_ 208 _ is; if populated or not and if there is water. We also want to know if there is a garrison, in Mecca, what type and how big, and what sort of inhabitants and how many there are. Item: Please also inspect very carefully the whole of the Persian Gulf as far as Bahrain as also the Red Sea and write down everything one can find there; what kind of light-weight ships can sail easily there; also, galleons and ships with cars and any other ships that may be suitable and can be built easily. The men we are sending with Joao Serrao must be capable. They must take warm clothes, and the ships must have plenty of arms and artillery. Item: We would be very pleased if he takes with him people who would describe well and minutely all concerning the Red Sea; everything in it, so that nothing at all about it is left undescribed. Item: We would like you to sound as far as is possible the deepest part of the said sea and especially where the shallower parts are and the shallow channels through which ships sail. Also, Serrao should find out the exact width of the sea at its narrowest part; what the distance is from one side to the other and what their respective depths are. What are the exact depths of the deepest and shallowest parts of the Red Sea? Are the islands in the sea populated: with what kind of people: rich or poor? Have they got water and is it possible to build fortresses?
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