Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

708 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
ocean billows on the shores of the Persian Gulf." The
haste with which Palgrave was dragged through the country
by his guide (many parts being traversed only by night)
often cut short his observations. So much the more interesting
are those he made at the places where he remained
longer. His description ofYemama and his information
concerning the remarkable Wadi ed-Dawasir 1 are the most
important results of what was an epoch-making tour, notwithstanding
many opinions
to the contrary.
Many of his statements have since been verified by the Italian
traveller Guarmani, Palgrave's next successor, who went
from Jerusalem by way of Taima to Hayil and thence southward
as far as 'Onaiza, 2 while the Austrian traveller Glaser
afterward in San'a met the very Arab who had been Palgrave's
guide to Yemama, and through him established
fact that the former 3 Jesuit father Palgrave had really
visited all the places where he himself declared that he had
been.
After Wallin's tour from Jebel Shammar to the Euphrates
and that of Palgrave from Nejd to the Persian Gulf,
the only thing really necessary to make our knowledge of
Central Arabia in the main complete was to fill the gap between
these two. This was done in 1865 by the English
the
1
See above, pp. 695, seq.
2
Comp. Guarmani's report Neged septentrional'in the Bulletin de la Societe
de Geographie, Paris, 1865, later published in book form under the title II
Neged Settentrionale, Jerusalem, 1 866.
3
It might interest the reader to learn that this remarkable man, whose
work reads like a charming romance, first served as a Jesuit missionary in Bevrout,
where he had a great reputation on account of his sermons delivered in
Arabic. On the above-mentioned journev, besides the Arab guide referred
to, he was accompanied by a certain Jeraijiri, the present Graeco-Melchitic
patriarch of Damascus, who went with Palgrave as far as Qatif on the
Persian Gulf, whence he returned via Baghdad to Bevrout. After his expedition
Palgrave went to Paderborn, then left the Jesuit order and went to Berlin.
He died in 1891, while serving as English minister resident at Montevideo.