trouble to supply as many of these as might be required. The number on the island at present exeeds 1600.

Vast flocks of sheep and goats are found in every part of the island, the latter are indeed so numerous, that the owners never trouble themselves with counting them; the sheep have not the enormous tail which disfigures those of Arabia and Egypt; they are usually small, and lean, with remarkably slender legs, and their flesh is not well tasted. The Bedouins wash them every two or three months, to prevent them from getting the rot; their wool is manufactured into the thick cloaks which are so well known in Arabia and Persia. There are several varieties of goat on the island, and a milch-goat, of which nearly equal care is taken with the sheep: another kind, of a reddish color, with long shaggy hair, which is permitted to rove about the island, and which appears common property; a third is the wild goat, which is only found in the loneliest glens, or on the summit of the loftiest hills; their flesh is much prized by the Bedouins. When the shepherds are desirous of catching them, they seek about for their haunts until they discover the track by which they pass up and down the mountains; across this they spread a net. One of their number then ascends to the summit of the mountain by another route, and makes his appearance before the animal, who no sooner discovers him than he darts down the path and becomes entangled in the net, where he is quickly secured by those who are stationed there for that purpose. Amidst the hills over Tamarida and on the plain contiguous to it, there are a great number of asses which were described to me as differing in some respects from the domestic ass, but after repeated opportunities of observing them I find there is no reason in such a distinction. It is more than probable that the introduction of camels superseded the necessity of employing them as beasts of burden, and they were therefore permitted by their masters to stray where they pleas ed. They now wander about in troops of ten and a dozen, and evince little fear until they are approached too close, when they dart off with much speed. Although they were not applied by the natives to any useful purpose they would no doubt be found, should occasion hereafter require it, of much utility. The only wild animal that is known among the hills is the civet cat, of which it is needless to give any description. This animal is very abundant and was frequently brought to me for sale, but I have not been able to learn that the natives take any trouble to collect much of its perfume. Hyenas, jackals, monkeys, and other animals which are common to the hills on the shores of either continent, are unknown here; we do not even find the antelope, which is the more singular as it abounds on most of the other islands of the Arabian coast. The dog is also unknown, and one we had on board was frequently mistaken for a swine. I saw but one snake during the whole of the time I was on the island, and the head of that was too much bruised for me to ascertain if it was poisonous, though the natives assured me it was so. From them I also learnt, that after the rains a great many made their appearance, and some marvellous stories were told me respecting their size and fierceness; how true these may be, I

know not, but on the low land they have an astonishing number of scorpions, centipedes, and a large and venomous description of spiders, called (?) the bite of which creates alarming inflammation, and even with young children, it is said, sometimes proves fatal. In some places it was a chance if a stone was removed but that you would find one or more of these insects. Locusts have rarely been seen in Socotra, and those which were, are said tox have been few, and were most probably stragglers. Ants are numerous, and the bite of one kind is scarcely less painful than the sting of a wasp; near the dekhan enclosures, field mice are often observed, and on the hills they are much troubled with rats and other vermin. The chameleon is a native of this island. The only birds I saw were cranes, flamingoes, wild ducks, a species of water-fowl, wood pigeons (very numerous); the swallow, the lapwing, owls, bats, and four varieties of the vulture: the last are par ticularly serviceable in cleansing the earth of carcasses and filth. There is also a small bird, with a red beak and dark purple plumage, called in the Socotrian language Mabeared, which utters a shrill and loud cry, not unlike that which might be produced by an effort of the human voice. » Cas▲ sowaries are said to have been seen on the island, but I neither saw nor could learn any thing of them.

Government.

It has already been noticed, that the government of the Island of Socotra, from a very early period, was dependent on the kings of the incense country, and the early Portuguese navigators found them, on their first arı rival, still in the undisturbed possession of their ancient patrimony; but after ALBUQUERQUE had conquered and overrun the island, he vested its government in the hands of some of his officers, who, with a remnant of his troops, was left behind to retain it. The Portuguese appear to have co held possession until the decline of their power in India, when they intermarried with its inhabitants, gradually lost their ascendancy, and Socotra, after this short interruption, again resumed its solitary dependence, under its ancient masters. From this period, there is reason to believe, that aby brother or some near relation of the Sultan of Kisbeen, on the Arabian Coast, resided permanently on the island as its governor, until within the last century, when it has been merely subjected to an annual visit from Kisbeen. The revenue is then collected, and any complaints which require the interference of the Sultan, are brought before him. When these ob jects are accomplished, he again takes his departure. During our stay at Kisbeen and on the island, we made numerous inquiries to ascertain who at present exercised this power, but this it proved no easy matter to disThe old Sultan is blind, and incapable of managing the affairs of his government, and all has gone to confusion. Various claimants appeared, but ABDULLAH was pointed out as the influential individual; from him there fore we procured letters specifying the nature of our visit, and requiring from the islanders every assistance which we might stand in need of. Little attention was however paid to this letter, and during our stay another chief, HAMED BIN TARY arrived, and under the threat of burning the town, ha

cover.

he succeeded at Colesseah in procuring about fifty dollars worth of ghee, with which, after sending on directions to Tamarida, forbidding our being furnished with either camels or guides, he again sailed for Kisbeen, and openly boasted of what he had done. During the present year, no other member of the family is expected on the island, and as the sum collected annually, at other seasons, rarely exceeds in value 200 dollars, the autho rity of the Sultan may be considered as more nominal than real.

ABDULLAH in his visits has been known to inflict chastisement with his own hand on the Bedouins, who have neglected to bring him the full quantity of ghee, to which he has considered himself entitled, and even to imprison them for a few days; but I could not learn that he possessed suffi cient power to inflict punishment of any kind on the Arabs, the greater number of whom are indeed exempted from contributing to any part of his revenue. It is from those who collect the ghee at Tamarida, Colesseah and Codhaop that he procures the greater part of the only article which he now draws from the island. The attention of ABDULLAH during his visits appears solely directed towards this object, and though complaints from former usage are occasionally brought before him, yet the instances are rare, and his decisions are not much cared for.

At Tamarida, an old Arab, who was formerly a sipáhí in India in the service of Báji Ráo, by virtue of his age, and long residence in the town, possesses some influence. Another at Colesseah named SALEM, is also qualified by the townsmen with the title of Shekh, in order mainly it would appear that he might secure presents from the vessels visiting the port, but nothing is more certain than that they do not possess throughout the island a constituted authority, either civil or military, or of any description whatsoever. Notwithstanding the singular anomaly of so great a number of people residing together without any chiefs or law, offences against the good order of society appear infinitely less frequent than amidst more civilized nations; theft, murder, and other heinous crimes are almost unknown. No stronger instance can be given of the absence of the former than the fact of my wandering for two months on the island, without having during that period missed the most trifling article. Some intelligent Arabs, who had resided there some fifteen years, assured me that the only disturbances known were occasional quarrels among the Bedouins, respecting their pasture grounds, and these were as usual settled either by the individuals fighting the matter out with sticks, or by the interference of their friends. It is no doubt this security of person and property, which has brought from the shores of the continent on either side so many settlers to the island.

Inhabitants.

The inhabitants of this island may be divided into two distinct classes, those who inhabit the mountains and high lands on the western extremity of the island, and which there is every reason to believe are its aborigines, and those who reside in Tamarida, Colesseah, and Codhaop, as well as several tribes who occupy the eastern portion of the island: the latter are a

mongrel race, the descendants of Arabs, African slaves, Portuguese, and several other nations. Of the former I shall now give as full a description as the limits to which I have considered it necessary to confine this paper will admit. It is however necessary for me to premise, that though from personal observations I have been enabled to elicit every necessary degree of information connected with the present physical habits and domestic manners of this isolated race, yet there were some interesting points connected with their former condition, religion, and usages on which I was anxious to obtain some knowledge. This however, from the. jealous and suspicious character of those with whom I was obliged to converse, I found to be almost impracticable; they either declined answering the questions altogether, or they only furnished replies which were calculated to mislead. Some of this reserve melted away before we left, but my, inquiries did not tend to elucidate facts of any importance. In the subsequent sketch I shall however have occasion again to touch on this subject. On the Bedouins. The Arabs who visit Socotra, in consequence of their pastoral habits and wandering mode of life, have bestowed on this class the appellation of Bedouin, to which race, though they widely differ in some points, there is yet in others a striking resemblance. The principles of their political constitution are like theirs exceedingly simple: all are divided into families or tribes, each occupying a determined domain on the island, and each having a representative head, who formerly exercised what might be termed a patriarchal authority over them. In general, the office is hereditary, though it is sometimes filled by persons who have been selected for the superiority of their abilities. It was to this individual that the Sultán formerly, when he resided on the island, looked for the collection of his tribute, and to the Sultán he was also in some measure answerable for the good order of the six tribes; but at present his authority, appears to be merely that of an influential individual, before whom complaints are taken for arbitration, but who possesses no power to punish a delinquent : an individual may also carry his complaint before the Sultán, or his deputy, or he may, which is the usual practice, retaliate on the injurer or any member of his family; but these affairs are not carried to the sanguinary lengths they are in Arabia, where the murder of one individual is revenged upon the person of his assassins or their relations, I made numerous inquiries, but I could not ascertain that any of their quarrels terminated in blood-›› shed: certainly this may be owing in some measure to their having neither fire-arms nor weapons of any other description than sticks and stones; but these peaceable habits are forcibly illustrated by the fact of so many tribes occupying territories so intermingled with each other, where the variable nature of the pasturage, and the scarcity of water, compel them from different quarters to meet on the same spot, without reference to the actual owners; and yet that skirmishing among them should be of such rare occurrence. Physical Character, Persons, Diet, &c. &c.

The men are usually tall: their limbs appear strong and muscular, and remarkably well formed; the facial angle is as straight as that of Europeans;

the nose is slightly aquiline; the eyes lively and expressive; the teeth good, and the mouth well formed: their hair is worn long, and curls naturally, but without the slightest approach to the woolly texture or appearance of that of the Negro; they wear generally a beard and whiskers, but no mustachios: their complexion varies a good deal; some are as fair as the inhabitants of Surat, while others are as dark as the Hindus on the banks of the Ganges. They walk with an erect gait over the worst ground, and will bound over the hills like antelopes. From constantly climbing the rocks and mountains, they have contracted a habit of turning in their toes, which gives them over the plains a slight degree of awkwardness in their walk; notwithstanding this slight defect, the regularity of their features, the fairness of their complexion (for those which are very dark comprehend but a small portion of their number), and the models of symmetry, which are occasionally presented to the eye, render them a remarkable looking race, far distinct and removed from any of those varieties of the human race which I have seen on the shores of the continent on either side.

Their dress consists of a piece of cloth wrapped round their waist, and the end thrown over the shoulder. No ornaments are worn: in their girdle is placed a knife; but as they have no weapons,they carry in their hands a large stick. In their various modes of dressing their hair they display a little foppery: some frizzle it out like the Arabs on the coast of Egypt; others allow it to curl naturally; while the generality permit it to grow to a considerable length, and plait it into tresses, which are confined to the head by a long braided cord, made from their own hair. Their skins are clear and shining, and remarkably free from eruptions or cutaneous disorders. Many are however scarred from the application of hot irons for the removal of local complaints—a mode of cure they are quite as fond of practising as their neighbours the Arabs of the peninsula.

Of the Females. The same remarks which I have given to the person and features of the men may be applied with little alteration to those of the females! there is the same symmetry of form, the same regularity of features, and the same liveliness of expression; but their complexion does not vary in an equal degree few are darker than the fairest of the men, and some," especially when young, were remarkably pretty: the legs of some of those advanced in age were of an astonishing thickness; but this defect is more observable among those who reside near near the low-lands, and it but seldom occurs among the high-land females. Their dress consists of a coarse Cameline, secured round their waist by a leather girdle, and a kind of wrapper of coarse Dungree cloth, which is thrown over their st shoulders: around their necks they wear a necklace made of red coral, colored glass, amber, &c. with sometimes a string of dollars. In each ear they wear three and sometimes four large ear-rings made of silver and about three inches in diameter; two of these are worn in the upper, and one in the lower, part of the ear. They go unveiled, and whenever we approached their houses, they conversed with us.