_ 42 _ Item: Opposite the end of the island of Morzique stands a fortress with a captain and some Turkish musketeers and cavalry. They receive from the local farmers rice, wheat and barley twice a year from their early crops. Item: This same island of Morzique is very lush and it is not fully populated. The interior of the island, where there is a mosque, began to be populated three years ago. It has a population mainly of farmers, who cultivate plentiful rice, wheat and barley. It rapidly grew in population because the Pasha of Basra gave the farmers freedom to live and farm there. They demanded a tribute of only one tenth. This was very favourable, very different from the tribute payable in Basra, which is one third and so the population of this island is therefore quickly expanding. Item: At the extreme end of the island of Morzique there was a fortress in previous times which was pulled down by D. Antão de Noronha when he went to Basra. Up until now it has not been rebuilt or made use of. From the mosque which I mentioned above to the end of the island where the fortress was pulled down the population consists mostly of farmers. They produce abundant foodstuffs. Item: The entrance to the river stretch at Basra is very narrow. It is six to seven fathoms deep at high tide and four
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy