Map/Chart > The Arabian Collection

Chart of the entrance to the Arabian Gulf

An extremely detailed manuscript survey dated 1818, showing the Gulf from Suha to Bahrain, on the Arabian coast and Bumbarrack Rock to Gunowah, on the Persian.

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The manuscript is unattributed, but very much in the style of Captain Eatwell (see Chart A718), who served on HC Cruiser Banares under the order of Captain William Hill, HMS Towey.

There are two annotations on this chart: one in the top right corner, which reads, ‘H M Ship Towey Cat Hill 1818; and the other on the reverse of the original, which reads that this chart was ‘received from Captain W[ilia]m Hill, HMS Towey, 6th April 1819’. References are provided as two separate lists: the first being the islands, the second being notable landmarks on and around Bahrain, including the Portuguese Fort. Soundings and anchorages are shown along the Oman coast, the Persian coast, and approaching the coast of Ras Racan (now Qatar). The Arabian coast has no soundings, which suggests that this area was of little interest to the British on this voyage. There are three interesting references on this manuscript. The first is just above Bahrain where the ‘Ship Durable wrecked’ on August 1817. The second is ‘Botherbee’ which appears to have been visited ‘by the H C Ternate 1813’. The Third is  ‘Bumbarrack Rock. The hole through it is visible NNW. 6 miles.’ The chart has an elaborate 32 point black lettered compass rose.