Page:"Round the world." - Letters from Japan, China, India, and Egypt (IA roundworldletter00fogg 0).pdf/250

 hetween the Mediterranean and India, ts slinated on a peninsular that juts oui fren the Arabian eoast, and in uppesranee is the most desolate, barren and forbidding place that it is possible to conceive of. Naked cliffs and yoleanic vidges, without » lrce, shrub, or seareety a blade of grags, sin round us on cyery side—some rising fo the height of 1,809 feet—while forts mounting heavy guns, crown every peak, and water hatteries command every part of the harbor wid itsentrance. Two years ago, during the Abyssiian war, Adem wns tle base of snp- plics for the English troops operating agaiust King Theodore. Then the harbor was full of ships of war and transports. Annesley bay, whew the British disembarked to mare’ ugninst Abyssinia, is about three hindrvedt miles up the coast, full of small. rocky islands, and very difficult and dangerous of necess, .At Aden there are daily arrivals and departitres of steamers, plying through the Suez ¢anal between Europe and Jndia snd China. Itis ninety-six miles from here to the entranee of the Red Saa, and this ionely, barren roel, this treeless, gragsle+s, Ria, Which cay most expressively be evibedas “IIell with the fires put oui.” where not 2 drop of fresh water cau be had execpt that which is ecaughs from tue clouds or condensed front the sea, is growing into « husy town with a population af 36,000 peo- ple. A svore of small native eratt are ia dhs iuner larbor, aut anchored around us are tive ar six Targe steamers sank as many sy ing ships.

Beshles iis timpurtance asa coaling station: Aden haz xceured to itself the export trace ip Mocha coflte, amennting ie 2.000 fons a year.

Our anchor is seareety dow when we are boarded by the port-oflicer, and five minutes afterwards Loam en uy wily ashore in his liowt, Wieland at ihe government pier, anid onthe Zed ave aiiozen twostovied build- ings, including a latel, past-otlies, enstons- house, umd afew meveantile establishments With Parsee wunes over the doors, Thos people are the Greets of the cast. und cmt be fomud among the most enierprisine imer- chanis of every city w hetThe nelish holt away (and whew do they nat?) between (eylon and Asivakau. Weve are the ware- tovses and water distifling machines of the P. and O. steamship company, and immense quantities of coals from New Castle are piled on the adjacent docks. This is the “Harbor