the produce of a11 the Russian mines gave 27,885 marcs of gol(l, of which more than two-thirds were derived from the washing of the sand.

Professer Rose enters into great detail in his account of the latina mines. They are situate(l on the western declivity of the

Ural, about the parallel of 57? 40' north. He reached them on passing the range from the east; the highest part of the road rose only 1216 feet above the sea. The numl)er of the mines is six, and they lie at a short distance from one another. In the most northern, called Sukhowissirnokoin the discowery of the sand con- taining platina was ma(le in 182S, and at the other places it was found soon afterwards. The proportion of platina is much larger than that of gold, as it amounts on an average to -Ti of the whole mass. Sometimes pieces are found weighing some ounces, and even half a pound an(l upwarlls. A small quantity of gol(l is united with the platina. In 18:34 platina was discoverel in layers of serpentine. The produce of platina in 1836 amountel to 8270 marcs.

Whilst Baron Humboldt and his companions were travelling in the Ural, the discovery of diamorlds in this range was ma(le. Obser^Jing, that ill Brazil as well as in New Granada, diamon(ls

-OCCUrred togethelz widl gold and platina in tlle same beds of sanel, Baron H-uxnboldt had conJectureel, some tlme tefore he went to

The interesting account of tlle traveller's visit to the Chinese military post of Baty, we cannot notice further, as it is foreign to our purpose, anxl we have only space for a few observations on the geographical location of the mineral riches of the Ural, whicl have lately risen into such importance.

The sanxl, containing sm;lll particles of golzl, occurs along the -eastern declitty of the Uralian range, in numerous places north of 56? N. lat., and extends, as we have alrea(ly olaserved, beyon(l 60? N. lat It occurs on the western declis-ity likewise, but only ill a few places, and contains iess gold. On the Siberian side of the range, the sand from which the gol(l is extracted contains about one an(l a half or two solotnik of gold in a pood, or froln 2-2-1To to, 9Jf0; that which contains less is at present not worked. But Mr. Rose says, that even sand containing only 7 6-1Xi of gold can still be waslled with profit. The expenses in washin gold containing between .?-2' 0 and 1 91, 0 of gold, amount commonly to of its net produce. Sometimes sand is found, of which -0,, an(l even ff is gol(l. A small quantity of silver is always mixed with the gold; it amounts to between 2 alld 11 parts in 100. Near the Altai mountains likewise, gold sand has been discovere(l in some places, and they have lJegun working it. The first esta- blishment for working this sand in the Ural was ma(le in 1814, at Beresowsk, near Yekaterinburg and since that time they have been increasing in number an(l extent. Last year the produce of a11 the Russian mines gave 27,885 marcs of gol(l, of which more than two-thirds were derived from the washing of the sand.

Professer Rose enters into great detail in his account of the latina mines. They are situate(l on the western declivity of the

Ural, about the parallel of 57? 40' north. He reached them on passing the range from the east; the highest part of the road rose only 1216 feet above the sea. The numl)er of the mines is six, and they lie at a short distance from one another. In the most northern, called Sukhowissirnokoin the discowery of the sand con- taining platina was ma(le in 182S, and at the other places it was found soon afterwards. The proportion of platina is much larger than that of gold, as it amounts on an average to -Ti of the whole mass. Sometimes pieces are found weighing some ounces, and even half a pound an(l upwarlls. A small quantity of gol(l is united with the platina. In 18:34 platina was discoverel in layers of serpentine. The produce of platina in 1836 amountel to 8270 marcs.

Whilst Baron Humboldt and his companions were travelling in the Ural, the discovery of diamorlds in this range was ma(le. Obser^Jing, that ill Brazil as well as in New Granada, diamon(ls

-OCCUrred togethelz widl gold and platina in tlle same beds of sanel, Baron H-uxnboldt had conJectureel, some tlme tefore he went to

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oo M. RO8EW JO2lrn?Y to the Ural.

the Ural, that probably these precious stones might be found in the gold sand of that range, and he and his companions directed their attention to that point. Though they did not succeed in finding diamonds, these stones were discovered at that time at Bissersk (about 58? 30' N. lat.), by Count Polier, in the gold- sand of this washing establishment. Two years later Mr. Major, or as he is called in Siberia, Mr. Mesher, an English engineer, who has made several steam-englnes for the mines of Siberia, and is himself in possession of an establishment for washing gold-sand, in the neighbourhood of Yekaterinburg, discovered also two dia- monds on his estate. Only small stones have been found, as far as is known; and up to July, 1833, their number amounted only to 37.

Professor Rose's book contains a detailed account of the mines in the Altai mountains, which we omit, as the most important in- formation it contains has been made known by other travellers. We shall only observe, that he gives also an interesting account of tlle manufacture of Koliwansk, where vases and other elegant pieces of furniture are made, in different kinds of porphtirs, granite, and avanturine.

Accompanying the work is an improved map of part of Northern Asia, between the limits of 51? and 60? N. lat. and 47? and 69? E. long., on the scale of 2 o O O O O 0, or 2i inches to a degree, and various geological sections.

* -|

VI.-Travels in Arabia. 1, In the province of 'Oman; 2, The Peninsula of Sinai; 3, Along theshores ofthe Red Sea. By Lieutenant Wellsted, Indian Navy, F.R. S. 2 vols. 8V(?.

London. 1837. Murray. DURING the last twenty years, the government of India have slowly but steadily been carrying forward a series of maritime surveys that do honour to the munificent spirit of the East India Company, who directed them, and to the zeal and perseverance of the officers of the Indian navy who have been selected to carry them into esecution. We are far from implying that it is only during this period that the hydrography of those shores has been alluded to; on the contrary, the earliest records of the India- House bear abundant testimony to the constant antl lively interest taken ly the Directors in the improvement of the charts an(l navigation of the Inllian Seas: but it is especially during the last twenty years that the surveys of the Persian Gulf, the sho}es of the Re(l Sea, the examination of Socotra and of the southern voast of Arabia, have been carried into execution, and have, in

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LieUtenant WELLSTED'S Travele tn Arolbia. 401

some measure, given rise to the.volume before us. Lientenant Wellsted, of the Indian navy, well known to all the readers of this journal * as one of the greatest contributors to its pages, has been for upwards of ten years attached to the survey now carrying on of the shores of Arabia, and in which he himself has taken an active part; yet, not content Yvith the daily routine of the survey, he has invariably profite(l by every opportunity of endeavouring to penetrate into the interior of gleaning information respecting the natural history and stati$tics of the country, of the manners and customs of the various Arab tribes that people its coast, and occasionally has been very succes$ful in exploring remains possessing much antiquarian interest.

Burckhardt, Niebuhr, and Bruce have made us acquainted X-ith the western parts of Arabia, as the Hejaz and Yelnen; but of the provinces of Hadramaut, on the south, 'Oman on the east, and the north-eastern portion washed by the Persian Gulf, we had lout very imperfect knowle(lge.

The government of Bombay, desirous of obtaining some insight into the real extent of the power possessed ly the Imam of Maskat, selected Mr. Wellsted as an officer qualified for so delicate a lnission; and being liberally provided with letters of introduction, instruments, presents, &c., he arrived at Maskat on the Glst November, 183.5J where he was very kind]y received by tlle Imam, and furnished with every thing he could desire for his journey. Mr. Wellsted draws a very favourable portrait, and we believe deservedly so, of the sovereign of 'Oman.

Quitting Maskat, our traveller went to Sur, thence to the en- campment of Beni Abu Ali, and to the *Jistance of 120 miles in a south-west direction towards the sandy desert. Continuing his journey to the north-west, a]ong a series of oases, in the parallel of 2o? N., he ascerlded the heights of Jebel AkAdar, rising 6000 feet, and commanding a view of the Arabian Sea. Mr. Wellste(l gi+7es an interesting account of the tribes inhabiting this range, and his description of the descent in a southerly direction upon Nizzuwah is striking:-

" Before us there rose from the centre of the valley a hill of a py- ramidal form, on whose summit stood a ruined tower of large dimensions and massive architecture, which is said, in latter years, to have served the purp()se of a mosque; but tradition asserts that it was also frequented as a place of worship by their Pagan ancestors. Following the directioll

* Mr. Wellsted has so libelally contriblltell to the journal of the Geographical Society, that we cannot delly ourselves the gratification of giving a brief sketch of the whole of his trarels, but which, being in English, we ()therwise should not have lloticed, otlr desire being rather to give analyses of foreign geographical works not generally accessil)le to the Erlgli,sh reader; and cetetis gsaribus selecting those published in Russia, Holland Germally, and Spain, in pleXrence to those published in the French language, which is familiar to nearly all our readers.- ED.

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Liel1tenant WELLSTED'S Travels in Arabia. Liel1tenant WELLSTED'S Travels in Arabia. 402 402

of the western brow of the valley, we arrived at the summst of a pass, and thence obtained full view of thewild and savage glen benenth. Vines and terraced grounds extended for three or four milee from Shiriz5, and below patches of eultivated ground oeeur at intervals throughout its whole extellt.

" The lively green of these, joined to the glistening of some pools of water, formed a striking eontrast with the sombre and shadowy Iine of the magnifieent wall of rock which rose precipitously on either hand. It took us four hours to reach the bottom of the -pass, whence the deseent still continued to Birket el Moge, in no part exceeding a hundred paees in breadth; and the overhanging mountains riae almost perpendicularly to the height of from 2000 to 3000 feet, affording an excellent opportunity of investigating the geological strueture of the range, whieh eonsists of, -lst, Alpine limestone; 2nd, old red sand- stone, with an oceasional mieaceous vein; 3rd, alternately miea sIate and granite. Large masses have been splintered from the sides of these roeks, blocking up the bed of the valley; a stream of water traverses the eentre; small hamlets, date groves, and patehes of- culti- vated ground, occur oeeasionally till we reached, after five hours, the village of Birket el Moge, situated at the gorge of the pass, where it opens out into the plain." p. 152.

Continuing his journey to the northward, Mr. Wellsteel reaehed Obri on the 12th March, where he found, much to his regret, that any farther progress towards Der'ayyawh, the eapital of the Wahhallis, an(l the origillal objeet of his Journey, was im- possible, on aeeount of the hostile state of the AralJ tril}es: he was therefore obliged to retraee his steps to Maskat.

A detailed aecount of the lnanners, eustoms, an(l the different seets of Mohammedanism, with an aeeount of a visit to the highly interesting ruins of Nakabul Hajar, about seventy miles from the southern eoast, and a eopy of some un(leeiphere(l inscriptions believed to be in the Himarytie eharaeter,* eloses the first volume.

The second lJooli eontains a full aceount of the Peninsula of Mount Sina;, the shores of which, for the first time during tbis survey, have been correctly laid alown on our maps. In his various journeys into the interior, Mr. Wellsted examined that remarkable phenomenon in the vicinity of Tor, called the Jebe! NarkAs, or Mountain of the Bell; the subject of the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites is also touched upon, and the wild an(l singular Gulf of Akaba is describe(l.

Mr. Wellsted has also had the good fortune to furnish aw com- plete vindication of the truth o? Bruce's observations along the

* Through the killdness of Dr. Brabant an(l Mr. Yates, we have beell enabled to forward collies of these inscription8 to Professor Gesenius, at Halle, and to Professor Von Bohlen, at Sonigsberg, whieh if taken advantage of will afford them oteasions for distinguishing themselveK alld of contribllting largeiy to our stocl; of genera anal geographical kIlowledge.

of the western brow of the valley, we arrived at the summst of a pass, and thence obtained full view of thewild and savage glen benenth. Vines and terraced grounds extended for three or four milee from Shiriz5, and below patches of eultivated ground oeeur at intervals throughout its whole extellt.

" The lively green of these, joined to the glistening of some pools of water, formed a striking eontrast with the sombre and shadowy Iine of the magnifieent wall of rock which rose precipitously on either hand. It took us four hours to reach the bottom of the -pass, whence the deseent still continued to Birket el Moge, in no part exceeding a hundred paees in breadth; and the overhanging mountains riae almost perpendicularly to the height of from 2000 to 3000 feet, affording an excellent opportunity of investigating the geological strueture of the range, whieh eonsists of, -lst, Alpine limestone; 2nd, old red sand- stone, with an oceasional mieaceous vein; 3rd, alternately miea sIate and granite. Large masses have been splintered from the sides of these roeks, blocking up the bed of the valley; a stream of water traverses the eentre; small hamlets, date groves, and patehes of- culti- vated ground, occur oeeasionally till we reached, after five hours, the village of Birket el Moge, situated at the gorge of the pass, where it opens out into the plain." p. 152.

Continuing his journey to the northward, Mr. Wellsteel reaehed Obri on the 12th March, where he found, much to his regret, that any farther progress towards Der'ayyawh, the eapital of the Wahhallis, an(l the origillal objeet of his Journey, was im- possible, on aeeount of the hostile state of the AralJ tril}es: he was therefore obliged to retraee his steps to Maskat.

A detailed aecount of the lnanners, eustoms, an(l the different seets of Mohammedanism, with an aeeount of a visit to the highly interesting ruins of Nakabul Hajar, about seventy miles from the southern eoast, and a eopy of some un(leeiphere(l inscriptions believed to be in the Himarytie eharaeter,* eloses the first volume.

The second lJooli eontains a full aceount of the Peninsula of Mount Sina;, the shores of which, for the first time during tbis survey, have been correctly laid alown on our maps. In his various journeys into the interior, Mr. Wellsted examined that remarkable phenomenon in the vicinity of Tor, called the Jebe! NarkAs, or Mountain of the Bell; the subject of the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites is also touched upon, and the wild an(l singular Gulf of Akaba is describe(l.

Mr. Wellsted has also had the good fortune to furnish aw com- plete vindication of the truth o? Bruce's observations along the

* Through the killdness of Dr. Brabant an(l Mr. Yates, we have beell enabled to forward collies of these inscription8 to Professor Gesenius, at Halle, and to Professor Von Bohlen, at Sonigsberg, whieh if taken advantage of will afford them oteasions for distinguishing themselveK alld of contribllting largeiy to our stocl; of genera anal geographical kIlowledge.

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