_ 61 _ of Ormuz. I have often pondered the reason for this heat, and found no other than the great dryness of this country, which is very dominated by very dry, hot winds. The island is all salt. There are rivers thickened with salt which flow continuously, and hills of salt as high as mountains. It is so strong that it cannot be used to salt meat without hardening it, so that it is almost impossible to eat anything salted. No sooner has a mound of salt been removed than another has appeared in the same place of the thickened river; and in summer the rivers are as solid as those in Flanders are in winter. They call this rock salt. In this island are many sulphur mines, and it is said that the island burned for seven years, and a few years ago there was still a mountain burning. The hills in this country look like rocks of burnt limestone. In this island there is no greenery or trees except for a few pines and three or four other trees where the salt does not reach. In short, it is all dry, sad, comfortless. There are many earthquakes, especially this year since my arrival, which are greatly feared by both Moors and Christians, who say they are caused by sins; and I believe this, because the tremors come at times other than those predicted by natural scientists.
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