Wednesday, February 10th.—­Visited by the King’s Dragoman this morning, who came to pay the respects of the authorities, to say he was glad to see us in Johanna.  In the course of conversation, he was pleased to say that our ship was well known to him, and the news of our having appeared off the Cape some months ago had driven off all the Yankee whalers, several of which had been accustomed to resort hither.  King Abdallah, he said, resided on the east side of the island.  The king himself would come to see us, but was very busy just now patting up a sugar-mill, which he had just received from the Mauritius.

The island is a beautiful, picturesque spot.  There is quite a mountain in the interior, and the higher parts of Johanna are densely wooded; the mountain-sides being in some places so steep that the tops of some trees touch the trunks and roots of others.

The inhabitants are a mixture of Arabs and negroes.  They are intelligent and sprightly, and had not only heard of the American war, but said it bore heavily on them, as they were now compelled to pay a much higher price for their goods, which are mostly cotton.  We have driven away, they say, all their Yankee trade.  The Sultan is a young man of twenty-eight, with a moderate harem of only five wives.

Thursday, February 11th.—­Visited the town to get sights for my chronometers—­which puts the town at 44.26.30 N., just 30” less than Captain Owen’s determination.  The town, as viewed from the anchorage, is a picturesque object, with its tall minaret, its two forts, one perched on a hill commanding the town, and the other on the sea-beach, and its stone houses; but the illusion is rudely dispelled on landing.  You land on a beach of rocks and shingle, through a considerable surf even in the calmest weather.  The beach was strewn with the washed clothes of the ship, and a set of vagabonds of all colour, save only that of the Caucasian, were hanging about looking curiously on.  The town is dilapidated and squalid to the last degree—­the houses of rough stones, cemented and thatched; the streets five feet wide, and rendered, as it would seem, purposely crooked.

It was the second day of the fast of Ramadan, and groups of idlers were congregated in the narrow porticoes reading the Koran.  The language, which is peculiar to the island, is very soft and pleasing to the ear.  We visited one of the principal houses.  The walls were filled with a number of small niches, receptacles for everything imaginable—­coffee-cups, ornaments, &c.  A number of couches were ranged round the room.

A crowd of half-clad, dirty children gathered round us, but no female made her appearance.  We took our sights among the gaping multitude, all of whom were very civil and polite, and returned on board about 5 P.M., having seen all the outside life that was to be seen at Auzuan.  The inside life was, of course, out of our reach.