by the natives called Bandar Abbas, a city of Persia, situated in N. Lat. 27° 40' E. Long. 55° 30'. The name of Gombroon, or Comerong, Captain Hamilton tells us, it had from the Portuguese; because it was remarkable for the number of prawns and shrimps caught on its coasts, by them called comeron. This city owes its wealth and grandeur to the demolition of Ormus, and the downfall of the Portuguese empire in the East Indies. It is now justly accounted one of the greatest marts in the East, was built by the great Shah Abbas, and from him, as some think, obtained the name of Bandar Abbas, which signifies the court of Abbas. It stands on a bay about nine leagues to the northward of the east end of the island of Kishmish, and three leagues from the famous Ormus. The English began to settle here about the year 1631, when, in consideration of their services against the Portuguese, Shah Abbas granted them half the customs of that port. This was confirmed by a phirmaund, and duly regarded, till the English began to neglect the services they had stipulated. Whether the company has any emolument from the customs at present, is what we cannot pretend to ascertain. The town is large, but its situation bad; wanting almost everything that contributes to the happiness and even support of life. Towards the land it is encompassed by a fort of walls; and towards the sea are several small forts, with a platform, and a castle or citadel, mounted with cannon to secure it and the road from the attempts of an enemy by sea. The houses in most of the streets are so out of repair, some half down, others in a heap of rubbish, that a stranger would imagine the town had been sacked and ravaged by a barbarous people; not a vestige of the wealth really contained in the place appearing in view. The bazars and shops round them are kept, for the most part, by Banians, whose houses are generally in good order. Most of the houses are built with earth and lime, but some of the best with stone. Many of them have a sort of ventilators at top, which contribute greatly to the health of the inhabitants in the hot seasons of the year. The most sickly months here are April, May, September, and October. With fish and mutton the inhabitants are well supplied. Rice is imported from India; and wheat is so plenty, that the poor subsist chiefly on bread and dates. The country hereabouts abounds in the most delicious fruits, as apricots, peaches, pomegranates, pears, mangoes, grapes, quinces, plums, sweet quinces, and water-melons. The apricots, however, are small, and extremely dangerous if eaten to excess.

Those conveniences are more than overbalanced by the scarcity of fresh water, with which the inhabitants are supplied from Asfahan, a place seven miles distant, there not being a spring or well in the town. Persons of condition keep a camel constantly employed in bringing fresh and wholesome water. Captain Hamilton gives it as his opinion, that one cause of the unwholesomeness of this city is the reflection of the rays of light from a high mountain to the north of it. He says, that when the beams are reflected from this mountain, they almost fire the air, and, for two or three months in the year, render the situation intolerable. For this reason the people of condition retire into the country, to pass the heats of June, July, and August. The very sea, during this season, is affected, inasmuch that the stench is no less disagreeable than that of putrid carcasses; and this is increased by the quantities of shell-fish left on the shore, from which an exhalation arises that tarnishes gold and silver, and is less tolerable than the bilge-water of a tight ship. At Asfahan the English factory have a country house and gardens, to which they retire occasionally. Here they have whole groves of Seville orange-trees, which though not natural to the country, thrive very well, and are always verdant, bearing ripe and green-fruits with blossoms, all at the same time. They have likewise tanks and ponds of fine fresh-water, with everything else that can moderate the heat of the climate, and render life agreeable and elegant. About ten miles from Asfahan is a place called Minoo, where are cold and hot natural baths, reckoned infallible in the cure of all scrophulous disorders, rheumatisms, and other diseases, by bathing.

Gombroon is extremely populous, on account of the commerce carried on by the Dutch and English factories, as well as the natives. The English factory is close by the sea, at some distance from the Dutch, which is a commodious and fine new building. A great part of the company's profits arises from freights. As the natives have not one good ship of their own, and are extremely ignorant of navigation, they freight their goods for Surat, and other Indian marts, in English and Dutch bottoms, at an exorbitant rate. The commodities of the Gombroon market are, fine wines of different kinds, raisins, almonds, kith-milks, prunelles, dates, pistachio-nuts, ginger, silks, carpets, leather, tutti, galbanum, ammonia, afa-sa-tida, tragacanth, with other gums, and a variety of shop medicines. These are in a great measure the produce of Carmania, which they bring to Gombroon in caravans. The English company had once a small factory in the province of Carmania, chiefly for the sake of a fine wool produced there, and used by the hatters. The said company had once a project of carrying a breed of the Persian goats to St Helena; but whether it was executed, or what success it met with, we cannot say. Although the company pay no customs, yet they usually make a present to the shah-bender, to avoid the trouble he has it in his power to give them. All private traders with the company's pailes, enjoy the same privileges, on paying two per cent. to the company, one to the agent, and one to the broker. All private trade, either by European or country ships, has long been engrossed by the company's servants.