DS
207
L65
HAGI

JOHN SMITH & SON
BOOKSELLERS
GLASGOW,
ARTES
1877
VERITAS
LIBRARY
SCIENTIA
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PLUATIUS URHE
TUEBOR
ISI QUÆRIS-PENINSULAM AMŒNAM.
CIRCUMSPICE
+
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207
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1
LETTERS
ON A
JOURNEY TO BOMBAY,
THROUGH SYRIA AND ARABIA,
IN 1834-35.
PRIVATELY PRINTED.
MDCCCXXXVII.
}
*
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1

;
Libr.
Danielson
11-15-37
35001
CONTENTS.
Letter from Athens,
Letter from Syra,
Page
1
15
Letter from Beirout,
19
Letter from Damascus,
27
Letter from Damascus,
42
Letter from Bagdad,
48
Letter from Bagdad,
83
Letter from Bagdad,
102
Letter from Bagdad,
111
Letter from Shorty Shooch,
123
Letter from on board the Buggalow,
Letter from on board the Buggalow,
Letter from Bombay,
Letter from Bombay,
. 126
155
171
175

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1
+
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5

LETTERS.
LETTER I.
ATHENS, 2d October, 1834.
MY DEAR FAther,
I WROTE to my sister by the last packet.
This letter must wait till the next one.
Mr Daubuz (a Cornish gentleman, whom
I met in the steam-packet, now on his
travels,) and I landed at Patras from the
Firefly, about ten o'clock on the morning of
the 23d of September. To the eyes of a
person just come from England, Patras ap-
pears a most miserable village of hovels. It
suffered the fate of all the towns of Greece
during the war, and was burnt, pillaged, bom-
barded, re-burnt, and reduced to as complete
AQ
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
2
"a heap of ruins as its greatest enemy could
desire. Since a regular government has been
established, many Greeks and foreigners have
gone there and built houses, where they carry
on a very profitable and considerable trade
in exporting, chiefly to England, the dried
currants which are produced in the Gulf of
Lepanto. The population is rapidly increas-
ing, and new houses are rising with incredible
rapidity. It is said to contain above four
thousand inhabitants :-it is built on a regular
plan, and will in the course of time be a pretty
town; but the custom of building all the houses
of black unburnt bricks, hurts its present ap-
pearance exceedingly. Some of the houses
are plastered outside, painted and neatly fin-
ished, and as the town becomes more wealthy,
the rest will likely be so. The country all
around it is very mountainous, with the ex-
ception of a level plain near the sea, which
is now uncultivated and swampy, whence
arises a damp air, which causes a good deal
of fever and ague.
We were anxious to push on to Athens as
speedily as possible, and after much difficulty
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
3
1
and wrangling, succeeded in engaging a boat,
partly decked, of about six or eight tons bur-
then, to take us to the upper end of the Gulf
of Lepanto, to a place called Latrachi; we
were assured by the English Consul, that we
should get there in ten or twelve hours;
that there we should find plenty of horses to
cross the Isthmus; and that we should find at
Kalamachi, a village on the other side, plenty
of boats which would take us to Athens in
three or four hours. As we intended to stop
about half-way to see the remains of the ora-
cular Temple of Delphi, which we were in-
formed might delay us six or eight hours, we
thought ourselves quite safe in calculating
upon arriving at Athens in two days. We
therefore laid in almost no provisions for the
journey, except a couple of half-starved chick-
ens, and a cold leg of mutton, about as large
as a turkey's wing. We set sail before sunrise
on the 24th, the wind blowing strong and quite
contrary; heavy showers of rain fell the whole
day, and we had no place of shelter; at sunset
we had not gained above twelve miles; night
came on, and the wind died away. We were
21
4
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
close under a very high mountain, which rose
perpendicularly from the Gulph, and the night
was so dark we could scarcely see the bow-
sprit; occasionally the lightning showed us
where we were. Heavy clouds, as black as
ink, hung all round. The wind soon began
to blow quite fair for us, and we were dashed
along rapidly. It gradually freshened, split
our foresail from top to bottom, and at last
blew so hard that we were scudding before it
with almost no sail set. The sea was rising
fast, and our boat leaked so much that one
man was constantly employed bailing. After
running in this manner for two or three hours,
we got into a creek and anchored. We were
obliged to sleep on the shore without mattress
or any covering, except my M'Intosh sheet,
which was most serviceable. The hard stones
on the ground, made my poor body ache for
two or three days after. Next morning the
weather was beautiful; we found that we were
within three hundred yards of a great seaport
town called Gataxidi, where we previously had
intended to stop, to go from thence to Delphi.
Our boatmen knew this, but would not allow
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
5
us to go there, owing to some wise police
regulations, which oblige all travellers to pre-
sent themselves on their arrival to the Captain
of the Port, who was asleep when we got to
our anchorage.
Gataxidi is on the north side of the Gulf,
built on a small promontory, which runs out
from the centre of a creek, which is itself only
part of a large deep bay. A number of small
islands protect the port of Gataxidi, and ren-
der it very safe. The town was entirely de-
stroyed by the Turks, many of its inhabitants
killed, and many driven up to the mountains,
where they suffered incredible hardships-
some were starved to death, and many put
their children to death, to save them from the
Turks, or starvation. Gataxidi was formerly
one of the most flourishing of the Greek towns.
Its inhabitants were all sailors. It was the
principal place for shipping on the west of
Greece. The Turks burnt fifty or sixty of
their vessels, which they found in the harbour,
and carried the rest away, leaving the place
a desert. It is again springing up in a most
astonishing manner; new houses have been
6
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
built, and it again owns a large mercantile
navy. When I was there, I counted between
twenty and thirty nice brigs and schooners, of
two hundred tons burthen; six of a similar
description on the stocks, nearly finished, and
two smaller ones. I never saw a more active
stirring place for its size. Its inhabitants are
very industrious and frugal. A few olives,
some sardignes and brown bread, is their on-
ly food, and so cheap are these necessaries
of life, that a labouring man can live for about
twopence a-day-while a ship carpenter will
earn half-a-dollar or more. They are likewise
rather honest, and I think if allowed to work
on in peace, they will soon be a wealthy set
of people; fortunately for them, there are no
protecting duties, and the government says
they will act upon the principles of encour-
aging a free trade; so that in the course of a
few years, I have no doubt the Greeks will be
the most commercial people in the Mediter-
ranean. Their commerce, however, will be of
little or no importance to England, for the
population is very small, and the people are
very poor. The poverty is such, and the want
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
7
of capital so great, that although the country
is capable of producing so as to export grain,
cotton, silk, tobacco, wine, oil, wool, and other
articles, they cannot be cultivated; and until
there is sufficient capital to enable the country
to export a considerable quantity of some
of these things, the import cannot be very
great. However, where people are industri-
ous and saving, a capital will very soon be
formed, as in the United States.
On our arrival at Gataxidi, we were obliged
to show our passports to the Captain of the
Port. He was living on the second floor of a
mud-built house, underneath was a sort of
café; we passed through it, and after mount-
ing a very bad ladder, which was in one cor-
ner of it, we found ourselves in the Captain's
house, office, kitchen, sleeping-room, poultry-
yard, and store-house, for the same loft had
this plurality of offices. The gallant Captain
did not on this account abate anything of offi-
cial importance. We then visited the Chief of
the Police, to get our passports read. He was
still worse lodged, in a small hovel with a mud-
floor and mud-walls. We returned to the café,
8
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
had a wretched sort of breakfast, and started
for Delphi. It is situated about half-way to
the top of the famous Mount Parnassus; the
scenery all about it is very mountainous and
grand; a small miserable village occupies the
situation of the ancient town of Delphi, which
at one time is supposed to have contained
more of gold and silver, which had been pre-
sented to the Temple, than any town in
Greece. With the exception of a few foun-
dations of ancient walls, there are no remains
of its former grandeur; but one may easily
imagine it to have been a splendid town. It
stands under high precipices, from the bottom
of which the ground slopes down to a fine
valley beneath; on the opposite side of the
valley a picturesque mountain rises perpen-
dicularly, and beyond it you see the tops of a
crowd of more distant hills. The Castalian
spring ran through the centre of the town,
taking its rise at the foot of the precipices,
and by forming a small glen, but not very
deep, had cut that portion of the side of the
mountain into the shape of an amphitheatre,
of a couple of miles in diameter.
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
9
The ancient Greeks built their houses and
temples on large terraces, all round this im-
mense amphitheatre, which must have pro-
duced a very fine effect. It is not now known
where the Pythia was placed upon the tripod,
or whence the oracles were delivered. The
Castalian spring, which has been so often the
subject of praise, is exceedingly fine cold water,
but the fountain from where it flows is far
from being so producive to poetic ideas as one
might imagine. When we were there, the
cistern through which it flows, and which is
cut out of the rock, was full of mud, stones,
hoops of barrels, and other rubbish, while a
little lower down a gaggle of women were
washing clothes. I must however confess,
that after dining upon a leg of cold mutton,
and a little brandy and water, I felt more like
a poet than I did before, which I could ascribe
only to the water of the Castalian fountain.
We got back to Gataxidi before dark; another
boat had been procured for us, to replace the
leaky one, and we were to sail the following
day. We were nevertheless detained one day
by contrary winds. All our provisions were
10
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
Ĉ
:
finished, and we had to live like the natives, on
brown bread, olives, and sardignes, to which
we added eggs and brandy; at last, after
having been four days at Patras, we arrived
at Latrachi, where there were no horses; we
had then to go to Corinth: were detained a
couple of hours getting our passports signed,
and did not reach Kalamachi (though only
six miles) till dark. Corinth is a heap of
ruins; a few new houses have been built, but
they are very poor ones-the inhabitants are
chiefly cultivators. There are seven columns
remaining of an ancient temple, not particu-
larly striking. The Aora Corinthus is a fine
object, and the scenery here, as indeed all the
way up the Gulf of Lepanto, is exceedingly
beautiful. At Kalamachi, we embarked in an
open boat, and got to Egina about seven
o'clock next morning, and to the Piræus (the
port of Athens,) a little before sunset, after
having been seven days coming from Patras,
during which time we had no regular meals,
seldom slept under cover, and never in a bed;
yet I never felt myself better in my life.
It was late before we reached Athens. I
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
11
wrote a note to George, to let him know I had
arrived, which astonished him not a little, for
he had received my letter only eight or ten
days before, saying that I should not come
this way. He had therefore immediately writ-
ten to countermand the vessel he had engaged
for me at Syra, to take me to Beirout; and as
he had not got the letter I wrote subsequently
to tell him I was coming, he did not expect
me at all. This is awkward for me, as I am
obliged to go to Syra to get a vessel, which
will cause me some delay. We leave Athens
to-night for that island. Athens is like other
Greek towns, a heap of ruins; and although a
number of new houses have been built, the ru-
ins predominate. There are as yet no streets,
but government has appointed a commission,
of which Major Finlay is a member, to open
some streets, and otherwise improve the town.
It is to be the capital of the Empire. The
King and Court are expected here in a couple
of months, which will greatly improve the
town, and increase greatly the value of the
Major's property. Great attention also is
ľ
12
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
paid to the collection and preservation of
antiquities.
I was, as every one must be, delighted with
the remains which are still in pretty good pre-
servation. The temple of Theseus is almost
quite perfect. The Parthenon in the Acro-
polis, is sufficiently so to form a most impos-
ing and grand object. The temple of Jupiter
Olympius, which was the largest of all, is not
in such good preservation, but the ruins of it
are very stupendous. All these buildings are
of beautiful white marble, of immense blocks,
fitted together in manner which there is noth-
ing like in Europe; but what pleases most,
are the beautiful proportions, and elegant
ornaments; there is nothing you would like
to alter, nothing you would like to take away,
nor nothing you would like to add. These
ruins suffered a good deal during the late
wars, particularly the Parthenon, which is
covered with shot marks.
The Regency does not appear to be popu-
lar; but the King is very much so. He is now
about twenty, and when of age, it is expected
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
13
he will do great things. The great faults of
the government appear to be, their great at-
tention to detail and trifles, and their neglect
of matters of more importance. There is not
yet a Court of Justice in the country, but
hundreds of laws to oblige people to cultivate
their ground in a particular manner: to build
houses in straight lines, and even telling them
what trees they are to plant, and at what dis-
tance from each other, and what sort of garden
walls they are to build. They vex every one
with laws which are of no use, and spend their
time making them, when much more import-
ant matters ought to be attended to first.
George's property will now increase rapidly
in value, and I have no doubt it will turn out
a good speculation in eight or ten years. He
is a full Major, on no pay.
Yesterday, I met a young American, who
has just returned from Syria. He had been
at Beirout, Damascus, as far as Palmyra.
He says, he found no difficulty, and although
the road to Palmyra is one of the worst, he
was not interrupted by the Arabs. He also
informed me, that I shall arrive there at the
14
LETTER FROM ATHENS.
most healthy season of the year, and that I
shall receive every assistance from Mr Fanen,
the Consul-General. I expect to be at Bag-
dad before this letter reaches England. I
shall write again from Syra.
From all I learn from every one, I have not
the least doubt now of being able to perform
my journey without any danger, and very little
inconvenience, which, I dare say, you will
not be sorry to know, even if I should not go
by the Red Sea.
With kind love to my Mother, and all of
you, in which George and his wife join, I
remain, my dear Father,
Your very affectionate Son.
LETTER II.
MY DEAR THOMAS,
ISLAND OF SYRA, 2d Oct., 1834.
I LEFT a long letter at Athens for my
father, to be sent by the November steam-
packet. I refer you to it for the particulars
of my journey from Patras, and sojourn at
Athens. I and my companion, Daubuz, re-
mained there only three days, during which
we saw the celebrated ruins, both ancient and
modern. It is difficult to imagine a more
wretched place than Athens is now. It is a
heap of ruins, with here and there a new
house. With difficulty one can find one's way
over the heaps of rubbish which almost block
up the footpaths. George has a number of
houses, some of them in very good condition,
16
LETTER FROM SYRA.
which he lets at a good rent.
He is also pro-
prietor of several small patches of land, in
and about the town, which will soon be valu-
able, for Athens is to be the capital of Greece,
and the residence of the King. His large
estate, which is nearly fifteen miles from
Athens, does not yield much; but even of
that, I dare say, he will make a good thing in
a few years.
Greece is in a most deplorable condition.
All the towns were burnt during the war,
trees cut down, commerce ruined, agriculture
stopped, and the inhabitants driven away.
At present, they are rebuilding their towns
and villages; but there is no money, no civil
Courts of Justice, so that there can be but
little commerce; and the want of population
and capital, prevent the cultivation of the
land. Greece is capable of producing cotton,
wool, oil, wine, figs, tobacco, silk, and grain,
in large quantities for export, but the want
of means is a bar which they cannot yet get
over. The Greeks are nearly in the same
state as the Americans were after their first
war with England; and, like them, they will,
LETTER FROM SYRA.
17
I dare say, soon become a flourishing and
wealthy people. At present they are very
poor, which makes them active but dishonest.
I am much astonished to see their ships so
numerous; in every port of the Mediter-
ranean you find them, and here they swarm.
The Consul told me, that they are almost
all mortgaged even when launched. If they
are fortunate, the owners grow rich; if unfor-
tunate, they have nothing to lose; the vessel
is sold, and they go somewhere else and re-
commence. But now for myself. I have been
obliged to come to Syra to hire a vessel, this
being one of the largest ports in Greece.
We left Athens during the night of the 3d
October, in a small decked vessel of about
fifteen tons. There was such a wretched
small hole of a cabin, the greatest part of
which was already occupied by an Italian
doctor, that I preferred sleeping on deck,
although even there I had difficulty in picking
out a place amongst the rascally dirty Greeks
who were sleeping there before our arrival.
Our passage lasted two nights and one day.
Yesterday forenoon we landed here; I im-
B
18
LETTER FROM SYRA.
mediately made inquiry for a vessel for Bei-
rout, and have been lucky enough to get a new
one, well manned, all to myself, for about
£20, to sail to-morrow afternoon. My friend
has not quite made up his mind to go with
me, but I dare say he will.
The weather here is very cool; even cold,
but fine.
LETTER III.
MY DEAR JAMES,
BEIROUT, 14th October, 1834.
My travelling companion and I arrived
here this morning from Syra. You are already
aware, from the letters I have written to my
father and Thomas, that George had no
vessel ready for me at Athens, and that I
was in consequence obliged to go to the Is-
land of Syra and hire one. I hired a small
Greek vessel of about thirty tons, or a little
less, and left Syra in her on the 7th of this
month, with a strong favourable breeze. In
such a vessel, we of course did not look for
much accommodation. We had a small cabin
at the stern, about four feet high, and the
hold of about the same height. We took from
20
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
Athens a Greek servant, who speaks English
well; he acted as our valet, cook, and inter-
preter. A dozen of fowls, some eggs, a little
bread, tea, and sugar, were laid in as provi-
sions for the voyage. Our whole cabin furni-
ture consisted of a mattress and quilted cover,
which I bought at Athens; tables and chairs
were luxuries we never dreamt of. We soon
discovered that our small vessel, though new,
was exceedingly leaky, and that our Greek
Captain had scarcely three days' water on
board; for it is the practice of these people to
put into every port they come near, and to
anchor every night. Having taken the pre-
caution of getting a written charter party
made out, (which I would strongly recommend
every one to do, especially when he has any-
thing to do with a Greek,) I obliged him, after
much altercation, to go on to Rhodes, where
we were forced to put in for more water.
We landed and walked through the citadel
and town. It belonged formerly to the knights
of St. John of Jerusalem, who inhabited it
until driven to Malta. The fortifications and
dwelling-houses they built, still remain; the
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
21
It
arms of many being visible on the walls.
is now a miserable sad looking town, the
greater part uninhabited.
We met a young
English traveller here on his return from Syria
and Asia Minor; he was dressed in an old
poor looking Turkish dress; had been in
Damascus, Beirout, &c., and was on his way
to Greece. The inhabitants of the whole
Island of Rhodes are said to be about ten
thousand; half are Turks, the rest Jews and
Greeks. Large heaps of immense round
pieces of marble were to be seen in several
parts of the town. Before the invention of
cannon, these were thrown at the enemy by
a machine; some were fully two feet in
diameter.
After much altercation with the Captain and
his crew, we got under weigh, after being at
anchor a few hours; and to prevent future
stoppages, I laid in an additional quantity of
water. The wind continued to blow as fair
as possible, and strong enough to drive us
on at from four to six knots an hour. The
weather was exceedingly beautiful, and we
enjoyed our sail, even in this wretched tub.
22
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
After gliding along in this way for two days
more, we came in sight of the Island of Cy-
prus. The Captain was resolved to put in
here, although I told him he would thereby
incur quarantine at Beirout, and would violate
the charter party. All my arguments were of
no avail. He would go. "The leak," he
said, "had increased so much that he must put
in there and get his vessel caulked." A very
pleasant prospect for me. Waiting till a ras-
cally Greek caulks his leaky vessel! Luckily
for us, by his own want of skill in navigation,
he run past the Island during the night, and
found himself to leeward of the port in the
morning. He was therefore obliged, in spite
of himself, to bear away for Beirout, then
about one hundred and twenty miles distant.
We made the coast of Syria about twenty
miles too far south; which is not to be won.
dered at, the Captain having only a compass,
which was far from correct, and a very old
French chart, which none of them could read.
In such a vessel, and with such a crew, we
were exceedingly lucky in having continually
fair winds, which enabled us to complete the
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
23
1
whole voyage, of nearly six hundred miles, in
less than seven days.
Beirout, from the sea, is a very pretty look-
ing place, surrounded by green mulberry trees,
and small country houses. The interior of
the town is like other Turkish towns, dirty
and disagreeable. Immediately on landing, I
called upon the Consul, delivered my letters
of introduction, told him I was bearer of im-
portant despatches for Damascus, Bagdad,
Persia, and India, and requested him to pro-
cure us the means of proceeding forthwith
to Damascus. He said the Consul at Damas-
cus, Mr Fanen, was at Jerusalem, but expected
back soon. In the mean time, Mr Todd offi-
ciated there for him. He had a brother in
Bagdad, and would no doubt be able to put
me in the way of getting on without delay.
Horses, he said, should be procured, so that we
might start for Damascus to-morrow morning
at day light. It is only a journey of two days,
or two days and a half, and the country is
perfectly tranquil, and the people quiet. He
also mentioned that about ten days ago an
Armenian, the dragoman of Colonel Taylor,
24
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
at Bagdad, a very well-informed respectable
man, who speaks English perfectly, was here;
and that he had gone to Damascus on his
return to Bagdad. He feared I should be too
late for him. If I should happen to have the
good luck of falling in with this man, it would
be a great matter. I will hear more about
him at Damascus.
From what the Consul says about the state
of the country, I think it is very doubtful
indeed, if Ibrahim Pasha is able to keep it.
His government is very unpopular. His army
has suffered a great deal in the late war against
the natives, near Jerusalem, where he is said
to have lost about six thousand men. His
whole army is estimated at only double that
number. A partial revolt lately broke out at
Latakin. The Maronites and Druses, who
inhabit Mount Lebanon and Anti-Libanus,
were formerly much in his favour, and assisted
him in conquering the country. He has now
greatly lost his popularity with them-if they
oppose him they cannot hold the country. In
addition to this, we were informed at Syra,
where there is always late news from Constan-
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
25
tinople, that the Sultan was resolved to drive
Ibrahim out of Syria, and that troops were
now marching down here.
I send this letter to Alexandria, to be for-
warded to you thence; but I fear it will be a
long time before it arrives. I shall write again
from Damascus, to let you know how I am
getting on.
I very much fear that I shall not get to
Bombay before the end of January. In that
case you cannot expect to hear of my arrival
there till the middle of June. You must not
therefore be alarmed if you do not hear any-
thing of me for six or seven months. As a
proof that there is not much danger in going
from Damascus to Bagdad, I need only men-
tion, that since my arrival here, a Maltese has
volunteered to accompany me as a servant.
P. S.-As Ritchie has some idea of making
a tour through Greece into Syria, as I have
done, be so good as tell him that since I left
the steamer at Patras, just three weeks ago, I
have only slept four nights in bed; that two of
us lived ten days upon three cold chickens,
26
LETTER FROM BEIROUT.
and a very small piece of meat; that the Greek
bugs are the largest I ever saw; that the Greek
vessels, Greek sailors, Greek inns, and Greek
every-things, are detestable; and finally, that
unless a man is tired of comfort, detests good
living, hates society, and cannot sleep in a
clean bed, he ought not to go to the eastward
of Naples.
LETTER IV.
DAMASCUS, 19th Oct., 1834.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
HERE I am at last, in the sacred city of
Damascus, or Shem, as the natives call it. We
arrived here yesterday about one o'clock in
the afternoon, after an interesting journey
from Beirout, of four days, which I shall now
give some account of. Before this arrives, you
will, in all probability, have received the letters
I wrote home from Greece, and from Beirout,
containing all my news up to the fourteenth,
the day on which we landed in Syria.
We remained only one day at Beirout,
left it about six o'clock on the morning of the
fifteenth, on horseback, accompanied by our
Greek servant, Andrea, a Maltese servant in
28
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
the employment of an English gentleman at
Damascus, who spoke English and Arabic,
(the language of this country,) fluently, and a
Muleteer.
Most
Two mules carried our luggage.
English travellers put on the Turkish dress
when travelling in this country, but we had
not time to procure any. My friend wore a
white shooting jacket, white trowsers, and a
white turban—on his back hung his rifle. I
had on a light-coloured dressing gown, a red
belt outside of it, with a brace of pistols stuck
in it, and on my head a low broad-rimmed straw
hat with a long piece of white calico wound
round it, so as to make it half turban, half hat,
and in my hand I carried my fowling piece.
Andrea dressed as a Greek, and Guiseppe the
Maltese like a European-the Muleteer was a
Turk. Our horses were wretched little things.
I had only a halter to mine, and a pack-saddle
to ride on. Thus splendidly equipped, our
gallant band pranced gaily out of the town of
Beirout, the admiration of Christian, Jew, and
Moslem. The immediate neighbourhood of
Beirout is rather pretty, being thickly planted
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
29
worms.
with mulberry trees, for the cultivation of silk-
After an hour's ride through the mul-
berry plantations, we began to ascend mount
Lebanon, a range of mountains often mention-
ed in Scripture, which run along the sea coast
of Syria. These mountains are inhabited by a
different race than those living in the valleys.
They are subject to a Chief, commonly called
the King of the mountains, who lives at a place
called Dahree Zahmer. These mountains go
by the collective name of the Kesrouan-most
of the inhabitants are Christians, of the Greek
Church, and this is the only spot in Turkey
where Christians are allowed bells to their
churches. They are a very industrious race.
The mountains are cultivated almost to the
tops; terraces are formed one above another,
and between them vines are cultivated. Fine
grapes, and very excellent wine, are produced
from them. They are not trained or supported
on sticks as in some parts of Europe, but are
allowed to rest on the ground as a creeper.
On one hill may be counted one hundred
and fifty, or two hundred terraces, one above
another. All the people live in small villages,
30
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
composed of poor houses one story high, built
of stone, without mortar, and covered with flat
mud roofs; looking down on them from a
height, they are scarcely distinguishable, they
appear like a piece of smooth ground. Part of
these mountains are inhabited by Drusses,
who have no religion.
The men dress much like the Turks, and
the women also, with one peculiarity in their
head-dress, which is a remarkable one. All
the married women amongst the Drusses and
Christians, wear a long tin, or sometimes
silver conical ornament, about fifteen inches
long, and measuring at the broad end, which
is next the head, about two and a half inches
in diameter. This rests on the forehead, and
leans forward, being covered and supported
by a white, or blue, or black piece of cotton
cloth, which covers the rest of the head at the
same time, and part of the neck. This gives
them a most peculiar appearance, like a ghost.
The track we had to pass over was the
roughest I ever saw,-steep and rocky. The
road in the valley of Boradaile was smooth
compared to it. Sometimes it ran along the
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
31
edge of precipices scarcely broad enough for the
beasts' footing, at other times it rose over rocks,
steep, rugged, and slippery; then dived into
break-neck glens, much the same as you may
imagine it would be if you were riding from
one end of Arran to the other, over the tops
of all the hills. My horse tripped very much
on level ground, but went like a goat over
the rocks, and along the edge of the preci-
pices, over which frequently hung one leg.
After labouring on for nine hours, we reach-
ed the top of the hill, and after descending
about a couple of hours, arrived at a house of
public entertainment called a khan. It con-
sisted of one storey, flat-roofed, and was
built of stones, without mortar. It contained
a stable and two dark dirty dungeons without
windows, used as store-rooms by the worthy
host. In front was a shed worse than any
cart-shed in Cowall. There we took up our
quarters, surrounded by dirty Arabs, sheep,
horses, and mules. A mat was laid down for
us, we there ate the cold provisions we had
brought, made tea, and had an excellent
meal, to the astonishment of the surrounding
32
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
multitude, who stared at seeing Frangie, (or
Franks, as they call Europeans,) eating with
knives and forks, instruments they had never
seen before. It was a beautiful moonlight
night. I lay down on my mattress, and
after a long and painful struggle with the
myriads of monsters which attacked me on
all sides, I got a few hours' sleep; not so
with my unfortunate companion. He being
fresh from England, could not stand against
the enemies, but retired from the khan, and
sat upon a stone outside, the whole night.
About a couple of hours before daylight we
were all glad to get up, made tea, breakfasted,
and set off in the dark for Baalbec, which is
not in the direct road to Damascus, but is so
celebrated for its ruins, that we could not
resist going to see them. We now descended
into an immense plain, called Zahel Baalbec,
between the mountains of Lebanon and Anti-
Libanus. We could not see how far it ex-
tends, it appears ten or twelve miles in breadth.
It is watered by numerous rivers, brooks, and
springs, and is very productive; and if skil-
fully cultivated, might be made one of the
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
33
richest plains in the world. With the excep-
tion of a few poplars, which are generally
seen near the villages, there is not a tree nor
a shrub to relieve the eye, either on the im-
mense plain or surrounding hill. As we rode
along the edge of the plain, we saw the ruins
of Baalbec before us, apparently at the distance
of six or eight miles; but we toiled under a
burning sun for fully five hours before we ar-
rived. We almost fancied the place was run-
ning away from us. It was past three o'clock
in the afternoon when we got there. There is
a poor ruined village near the remains of
ancient grandeur which we had come to see,
but it does not contain even a khan. We
went therefore to a Greek convent that is
there. The Bishop was out, and we could get
no room. We in the interim established our-
selves in the yard, dined, and went out to see
the ruins. At first I was disappointed, but
not so after having seen the whole. The chief
ruins are close together, and now in the form
of a Castle or Citadel. It has been em-
ployed as such, even as early as the time
of the Romans. It is said to have been com-
C
34
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
menced by Solomon, and finished afterwards by
Abadeen. The Romans, and after them the
Arabians, used it as a fort. The form has, in
consequence, been so much changed, that one
cannot tell what it originally was. At present
there is a wall and ditch surrounding the whole,
which occupy a piece of ground, perhaps three
hundred yards long, and two hundred broad ;
part of this wall is the most wonderful work
in the world, on account of the incredible size
of some of the stones of which it is built.
The dimensions of four of these stones have
frequently been taken. The largest is sixty-
seven feet long, twenty feet deep, and twelve
high; being a corner-stone all the dimensions
can be taken accurately. The other three are
only a few feet less in length; they are all in
one row, about twenty feet from the ground.
Under them is a row of smaller stones, being
about thirty feet long, and under them again
are still smaller ones, being only eight or ten
feet long, some scarcely so much. There are
in all, eight or ten stones of thirty feet long,
and twelve deep. The quarry from which
they were brought, is about five hundred
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
35
yards distant; in it there still remains, de-
tached from the rock, a large stone, probably
It is very
intended to continue this building. It is
likely that the person who began this work in-
tended to finish it all on the same scale, but
found the labour too great. The rest of the
wall is built of stones of an ordinary size, and
evidently at a different period. How these
stones, each of which must weigh above one
hundred tons, could be carried so great a dis-
tance, and lifted so high, is a query which
can never be answered.
That part of the ruin most celebrated for its
beauty, is called the Temple of the Sun, hav-
ing been built, it is supposed, by worshippers
of the sun. The architecture is Grecian, of
the Corinthian order; it is an oblong square
building, surrounded by a splendid portico,
supported by Corinthian pillars. Its length
was one hundred and ninety-two feet, and
breadth ninety-six. There were fourteen pil-
lars on each side, and eight at the end, count-
ing the corner ones twice. They are six feet
three inches in diameter, about forty-five feet
high, and only in three pieces. The front of
36
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
the Temple is destroyed, and a modern wall
built in its place; the other three sides are solid
masonry.
The whole is built of a coarse
white marble. On the capitals of the pillars
there runs all around a splendid cornice, richly
carved. The portico was covered with large
stones, hollowed so as to form a slight arch,
extending between the columns and the Tem-
ple, a distance of nine feet; on them are busts
and figures of gods, finely carved in basso-
relievo, and forming what appears from below
a very beautiful ceiling. The interior is, if
possible, richer and finer than the exterior.
This building, however, has suffered dreadfully
from earthquakes, as well as from the efforts
of the Arabs to pick it to pieces. The body
of the Temple remains entire, but most of the
portico and pillars have fallen. It is surround-
ed by immense blocks of ruins; some stones
which formed the cornice I found to be twelve
feet long, and deep and broad in proportion.
The masonry is beautiful, and stands now as
firm as the day it was put up, in spite of earth-
quakes, men, and time. Nearly three thous-
and years have not destroyed it. How many
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
37
changes have taken place in the world since it
was built! There are other ruins about this
one, but none so remarkable.
On our return to the convent, we found the
worthy Father Anastasius, Bishop of Baalbec,
had returned; he had given us a room opening
into a small yard. It might have done for a
dog-kennel, after a few repairs; we were glad
to get so good a lodging nevertheless. The
Bishop appeared a man of fifty-five. He had
a long beard, a purple sort of robe, and a thing
on his head like a black hat without a rim.
He spoke only Greek, apologized for having
been absent, &c., &c., and then went to help
his man to shake out some leaves of Indian
corn for his horse. In the
called. The Bishop sat
evening he again
squatted on the
near him was a
ground, smoking a pipe;
traveller, like ourselves, a native of Damas-
cus; my friend sat on a portmanteau in
the middle of the room; I lay on my bed on
the floor; Guiseppe acted as interpreter; at
the door sat a couple of servants, who occas-
sionally joined in the conversation. Every
now and then a horse poked its nose in at the
38
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
window, and the donkeys in the yard made
themselves heard more than once. A small
dim lamp lighted the place. At length the
reverend Father left us, and we fell asleep, the
vermin as active as ever, and poor Daubuz
groaning, swearing, snoring, and scratching,
all night.
On the following morning we again set out
soon after day-light. We crossed the range of
hills called the Anti-Libanus, and descended
into a small but very rich valley in the midst
of the mountains. A clear, beautiful stream
ran through it; on its banks grew sweet ches-
nuts, poplars, mulberry trees, and many others.
The land was highly cultivated, and the fields
separated by hedges as in England. The con-
trast which the luxuriant foliage of the trees
and shrubs formed with the bare and rugged
hills, made the valley appear still more delight-
ful. After passing through it, we entered an-
other more extensive, and quite as fertile a
valley, and stopped for the night at a village
called Zibdaing, situated in the centre of it.
We applied to the Sheikh or Chief of the vil-
lage for a lodging. He came out to welcome
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
39
us: a fat good-natured Turk, called Shiekh Ab-
dallah. He showed us into a room something
in the style of the Greek convent, and invited
us to eat some supper, which we did not re-
fuse. It was brought almost immediately.
Two Egyptian officers, in the service of Ibrahim
Pasha, who were collecting taxes, were to sup
with us. On re-entering our room we found
them already seated on the ground; before
them was a round table, about two feet in
diameter, and one foot high. On it were five
dishes, a large one in the centre containing
boiled rice, two of chicken stewed into a sort
of soup, and two of vegetables. On the floor
round the table, were large round scones, very
like Scotch barley scones. There were five or
six spoons, but no knives and forks, nor
glasses. Not being accustomed to sit on the
ground, or eat with my fingers, I was rather
awkward at first, especially as Sheikh Abdallah
and a crowd of Turks came in to see us feed.
The Egyptians soon commenced by diving into
the centre of the rice with a spoon, and dab-
bling in the dish for the chicken with their
fingers. We offered the Sheikh some brandy,
40
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
but he was too good a Musselman to touch it.
Our Egyptian friends were not so particular,
but drank it pure, and would have taken more
than we found it convenient to give.
When we were taking our tea, the Sheikh
again came in with his tail, to see us drink
tea, just as you would go to see an Esqui-
maux eat a raw whale. He would not take
any for fear there might be brandy in it, but
accepted a cupful of water, sugar, and milk,
which, after tasting, he handed to the by-
standers, each of whom as he tasted it, ex-
claimed, << Allah," and made some sapient
observation about the "Frangies." We gave
the Sheikh a piece of white sugar, with which
he was much pleased; some of the others
petitioned for some, but as we had not much
to spare, we told them there was brandy in it.
An hour before day-light, we were again on
the road the morning was bitterly cold, even
with my great coat on, I could not keep my-
self warm by walking. The day however was
very warm. We arrived at the top of the hill
that overhangs Damascus about mid-day, and
there I shall leave myself for the present,
LETTER FROM DAMascus.
41
reserving the rest for my letter to John, to
whom I shall write next. I shall only say,
that I have been informed here, that I can
cross the desert to Bagdad in twelve days,
without the least danger. It is sometimes
done in seven days, but if I do it in fourteen
I shall be satisfied. To-morrow I hope to fix
the day of my departure, and other particulars.
Mr Todd told me, that he would not fear to
cross the desert himself, with only a servant,
if he knew the road; you need not therefore
be under the slightest apprehension about me.
I am afraid you will scarcely have patience
to read this long letter. With kindest love
to my Father and all of
you,
I remain, my dear Mother, &c.
4
LETTER V.
DAMASCUS, 21st Oct., 1834.
MY DEAR JOHN,
As I mentioned in my letter to my
Mother, we arrived here on the 18th. The
first view of Damascus, from the top of the
hill which we had to pass, before entering the
plain, is very fine. You see the city of Da-
mascus surrounded on all sides by woods and
gardens. A few trees are scattered through
the town, which, with minarets and towers,
form a pretty view, and make one believe that
this far-famed city is something better than a
dirty Turkish town. But as we entered we
were soon undeceived. The gardens which
surround the town are separated from each
other by narrow lanes, with high mud walls
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
43
on each side. They are full of large round
stones, mud, and rubbish, thrown from the
gardens. The gardens themselves are quite
neglected; most of them contain nothing but
large trees planted many years ago,
and
weeds. The town itself is not quite so dirty
as Cairo, but it is a very dirty place; streets
narrow, irregular, and dull looking; the
bazaars are all covered over with roofs which
render them dark and close; the shops are
very poor.
The inhabitants of Damascus are very
bigotted. Until Ibrahim Pasha took Syria,
no European could appear in the European
dress; even now we were very much stared
at, but never insulted. The Consul is absent ;
but Mr Todd, a merchant, acts as Consul.
He did everything for us in his power. Having
a brother at Bagdad, and being in the habit
of sending goods and letters, he knew a
great deal about the manner of going there.
He informed me, that there was not the
slightest danger in crossing the desert: that
if he knew the way he would not fear to go
alone. A Turk told us to-day, that his
44
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
brother came across with pearls worth three
hundred pounds, quite alone. At present, the
desert is freer of wandering tribes than it was
ever known to be. I therefore did not hesitate
on deciding to go with a Bedouin Ara balone,
dressed myself as a Bedouin. One fortunate-
ly arrived yesterday; a man well known, in
whom we can trust. I have agreed to give
him ten pounds to take me to Bagdad; a small
part only is paid now, the rest he will receive
when he comes back with a letter from me,
saying that I am satisfied with him. All the
morning I was busy buying my Arab dress, as
poor a one as I could find, and a villainous
looking fellow I shall be, having let my beard
and mustaches grow to a ferocious degree.
All my European clothes I give in charge to
Mr Todd, to send them to London, and thence
to Bombay.
We are to start to-morrow, and I hope to
arrive at Bagdad in fourteen days. As I know
nothing of Arabic, my guide and I will not
have much conversation. I shall be glad to get
away from this place, which is in a dreadful
state. Ibrahim Pasha treats Syria as a con-
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
45
quered country; he is a blood-thirsty tyrant.
The Turks hate him so much, that fearing lest
they might rise, as the inhabitants of Hablooz
and the South of Syria did, two months ago, he
is now disarming the whole population, and that
with such severity, that he orders houses to
be searched, and even harems, (which are al-
ways considered sacred,) to be entered by his
soldiers. He even goes so far as to fix the
number of arms each person is to deliver up ;
if he has not got them, he must buy them; if
he cannot buy them, he is put in prison and
bastinadoed. The arms when taken are
broken to pieces. Any person having arms or
making them, will have his head cut off. Yes-
terday, the body and head of a gun-smith were
exposed in the street. He had been executed
the night before, for having made a gun, which
he presented to Ibrahim as a present, and to
show what a good workman he was. Instead
of thanks, which he expected, his head was
cut off for disobeying the Pasha's orders not
to make arms. He is, besides, drawing and
squeezing as much money out of the people
as he can, and enforcing the conscription.
46
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
There is in consequence a gloom through the
whole city; few shops are open. Every one
appears afraid to be seen. Ibrahim himself
is encamped just outside the town, with about
fourteen thousand men, chiefly Egyptians, all
well-disciplined. His cavalry is better mount-
ed than any in Europe. He keeps in his pay
besides, twelve or fifteen thousand Bedouin
Arabs, and has also a powerful ally in the
King of the Mountains. He has likewise an
army of ten or twelve thousand regular troops
on the northern frontiers and near Aleppo,
to prevent the entry of the Sultan, who, it is
said, is coming to attack him with seventy
thousand men.
If he were obliged to march from Damascus
with his army, it is much feared that all the
inhabitants of the greater part of Syria would
rise en masse, and then woe to the Europeans
and Christians.
Damascus is far from being a healthy
place, owing to the immense quantity of
water that runs through it, and to the high
hills on the west preventing the winds from
the west being felt. I however never was bet-
LETTER FROM DAMASCUS.
47
ter in my life than I have been since I have
entered Syria.
As I am to go away so soon, I am not
afraid, but I should not like to remain long,
and I would not recommend any one to come
here. I beg particularly that Isabella will not
think of it; all the women go with their faces
entirely covered a few do not. Those I have
seen are rather pretty; almost all have very
fine eyes.
From what I have said, you will see that
there is no reason to be in the slightest degree
alarmed about my safety.
LETTER VI.
MY DEAR FATHER,
BAGDAD, 9th, 10th Nov., 1834.
You will perhaps be nearly as glad
to learn that I have arrived here safely, as I
am to be able to inform you of it, for I now
consider the dangerous part of my journey
to India as past.
You already know, by a letter I wrote to
John from Damascus, that I had made every
arrangement to leave it on the 22d of Oc-
tober, with a Bedouin Arab. I agreed to
give him one thousand piastres, (about ten
pounds sterling,) to convey me safely to Bag-
dad, he furnishing camels. I was informed
by Mr Todd, that if I went thus, dressed as a
Bedouin, with as little luggage as possible, I
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
49
should run no risk, and that he had even re-
commended his brother, who was in Bagdad,
to return in the same manner. I therefore,
with his assistance, purchased the commonest
dress of a Bedouin, consisting of a coarse
black suit of materials fit for sail-cloth
; over
that I had a short thick woollen sort of loose
jacket without sleeves, a belt round my waist,
in which I put the little money I took with
me, and over all I carried a very coarse loose
woollen cloak, with very broad brown and
white stripes. On my head I wore a handker-
chief, with yellow, green, and red stripes, put
on so that the ends hung down on each side
and behind, forming a capital shelter from the
sun; a rope of camel's-hair passing two or
three times round my head, fixed it securely.
Not being Bedouin enough to go with bare
feet, I put on the commonest stockings and
shoes I could find.
Under my Arab dress, I wore a complete
coating of flannel and worsted, of my own
clothes, which were more comfortable than the
coarse things my new dress were made of.
Mr Todd said I looked like a respectable
D
50
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
beggar. I had allowed my mustaches and
beard to grow, which helped in making me
look more like an Arab. My luggage was a
mere trifle. Only one or two articles of dress,
a piece of soap, and two towels, some bread,
and a little biscuit. I had brought from Eng-
land with me, tea, sugar, and coffee, a pre-
served fruit called camaruldeen, which, when
dissolved in water makes a cool and pleasant
beverage, flour and tobacco for the Arab, a
thick quilted bed-cover, and a sheet of M'In-
tosh cloth served me as bed-steading.
The Arab who was to accompany me, was a
little active man, of about forty, called Allay-
an, belonging to a powerful tribe. His com-
plexion was very dark, but I rather liked his
expression. He spoke nothing but Arabic, of
which I did not know a single word.
It was on the afternoon of Wednesday the
22d, before I was ready to depart. Mounted
on a camel with my luggage, I left Damascus,
accompanied only by the Bedouin, whom I
had never seen before, and to whom I could
not speak a word. Being entirely in his
power, I determined to conciliate him as
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
51
much as possible, and to put myself on an
equality with him. I had already made up
my mind to leave every comfort behind me,
and to suffer patiently every inconvenience.
As we left Damascus late, we did not go
above ten or twelve miles the first day. That
was sufficient to take us to the borders of the
desert. We there fell in with some Arabs.
We went up to a tent where an old man,
his wife, and two boys, were sitting by a fire
preparing their supper. Allayan made the
camel kneel close to the tent, and we joined
the party without ceremony. Arab hospitality
is proverbial. We were received as a matter
of course. The astonishment of these people
at me was evident. I could see that they were
speaking about me; the old lady appeared
particularly inquisitive. They were all kind,
and did nothing which could be in the slightest
degree offensive. While they were preparing
supper, I had time to examine the tent, if tent
it may be called. It consisted merely of a
piece of coarse black hair cloth, perhaps
twenty feet long, and six or eight broad, fast-
ened by ropes and poles horizontally, at the
52
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
distance of five or six feet from the ground,
the two ends sloping downwards; on one side
another piece of cloth slanted down to the
ground, the other remaining open; thus form-
ing a sort of oblong square tent, open on one
side, and very imperfectly shut on the others,
which, added to the numerous holes which
were to be seen above and around, made it
anything but an effective place of shelter. It
contained no furniture or mats. In the centre
a heap of sacks, camels' saddles, &c., divided
it into two, one side being for the men, and
the other for the women and children. The
sheep and goats which these people herded,
lay in front of the tent at night.
Supper being prepared, we all sat round the
large wooden dish which contained it, helping
ourselves with our hands, and sitting cross-
legged on the ground. It appeared to me to
consist of bread broken into small pieces,
mixed with fat and a great quantity of onions,
all boiled together. I was not sufficiently
hungry to do honour to this good cheer. When
finished I wrapped myself up in my quilted
cover, and lay down to sleep outside the tent,
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
53
On
my luggage making a pillow. Although the
days were oppressively warm, the nights were
piercingly cold, so much so, that with all my
clothing I could not keep myself warm.
the following morning we rose at day-light,
and pursued our journey the whole day. At a
village which we passed in the morning, Allay-
an picked up a friend, who accompanied us,
and stopped with us till about sunset. We
were now fairly in the desert. We took up
our station in a sheltered place, where there
were dry plants to make a fire. These were
collected, and a splendid fire soon enlivened
our solitude. The Arabs immediately com-
menced baking some bread with the flour,
which was baked on the embers of the fire.
This made our supper, and not having had
anything all day, I ate it with no little relish.
We passed the night as before, and again con-
tinued our journey early on the next day.
About ten or eleven o'clock we fell in with im-
mense droves of camels, old and young, filling
the whole plain, and soon after approached an
encampment of between twenty and thirty
54
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
tents. One of these was the tent of Allayan's
friend. We accompanied him to it, and were
there entertained with coffee, and a dish of
food similar to that we had for supper two even-
ings before. While this was preparing, ten
or twelve Arabs came around the fire at which
we were sitting to hear the news. I was again
a principal topic of conversation, but was
lucky enough not to know what was said.
Several made vain attempts to make me
understand them, by speaking very distinctly,
and at the top of their voice. They were all
very civil, and I particularly remarked that
our luggage appeared to be sacred; not a
thing was touched, even the children were not
allowed to go near it, in case they might care-
lessly take away some trifle-which is remark-
able in a people who are notorious robbers.
But it is a custom amongst all the tribes, if
you can reach the tents of the very worst of
them, you are safe, and will be hospitably
treated by the same men who would have strip-
ped you of every thing had they met you in
the desert. I observed that nearly all the men
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
55
wore arms, and that four or five horses sad-
dled, grazed opposite the tents, against which
the long spears of the riders rested.
In the afternoon we pursued our journey
through a broad level plain, full of camels; we
passed several encampments of Arabs, and
towards sunset arrived in sight of a large en-
campment of about sixty tents. As we ap-
proached, I knew it to be the home of Allayan,
by two black dirty half-clad children running
up to him. He took them up and kissed
them; we were soon at his tent. His friends
and relations flocked around him, and gave
him a hearty welcome. He kissed an old
man, who I afterwards found to be his father,
on both sides of the face. His tent was
similar to that I have already described. I
was placed in the best part of the tent; a fire
was lighted and coffee prepared, roasted,
pounded, boiled, and handed round in very
small cups, without sugar or milk, in the
Turkish fashion. In the meantime, his wife,
who was a dirty, kind, ugly little woman, dress-
ed in a long blue loose shirt, which reached
from her neck to the ground, prepared supper
56
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
in another part of the tent. A kid was killed,
part of it made up in the usual mess, and part
roasted at the fire on a spit, cut into small bits.
This entertainment lasted till eight or nine
o'clock, when I was glad to get a little sleep.
Next day we rose with the sun, and had
some coffee, and afterwards bread; soon after
preparations for striking the tents were visi-
ble; horsemen came in apparently with some
news, and soon after droves of hundreds of
camels, belonging to another part of the tribe,
came pouring over the hill, and passed through
our encampment. I was astonished at the
number of these animals, of which I had al-
ready seen some thousands. All the tents
were soon on the ground, and all the camels
belonging to our tribe concentrated. The ol
ones were loaded with tents and provisions,
and in the course of an hour we were all in
full march towards the south. Although this
was not at all my direction, I was not sorry
to have an opportunity of seeing a little of
these people. I accompanied Allayan's family
and luggage mounted on my camel. In front
of our column rode five or six horsemen, with
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
57
long spears; they directed the march, and we
followed where they went. The weather was
very fine, and the scene altogether very im-
posing just such a one as Walter Scott
would have described well.
After marching two or three hours we halt-
ed, our tents were again pitched, and the
camels again sent to graze. But on this occa-
fifteen or twenty
sion there were not above
tents pitched near ours, the rest having gone
somewhere else. At this season of the year
there is so little food for the camels, and so
little water, that the Arabs are obliged to move
every day. Thousands are thus in a state of
perpetual emigration. They are a curious
race of people, but I believe as happy as any
other. They have very few wants, and those
are easily supplied. With a little flour and
salt to bake bread, and clothing to keep him
warm, an Arab is not only content but happy;
if you add a little coffee and tobacco, he will
not envy a king. They detest living in houses.
Occasionally when the chiefs of tribes have
come upon business to Bagdad and Damascus,
good houses were allotted to them, but they
A
58
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
There
always pitch their black tents on the flat-roof,
and prefer living in their own manner.
are a great many different tribes, some very
powerful, who when united, can bring thirty or
forty thousand men into the field. Feuds con-
tinually exist between one tribe and another,
which are handed down from generation to
generation, and when they meet they kill one
another if possible. These large tribes are
also sub-divided into smaller ones, which are
often at war one with another, but join in one
common cause. None of these people acknow-
ledge any law, and frequently defy the most
powerful Pashas of the Porte, and the Porte
itself. The desert is now what the sea was
some hundred years ago; every one there
looks upon a stranger as an enemy, and the
stronger party thinks it far from dishonourable
to plunder the weaker. Society is in the most
primitive state, the Arabs of the present day
living much as Abraham did of old, with their
flocks and herds.
In undertaking my journey to Bagdad, I was
fully aware that it was one of great hazard,
and I did not set out without considerable ap-
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
59
prehension of the result. However, as I had
gone so far, I would not give it up without a
trial. I always thought my life safe enough,
but I was afraid I might be made prisoner and
kept for ransom-plundered I fully expected to
be, but had nothing valuable to lose.
I spent the whole of the 25th with Allayan's
friends. I was glad to see that towards the
evening he made some preparation for our
long journey. We supped as on the preceding
evening, and I slept in his tent; he and his
father appeared to prefer sleeping outside in
the open air. At sunrise on the following
morning, which was a Sunday, we were up
and had coffee and bread. Preparations for
striking the tents of the tribe were again
going on, at the same time that two fresh
camels, light and active, were got in readiness
for ourselves. Soon after, Allayan, his father,
called Mootaluck, and myself, commenced our
journey to Bagdad, mounted on these two
camels or dromedaries, Allayan and I upon
one, and Mootaluck upon another. We
carried no arms. Allayan only had a large
heavy bludgeon, such as the Arabs usually
60
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
carry with them. We left the tribe and
pursued an easterly course. In a few hours
we were in the heart of the desert, where
there was not a living soul. We went along
a large plain, barren and stony; toward sunset
we passed over some low hills into another
immense plain, and stopped for the night near
the foot of them. A fire was lighted, bread
baked, and a sort of drink made of the cam-
aruldeen, on which we supped, and retired to
rest. While we were supping, the camels
were allowed to graze on what they could find;
but as it became dark they were brought close
to us, made to kneel down near us, and as is
customary, had their fore-legs fastened to pre-
vent them from rising.
I was now fairly in the desert, and beyond
all relief, at the mercy of two strangers, who
could have no interest in my welfare beyond
the hope of gaining a very moderate reward
on my safe arrival in Bagdad. There is some-
thing very awful in the silence of the desert
itself, which rather encourages gloomy reflec-
tions, and I almost regretted having placed
myself in such a position. During the night
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
61
·
I awoke, but all was silent as death, except
the occasional howl of a jackal on the neigh-
bouring hills, and the low souch of the cold
winds. I thought of my comfortable bed at
home with a sigh, and again went to sleep.
Next morning we came to a well where
we replenished our water-skin, and proceeded
over the barren plain; we saw nobody, and
at sunset again supped and slept in the open
plain. Next day at sunrise we again went
on, stopped for breakfast about ten o'clock,
baked our bread, and made our camaruldeen
as usual. About mid-day we reached a well,
where a few Arabs were watering their don-
keys. They were very poor, assisted us to
draw water, and gave us some lumps of boiled
meat on a dirty piece of wood, just as you
would feed dogs in England. We made as
short a stay as possible, and again continued
our journey; after supper we went on travel-
ling till ten or eleven o'clock. In this manner
travelling from sunrise, till ten or eleven o'clock
at night, and stopping twice a-day to eat our
bread and camaruldeen, we went on for three
* Anglicé, unpleasant sound.
62
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
days, passing over a barren plain, which was
so perfectly level that it was scarcely possible
to point out one spot higher than another; we
could consequently see only three or four miles
around us on all sides, and had continually
the same view before and around us. The
sun was our only guide during the day, and
the stars at night; many foot-paths crossed
the desert in all directions, but we followed
none any length of time. On the third day
we came in sight of a low round hill, at
the distance of three or four miles from
which we found a well. I was a good deal
struck with the accuracy with which Allayan
had directed us during a distance of above one
hundred miles, without any land-mark. Such,
however, is the effect of habit, that when the
Arabs once know in what direction a place
lies, they go straight to it, without map or
compass. I had both with me, and compared
our course with them, and found he had come
almost quite straight; yet this well was a mere
speck upon an immense desert, not three feet
in diameter, which could not be seen at twenty
paces distance.
Our camels had drank no
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
63
water for three days, and had only such food as
they could pick up as we went along, and dur-
ing the short time we spent at breakfast and
supper, for we carried nothing for them, yet
they did not appear fagged. It is a common
idea in England, that the dromedary has two
humps on its back; but in fact the animal
known here as a dromedary, has only one like
a camel, from which it differs in being smaller
and lighter, as an English riding-horse differs
from a dray-horse. Amongst the thousands of
camels I have seen, I never saw one with two
humps, nor ever heard of one. It is truly
wonderful what fatigue a camel will bear, with-
out food or water. Our three days' journey of
a hundred miles was nothing. The day before
we arrived at the well, we saw some Arabs at
a distance, which gave us considerable alarm ;
but we got out sight of them into a small val-
ley, and did not meet them again. At the
well, we found some eight or ten tents pitched,
of a small tribe, wandering with donkeys, but
they treated us hospitably. In the evening we
again continued our journey.
All over the desert there grows in little tufts
64
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
about the height of heather, a plant on which
the camel feeds, and which makes very good
fire. With this exception, and that of three
or four other plants seen occasionally, there is
no vegetation. The soil is generally light, and
poor, and quite bare. In many places we saw
a good many hares, less than those of Eng
land and of a lighter colour, some antelopes,
a great many lizards, snakes, and rats, a few
small birds and hawks, but nothing else.
How these creatures find food, and particu-
larly water, I do not know.
We pursued our journey comfortably and
peacably in the manner I have stated, and I
had got quite accustomed to my new mode of
life; the simple fare and regular exercise
agreed so well with me, that I never found
myself better in my life. I was always
hungry, and enjoyed my share of dry bread,
more than I had done many excellent dinners.
I occasionally thought of you at breakfast and
dinner time, and would have been happy to
have got the scraps sent to the kennel. I
could not help thinking sometimes, how little
a person really requires. I was now quite
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
65
happy to get plenty of bread, and a drink of
dirty water, which you would not give a horse,
with the earth for my bed, and the sky for
my curtains. I had also got better acquainted
with my companions, who used to amuse them-
selves teaching me a few words of Arabic.
We were now approaching Bagdad, and, I
was beginning to calculate the day of my
arrival. We had been fourteen days from
Damascus, and had met no obstacle of any
kind, and I was ridiculing the dangers so
much spoken of. While thus cogitating one
day, making myself quite happy, I remarked
that Allayan had looked back two or three
times rather anxiously. I turned round and
saw we were pursued by three Arabs, mounted
on two camels, which they were urging on at
full speed. They were already within three
hundred yards of us, and commenced shout-
ing out, one shaking his long spear at us,
and the other two flourishing enormous blud-
geons. Allayan immediately made our camels
kneel down, got out his big stick, and prepared
to meet them. His father was too old to
assist him, and I had been warned by Mr Todd
E
66
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
against interfering under any circumstances;
besides I had not even a
stood still and looked on.
stick. I therefore
In the meantime,
on came the enemy, their eyes rolling with
fury, grinning, shouting out, and brandishing
their weapons, so as to astound a stranger not
a little. Three more villanous looking fellows
I never saw. One in particular was the very
personification of villany, and looked more
horrible from an unhealed wound on his breast.
As soon as they came, they jumped off their
camels and seized hold of poor Allayan,
whose stick they took; they pulled him
about, shouting all the while most hideously.
The rascally one was preparing to beat him
with his club, but the other prevented him.
He then laid hold of our luggage, and
was for rifling it, but the other again in-
terfered. After a great deal of shouting, and
talking, and pulling one another about, they
allowed us to mount, and accompanied us.
We had however only gone a few yards when
the furious fellow again stopped us, made us
dismount, and renewed the scene of strife;
his companion once more interfered, and
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
67
we again proceeded.
All this time none of
them had taken any notice of me; they now
discovered from my complexion and from my
-
shoes, that I was not an Arab. They looked
at me very closely, and asked a good many
questions about me. Allayan passed me off
as a Turk, and they appeared satisfied. We
now all journeyed on together, and they gradu-
ally appeared to get into good humour. We
travelled together the whole afternoon, supped
together, and slept together, and next morn-
ing again went on in company together, all
apparently very good friends. This appeared
to me a complete mystery; sometimes I fancied
they were taking me to their tents to keep me
for a ransom, and I was encouraged in this
opinion as we approached an Arab encamp-
ment. Before we got up to them, two of our
new companions, mounted on one camel, set
off at a rapid pace and left us, with one of
their party, and from that moment I have seen
nothing more of them. Accompanied by the
other, we went to the tents, and were as usual
hospitably received. We were now not very
far from the Euphrates, near a village called
68
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
Kubissa, towards which we intended to go.
The night however was very cloudy; we had
no moon nor even stars to direct us, and instead
of going south-east, I found by my compass we
were going about north. We were therefore
obliged to go supperless to bed, for Allayan
did not light any fire, contrary to the usual
practice; but owing, as I have learned since my
arrival here, to the Arab robbers who infest
that country to such a degree that they fre-
quently sweep away cattle and men from
under the very walls of the villages. Young
Todd, a brother of Mr Todd in Damascus, left
Bagdad for that place in September last, ac-
companied by a servant and a guide; when he
got to this place he was attacked during the
night by nine or ten of these Arabs; his guide
escaped, and his servant also, but he and his
luggage were taken. They not only took all
his luggage and camels, but stripped off all his
clothes except his stockings, and beat him
with their big sticks. Fortunately he knew in
what direction the village of Kubissa lay, and
succeeded in getting there. At that place, he
found his servant and guide, was clothed and
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
69
well treated; but being reduced to the lowest
stage of poverty, was obliged to beg his way
back to Bagdad, with the servant and guide,
and only one camel between them, in the best
way he could. It took him above a month to
get back. He is still here, and told me yester-
day of his misfortune. Luckily for me, when I
was on this dangerous ground, I was wholly
unconscious of the peril I was in. Next day
we arrived at a village on the Euphrates,
called Hit, where we remained all night, in a
miserable dirty house; half the roof had fallen
in, and it was full of filth and rubbish.
The following morning, which was Friday,
the 7th of November, we crossed the Euphra-
tes in a ferry-boat. It is here a fine river, about
two hundred yards wide, and apparently deep.
The current, I should think, may be one and-
a-half or two knots an hour. The water is
of a reddish muddy colour.
Near Hit, there is a spring of salt water
which is impregnated with bitumen, from
which both salt and pitch are procured.
After crossing the Euphrates, we went direct
towards Bagdad, now about one hundred miles
70
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
distant, the man who attacked us in the
desert still accompanying us, much to my sur-
prise; for although he and Allayan appeared
to be on the best terms possible, he evidently
had no confidence in his honesty, for whenever
I spoke of him by signs, and the few words I
knew, he put his hand to his mouth, and he
never let him know I was European.
Next day, which was the 8th November,
as we were going quietly along as usual, I
saw suddenly five Arab horsemen armed with
spears and swords, come over a rising ground,
about four hundred yards from us. I pointed
them out to Allayan, who immediately made
our three camels kneel down in the form of a
triangle, fastening their legs as well as he
could. The Arabs came galloping up to us,
and in a moment surrounded us, calling and
shouting out, galloping round and round our
little camp, shaking their spears at us, as if on
the point of thrusting them at us, and every
circle coming nearer, till at last they were
within spear's length of us.
One dashed up so
near as to snatch off old Mootaluk's head gear,
as he flew past. Another stationed himself
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
71
opposite me, pointing his spear at my breast,
and making it quiver in his hand, calling out
something I did not understand. Allayan and
our mysterious companion, in the meantime,
were brandishing their clubs, and calling out
to the enemy. At this moment the camels
became so frightened, that, bellowing and roar-
ing, they jumped up and made off in different
directions as they best could, limping on three
legs. Our camp was now entirely broken up,
and all show of resistance ended. Some of
the Arabs went after the camels, while one or
two remained to plunder us. An old man
rode up to me, and called out something in
Arabic, which he seemed furious at my not
understanding: he repeated it, holding up his
sword as if to cut me down, if I did not obey.
Still for some time I could not guess what the
old wretch wanted; at last it struck me, that
it might be my cloak, which I gave him, and
he rode off with it, but being loaded with my
bedding and other plunder, it fortunately fell
off his shoulder unperceived, and I picked it
up again unseen. His companions all this
-
72
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
while were busy with the camels. They car-
ried away every thing that we had, except the
camels and their saddles, and a little flour and
water. Despatches, letters, and all, went the
same gait.* Fortunately the little money I
had with me in a belt escaped: all this was the
work of half-an-hour from the time the Arab
horsemen attacked us, until they had again
disappeared. I had nothing left but what
I carried on my back. Old Mootaluk had lost
his head covering, and Allayan his cloak.
Our new friend lost nothing, having nothing
worth taking away. I do not however suspect
him at all, of being in league with the robbers,
for he is not of the same tribe. That night I
had but a poor night's rest on the cold ground,
with some dry grass for a pillow, and exposed
to the cold night air, with very little covering.
On the following day, Allayan appeared a good
deal alarmed; we went along with great cau-
tion, and at length pushed on at a rapid rate,
until we got up to some Arab tents.
I now
understood that there was no more danger,
which I was not sorry to learn. We had an
Anglicé, way.
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
73
excellent supper at the Arab's tent, of good
bread and a liquid which tasted like sweet tal-
low; but I could not sleep very well for the cold.
About twelve o'clock yesterday, I arrived in
Bagdad, went straight to Colonel Taylor, the
resident, told him what had happened, and
was most kindly received. He offered me
money and clothes-everything I wanted; and
ordered immediately a room to be prepared
for me, which I assure you gave me very
great pleasure, for I was such a blackguard
looking figure, that I had doubts of his receiv-
ing me at all in the manner he did. He has
some hopes of recovering the papers, but ow-
ing to the present state of affairs, it is very
doubtful; for he informed me that the Pasha
of Bagdad is now at war with a very power-
ful tribe of Arabs, called Annisees, whom he
called to assist him in driving away another
tribe who blockaded Bagdad, during three
months, about a year and-a-half ago, promis-
ing as a reward, to give them the lands occu-
pied by this tribe. The Annisees came ac-
cordingly with their camels and families, like a
flock of locusts; but before they arrived the
74
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
Pasha had made peace with the other tribe,
and now requested the Annisees to return.
This they would not do, but came pouring in
their hordes in all directions. The Pasha at
length sent out troops, aided by the Arab tribe,
who were formerly his enemies, to stop their
progress. They were however driven back,
and the Annisees pressed close up to within
two hours' walk of Bagdad. Severe skirmishes
have taken place during the last two days,
until yesterday, when the Annisees made a
general attack, and entirely dispersed the
whole of the Pasha's force, and now remain
entire masters of the whole country. This
was the reason of the fear Allayan showed
yesterday; for we had to pass close to where
the Annisees were fighting; we were near
enough to hear the firing. Had we been four
hours later, it would have been impossible for
me to have got into Bagdad. I must inevit-
ably have fallen into the hands of the Anni-
sees; I therefore must consider myself exceed-
ingly lucky.
There was a great slaughter yesterday
amongst the Pasha's people. Above one
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
75
thousand men are said to have been killed,
chiefly Arabs, assisting the Pasha; their Sheikh
or Chief, was amongst the killed, which will
cause eternal warfare between the two tribes.
The lex talionis is in full force amongst them.
If a man of one tribe kills one of another, they
slaughter each other whenever they meet.
This makes the Arabs cautious in shedding
blood, but when once there is a feud between
two tribes, no quarter is given on either side.
The number of hostile Arabs now outside is
said to amount to above thirty thousand; but
there is no danger of their entering the town,
for they have a great dread of walls. When
they come in to buy trifles for themselves,
they are never at ease until they get into
the desert again.
Thus finished my journey, which I should
be very sorry indeed to undertake again.
During twenty days and nights, I was only
once in a house, and half the roof was off it.
For sixteen days I did not see a house, a tree,
a bush, a stream of water, or a hill a hundred
feet high; and during the whole time I did
not utter ten words.
76
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
It is supposed that the Arabs will not re-
main long here, as there is no means of feed-
ing their hundred and fifty thousand camels
above a day or two; at present they are to the
north, and do not interfere in the least with
the communication between Bagdad and Bus-
sorah, so that I have no fear of being detained
beyond the time necessary to procure a boat,
which may be eight or ten days.
Colonel Taylor says, there is not the slight-
est danger going down the Tigris; coming up,
boats are frequently obliged to pay to be al-
lowed to pass. There are always vessels going
from Bussorah to Bombay; but as sea voyages
are very uncertain, it is not possible to say
when I may reach Bombay, but I hope before
the end of January.
The dragoman of Colonel Taylor, whom I
mentioned in one of my letters from Damas-
cus, as having left it for Bagdad, a fortnight be-
fore my arrival there, got here the day before
me. He had a large party, was stopped once
or twice, and obliged to pay, but was not
plundered; at present every caravan will be
robbed by these Annisees. I hope this letter
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
17/17
may not fall into their hands, as I should not
like to have the trouble of writing it over
again.
He
To-day Mr Fraser, the author of the Kuzzil-
bash, arrived from Persia. He came from the
north-east, and met with no interruption.
says Persia is in a dreadful state, having suf-
fered incredibly from the plague; in many
places it is said that nine-tenths of the popu
lation were carried off.
Bagdad has little left of the splendour so
much boasted of in the Arabian Nights;
more than half the town is in ruins, and what
houses remain are wretched looking abodes,
dirty narrow streets. It extends to both sides
of the Tigris, which is crossed over a bridge
of boats. Bagdad has had the plague three
times during the last four years, and an inun-
dation has during that period knocked down
nearly half the town. These disasters have
swept away four-fifths of the inhabitants, and
amongst them the best mechanics and artifi-
cers, so that many mechanical arts are either
entirely lost, or only imperfectly known. Out
of a population estimated at two hundred
78
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
thousand, only forty thousand are said to re-
main. The revenues of the Pashalic are still
very considerable. But I think this letter is
sufficiently long; I will therefore retain my
account of Bagdad for some one else, and I
shall probably leave the letter with Colonel
Taylor, to be forwarded with his next de-
spatches. This one I send by way of Da-
mascus.
With kind love to my Mother, and all at
home, I remain, my dear Father, &c.
I forgot to mention that Bagdad is now par-
ticularly healthy-the climate is cool and agree-
able. There was plague here in spring; but
there is not the slightest vestige of it now,
either here or at Bussorah.
November 14th.-The man sent out to at-
tempt to recover the papers I lost, was taken
and stripped naked by the Annisee Arabs.
Another was sent off yesterday.
I now find that the passage by water to Bus-
sorah at this season will take three weeks, and
that there will be no opportunity for ten days
or a fortnight. I have therefore decided upon
going by land with Mr Fraser, who is an old
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
79
traveller, and a very pleasant companion. It
is impossible for me to fix any time at which I
am likely to be at Bombay, but under the most
favourable circumstances not before the end of
January. Having now passed the dangerous
part of the journey, you may be quite at ease
about me.
November 22d.-Since I wrote the preced-
ing, a Tartar arrived from Constantinople
bringing news from England up to the 19th
September. The letters he brought for Mr
Fraser will cause us a longer detention, and I
have now no hopes of getting away before
the end of this month. The Tartar brought
duplicates of the despatches I lost. They con-
tain instructions about the steam navigation on
the Euphrates. That Captain Chesney will
succeed in spending the twenty thousand
pounds voted by Parliament, I have very little
doubt; and of his establishing a permanent
communication on the Euphrates, I have just
as little doubt he will not. The difficulties
merely of navigating the river are such as to
render steam navigation, under any circum-
stances, very uncertain and very dangerous.
80
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
During the months when the water is high,
danger arises from the inundation rendering
it difficult to find the course of the river; and
the strength of the stream will greatly impede
the progress of the vessel when going against
it; and during those months when the river
is low, numerous shifting sand-banks and rocks
offer fresh obstacles, for no prudent pilot
would dare to take the vessel amongst these
shoals at a rapid pace, or during the night.
In addition to these dangers and difficulties,
is to be added the attacks to which the vessel
would incessantly be exposed from the Arabs.
Any one who knows the Arabs will say, that
if force be employed against them, the conse-
quences would be fatal, probably to the whole
crew; for thousands of Arabs might flock, and
no doubt would do so, to avenge the loss of
their comrades. If Captain Chesney can arm
a steam vessel so as to make war successfully
against all the powerful tribes living on the
banks of the Euphrates, he will show no small
military skill. By paying a certain sum every
voyage, to the Sheikhs of the principal tribes,
a free passage may be procured, liable only to
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
81
But
attacks from the less powerful tribes.
one naturally asks, is it worth while to spend
all this money, and take all this trouble, to
force a steam communication by the Euphra-
tes, when a safe and speedy route, via Egypt,
is ready made for them?
If, as is very probable, the government has
some purpose in view, independent of the
speedy communication with India, such as to
increase English influence in this part of the
world, in Syria, and in Persia; and also to in-
crease the trade of England with those coun-
tries, the steam navigation on the Euphrates
must be viewed in a different light. It may be
of much importance politically, for it will
give us the power, without exciting the jealousy
of other nations, of forming treaties, and of
opening a constant correspondence with the
chief Arab tribes, and all the people living near
this great river. It will make the English
name more known and respected throughout
the whole country. We shall gain much use-
ful information respecting the geography and
resources of the country, and manners and
customs of the people, which might, on an
F
82
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
emergency, be advantageously employed. Our
influence and friendship with these Arab tribes
would attract the respect of the Pashas and
more regular governments, who have frequent
differences with the Arabs. We should often
be mediators, and our interference increase our
influence with all parties. Then with regard
to commerce, it is true that if steam vessels
were used to tow boats laden with merchan-
dise, and to protect them from pillage, the
trade between India, Mesopotamia, and parts
of Persia, Khordistan, and the countries in the
vicinity, would be increased; and likewise the
English trade with those countries, by way of
Aleppo and Bagdad, would be benefited but
to effect this, it must be done by private enter-
prise-if entirely in the hands of government,
commerce would not gain much.
LETTER VII.
MY DEAREST SISTER,
· Bagdad, 18th Nov., 1834.
SINCE I last had the pleasure of writ-
ing you, I have been rookit,* and after sundry
queer adventures, made my public entry into
Colonel Taylor's house as a gaberlunzie Arab
man, without luggage, and free from the in-
cumbrance of ready money; covered with
dust, my face scorched with the sun, and en-
crusted with dirt, having only had three oppor-
tunites of washing during as many weeks. I
was most hospitably received, fed, clothed, and
lodged, by the resident; and am now fattening
most rapidly on the good fare, much to the
detriment of buttons and button-holes. My
previous letters contain a true and faithful
* Anglicé, robbed.
84
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
account of all that happened to me, up to my
arrival in Bagdad, now eight days ago. I shall
therefore merely have to give you some de-
scription of this famous city, so renowned over
the world for the adventures of Haroun Al-
raschid and a few others. Any one who forms
his idea of the present Bagdad from what he
may have read in that delightful book, will be
sadly disappointed by a personal inspection.
Bagdad has for centuries been in a state of
decay; but even up to 1830 it possessed con-
siderable wealth, and a numerous population,
estimated at nearly two hundred thousand
inhabitants; perhaps it might have amounted
to one hundred and fifty thousand. It was
then governed by an enlightened and judicious
Pasha. Trade flourished; rich men were
numerous; the bazaars and coffee-houses
were crowded with splendidly dressed Turks;
and the city was in as prosperous a state as it
had been for many years. About that time
it was attacked with the plague, which owing
to the crowded and narrow streets, where one
could just walk, without continually touching
some one, added to the total want of all pre-
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
85
cautions for preventing contagion, it spread
like fire, in the most alarming manner; not a
house was free from it; many families were
entirely swept away, and in others one or two
only survived. It was said that four thousand
people died daily. So numerous were the
deaths, that it soon became impossible to bury
the bodies; they were left in the houses and
in the streets. At night, hundreds of jackals
entered to feast upon them, and added horror
to the scene by their dreadful howlings. Colo-
nel Taylor shut up his house to keep it out;
but two days afterwards, one of his servants
died of it; he then embarked for Bussorah,
and lost half his suite before he got there,
every one on board having had the disease
more or less severely. Three days after he
left Bagdad, the Tigris suddenly rose many
feet, inundated the town, and levelled with the
ground nearly half the houses, amongst which
was Colonel Taylor's residence. Most of
those whom the plague had spared, were
buried in the ruins of their houses, or drown-
ed in attempting to escape; a general famine,
starvation, and fever was the result of these
86
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
accumulated evils. As if these were not of
themselves sufficient, civil discord was call-
ed in to assist in the general work of ruin.
An enemy of the Pasha procured his death-
warrant from the Sultan, with authority to
invest himself with his power. Assisted by
Arabs and a few friends he seized the Pasha,
whose troops were literally swept away by the
plague, pestilence, and famine, put him to
death, and confiscated the property of most
of the wealthy inhabitants, under pretence of
their being partisans of his predecessor. When
we talk of misery and wretchedness in Eng-
land, how little do we know of their intensity
in other parts of the world!
It is not known how many people died in
Bagdad during this miserable season, but even
now, the population after having been recruit-
ed by emigration from neighbouring towns
and villages, does not exceed fifty thousand,
about one-fourth of what it was four years
ago. It has suffered twice from the plague
since, but not nearly so severely; as late as
last April, the plague was here, and though
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
87
not very bad, did not fail to carry off a good
many people.
Bagdad, therefore, is now
of a previously sinking town.
only the wreck
Ruined houses
and bazaars, and empty streets are melancholy
proofs of what has happened. The present
Pasha is a weak man, and being hard pressed
for money, confiscates private property, and
loads the commerce of the place with arbitrary
exactions to suit his own convenience, destroy-
ing the slender resources which remain.
The town is built on two sides of the Tigris,
in latitude 33° 18' N. That part on the east
side is the largest and most populous. It con-
tains the Turks, Christians, and Jews; while
that part to the west of the Tigris is inhabited
solely by the Arab population. The two are
connected by a bridge of boats, above two
hundred yards in length. This bridge rests on
slender built boats of different heights and
sizes, connected by platforms of planks, loosely
nailed together, with large holes in many
places. It is very narrow, and has no railing;
and I assure you, is by no means pleasant to
88
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
ride over.
The descent to it is down a steep,
rugged bank, which it would not be easy to
walk, much less to pass on horseback, which
nevertheless we were obliged to do; moreover,
there are such droves of wild Arabs continu-
ally passing on foot and horseback, with their
long spears and muskets, that one runs some
risk of being pushed off the bridge altogether.
The streets throughout the town are nar-
row and irregular, not paved, nor even levelled,
with deep holes in many places, which it would
be death to fall into. They are covered with
dust, bits of rags, broken bricks, and other
rubbish; and as most of the houses have no
windows on the street side, you see nothing
but blank walls, twenty or thirty feet high,
with here and there a strong massive door.
Now and then one does see a low window on
the second storey, but it is an exception. The
width of the most spacious streets does not
exceed eight or ten feet, just enough to al-
low two horses to pass; wheeled carriages
are not known.
The dress of the Turks has lost all its
splendour, for it is now the fashion to dress
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
89
plainly. The Turkish women seldom go out;
if they do, their faces are entirely covered by
a black hair stuff, such as chairs and sofas
used to be covered with. Their figures are
likewise effectually hid by ample black or
blue garments.
The women of the higher classes when they
go out, ride upon fine white donkeys, as big
as ponies. When at home, they are not al-
lowed to receive any male visitors, except
their husband, even their brothers are not al-
lowed to see them. Their only amusements
are to attend to the wants and caprices of their
lordly husbands, serving him at his meals as
servants, and treating him with the greatest
respect. To deck themselves in jewels, and
see the envious glances of their female friends,
is to them the greatest delight. A woman
amongst them is admired and esteemed in pro-
portion to the number and richness of the
jewels she possesses. Their dresses and orna-
ments, I am told, are very splendid.
There is much less aristocracy of manners
amongst the Turks, and the people under
their dominions, than there is in any part of
90
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
Europe. A common porter, or even a beggar,
will speak to you most familiarly, and if you
happen to be purchasing any thing in the
bazaar, you are immediately surrounded by a
number of idlers, who give their opinion very
freely, sometimes against, and sometimes in
favour of the seller; so far do they carry this
custom, that the real purchaser if he be natur-
ally a quiet man, has generally little to say in
the matter; the kind friends who have taken
his part thrusting the object he wishes into his
hands, and almost pulling the money from him.
The great amusement of the men is to sit,
talk, and smoke in the coffee houses, which
would be thought poor fun by most Europeans.
Idleness with them is happiness. They are
much lighter in their complexion than the
Arabs of the desert, who are called Bedouins,
signifying "living in tents." Most of them
are not darker than natives of the South of
Europe. They are tall, stout, good-looking
fellows. The Turks, Arabs, and Jews, gen-
erally wear mustaches and beard; the Chris-
tian, only the mustaches, the beard and whis-
kers being shaved every ten days. They look
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
91
very pretty about the ninth day.
Since the
steel has
twenty-fourth of September, no
scraped my face, so I ought not to say much
on that score.
The Arabic is the language of the country,
but Turkish, Koordish, Syriac, and Persian,
are also spoken by some. The people are
now very illiterate, and continue to copy the
few works extant with the hand, printing not
being in use. All the Turks and Arabs are
Mahomedans, but not so bigotted as the people
of Damascus. Moslemism, in fact, is falling
fast, as well as the Empires which supported it;
religious fanaticism is now confined to a few.
The laws of Mahomet are often transgressed
or neglected, and zeal against infidels much
diminished.
The Persians are now probably the most
bigotted of any Mahomedans, and they are at
the same time, the most immoral people in
existence.
The climate of Bagdad is very pleasant and
healthy in winter, but it is a furnace in sum-
mer. It will scarcely be believed, thatfor days
and nights together, the thermometer does not
92
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
go below 110°, and in the middle of the day,
in the shade, rises to 120°, and 125º; it has
been known in a house, as high as 130°. Dr.
Ross told me, he saw it last summer under a
tent at 135º ! ! ! During this extraordinary
heat, a hot southerly wind blows; it is loaded
with fine sand, and feels as if it actually came
out of a heated oven. This great heat fre-
quently produces death even among the na-
tives. During that season, every one sleeps
on the terraces on the top of their houses,
without any covering except musquito curtains,
to catch every breath of air; so that an early
riser who lives and sleeps on a high house,
has an interesting scene before him every
morning. During the day, the poor creatures
dive into the cellars of their houses, and there
lie panting till the sun sets. The other day
it was very cold, the thermometer went as
low as 66°; but during the last two winters,
there has even been frost and snow-this
however is unusual. The variety of tem-
perature facilitates the cultivation of a great
variety of fruits and vegetables.
Colonel Taylor has a very good garden;
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
93
but having been only lately formed, it does
not contain so many plants as he might and
will have. Amongst those in it, I remark-
ed oranges, lemons, pomegranates, delicious
dates, pears, plantains, olives, cherries, quin-
ces, grapes, apricots, plums, walnuts, chesnuts,
beans, peas, cabbages, artichokes, turnips, sev-
eral eastern vegetables, roses, and many flow-
ers, of which I cannot give you the names.
The surrounding country is principally
pasture, although a good deal is also cultivat-
ed, producing wheat and barley.
The Bedouin Arabs are the herds of this
part of the world, and not only take good care
of their own property; but are kind enough
to take a lively interest in that belonging to
other people, as some of your friends know,
and can testify upon oath if required.
The soil is very rich, and if irrigated and
well cultivated, would produce any thing.
I have my doubts if children would not grow
there well, if carefully planted, or crawling
about as maggots in a rich cheese. This,
recollect, is merely a theory of my own, not
a traveller's tale.
14
94
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
Bagdad and the whole of the Pashalic, ex-
tending from Bussorah to near Mousal, is
under the command of a Pasha, appointed by
the Porte. He has the power of a viceroy,
and although he ought to pay an annual
tribute, I imagine that very little money finds
its way from Bagdad to Constantinople. He
has the power of life and death; can cut off
heads, ears, noses, tongues, and pluck out eyes,
as may suit his convenience. There is, how-
ever, a Cadi, or Judge, appointed annually by
the Porte; he is independent of the Pasha, and
is second in rank only to him. Formerly, the
Pasha himself was under his jurisdiction, and
bound by his decisions, and perhaps is still so
nominally. This Cadi judges all cases, civil
and criminal, trifling and important. He is
paid by receiving a tenth of all the money
passing through his court, which is a very fine
thing in the hands of a Turk. He decides,
and the Pasha puts his judgments into execu-
tion; but it is a mere mockery of justice.
None but good Mahomedans are received as
witnesses, no written evidence of any kind,
nor the evidence of Jew or Christian received,
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
95
}
nor a woman's evidence; any evidence can be
annulled if it can be proved that the witness
has transgressed any of the laws of the Koran,
and no witness is cross-examined. When a
man becomes very rich, he is generally found
guilty of some heinous crime, his head cut
off, and his property confiscated for the good
of the state; or he disappears privately, and
his property is seized under some pretence or
other.
The power of the Pasha depends very much
upon himself. This man is very weak. He
commands only inside of the town, and that
only to a certain extent; as was proved last
year when two Arab tribes quarrelled in the
town, seized the bridge, and fired a whole day
at each other across the river, in the very
centre of the town. Only a few days ago, the
Annissee Arabs totally routed his troops, and
pursued them to the gates of Bagdad, actually
pushing the spears through the gates at them.
As the battle took place the day I entered
Bagdad, and I had not only heard the firing,
and been told that the army defending the
town was entirely dispersed, but had even
96
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
seen and heard the conversations (which were
translated to me,) of numbers of Bedouin
Arabs, friends of the Pasha, who were passing
through the town, running away from the
melée covered with dust, but more frightened
than hurt, all saying that the slaughter had
been prodigious, I being a stranger, expected
to see the citizens in great alarm, but it was
quite the contrary; every one sat and smoked
his pipe as usual, and all the shops were opened
as if nothing had happened. The truth is,
that these quarrels with the Arabs occur so
frequently that the people get accustomed to
them, knowing from experience that the Be-
douins will not attack walls.
The country surrounding Bagdad, particu-
larly that to the south, is famous for its horses,
so celebrated all over the world as Arab steeds.
They are bred by the Bedouins, and brought
up with extraordinary care. They are here
valued almost entirely by their pedigree, which
is preserved with great care for many genera-
tions. Well-bred horses are very dear, some
could scarcely be purchased with money; their
value varies exceedingly. What would be
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
97
called a nice, pretty little horse, but of no
particular breed, may be had for about ten
pounds; but a really high caste Arab would be
bought with difficulty at ten times that sum,
although judging from appearance many people
scarcely know which to choose. I offered to-
day twenty pounds for a colt rising four, for
which the man asks fifty, but I do not know
whether he will take it or not. In Bombay it
would be worth sixty or seventy pounds. I
made this offer because I require two or three
horses for my journey to Bussorah, where I
will either re-sell them, or take them on to
Bombay with me.
J
I mentioned before that I was living with
Colonel Taylor, who is Resident, or Minister
from the Government of Bombay, at the court
of the Pasha of Bagdad. He has a very large
house, a guard of nearly forty Indian Sepoys,
and some very fine horses. At table, you see
neither glass nor china ware; plates, dishes,
tumblers, &c., are all of silver. The room in
which we dine looks out upon the Tigris. It
is handsomely ornamented with little pieces of
mirror, covering the whole roof and great part
G
98
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
of the sides of the room: part worked into
figures and passages of the Koran, part in
diamond shapes so as to throw great lustre,
particularly when the room is lighted, and part
plain. This is relieved by beautifully white
stucco work, ornamented with wreaths of
flowers and other figures finely executed. The
idea of having the ceiling covered with mirrors
is new, and produces a very pretty effect.
The day after my arrival, Mr Fraser, the
author of Kuzzilbash, and some other works,
arrived from Persia. We were sitting at
breakfast when he was announced. He soon
after entered; in his hand he carried a double-
barrelled gun, a sword hung by his side, and a
double barrelled pistol was stuck in his belt.
Over his European dress, which was covered
with dust, he wore a Persian cloak, and on
his head a Persian hair cap. He joined us
without much pressing. He is a most agree-
able addition to our society, being an exceed-
ingly well-informed, amusing person, much
given to relating laughable anecdotes. He
intends to go hence to the ruins of Ctesi-
phon and Babylon, and thence to Bussorah by
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
99
land. I am too glad to have so good an op-
portunity of going, to think of refusing his
invitation to accompany him, although I may
on that account be detained perhaps eight or
ten days longer. It will also be safer than
going alone, for he has seven servants well
armed; I shall have two, which with ourselves,
guides, &c., will make up a tolerably strong
party. We shall, moreover, have introductions
to the principal Sheikhs or Chiefs, who will not
only protect us, but treat us with the custom-
ary Arab hospitality. I look forward to a very
pleasant and interesting tour, of which I shall
not probably send you any account till I arrive
at Bombay; for the commnuication between
Bussorah and Bagdad is very uncertain, and
that between Bagdad and Europe still more
so. This letter will go by a government
Tartar, and has a chance of being in your
hands early in January; but there may not be
another for three or four months.
I hope you and Addy have been writing
regularly to me every month since I left you,
for I shall be very anxious to hear about you
all.
100
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
With kind remembrances to Southhall, (un-
der whose mahogany I should like very well
to have my little legs at this present moment,)
to his mother and sisters, if within hail; and
last, though not least, to all the good folks
over the way, I remain, my dearest Janet,
Your very affectionate Brother.
November 24th.-I am still in Bagdad, and
do not expect to get away before a week or
ten days. We shall have a large and very
pleasant party, as far as Babylon; for Colonel
Taylor and Dr Ross, with a numerous suite,
are to make a tour to the ruins of Ctesiphon
and Babylon.
Authentic news have been received of the
death of the King of Persia, which will plunge
the country in civil war, for he has left nearly
a hundred sons, and about a thousand grand-
sons, all claiming the throne-eyes and noses
will suffer. Sometimes the "eyes" will have
it, and sometimes the "noses."
November 25th.-I think it is very likely I
may have to go by water after all; such is the
mutability of human affairs. Perhaps you are
not aware that when a man brings bad news
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
101
in these parts, he is punished for his pains.
The other day, one of the Princesses of Persia
returning from a pilgrimage, met near Bagdad
a messenger, bringing the news of her father's
death, whereupon she coolly ordered the good
man's nose and ear, with a finger or two, to
be cut off, which was done accordingly.
LETTER IX.
BAGDAD, 7th Dec., 1834.
MY DEAR SIR,
As you will no doubt be surprised at
my stay in Bagdad, I shall tell you exactly
how I have been situated, so that you may not
imagine that I have been trifling away my
time, when my presence may be wanted in
India, and where, in fact, I am most anxious
to be. From my previous letters, you will
have seen that the country about here is in
anything but a quiet state.
The powerful tribe of the Annaigie, with
thirty thousand horse, defeated the Pasha's
troops the day I entered, and peace has not
yet been made with them. They completely
stop all traffic to the northward of Bagdad,
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
103
west of the Tigris. The general confusion
occasioned by the appearance of such a nu-
merous set of strangers, encouraged others
to plunder in other directions. Even from
Bagdad itself, pillaging parties made it very
dangerous to go in or out of Bagdad on any
side. One of the Pasha's own men, with an
escort of twenty horsemen, was robbed and
stripped of every thing close to the city, and
every day half-naked victims come in from
different quarters, offering practical proofs of
the insecurity of the roads. The river ap-
peared therefore the only passable way of
going to Bussorah, and I arranged to go by
a boat which ought to have sailed many days
ago, but which has been detained by the pro-
crastinating character of the natives.
I got
so tired of waiting for it, that I at last made
up my mind to go by land, with a man of the
name of Abdalaziz, a favourite of the Pasha,
who was going down to collect revenue near
Bussorah, Colonel Taylor having assured me
that he thought I might do so with perfect
safety. Thursday the 4th instant was fixed
for our departure, and on the morning of that
104
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
day, I had every thing in readiness for our
journey.
At breakfast, Colonel Taylor told us, that
he had heard that the Pasha had ordered the
Arabs of the Agail tribe, who lived in that
part of the town which is on the opposite or
west side of the river, to leave Bagdad, and
that he feared there would be some disturb-
ance. You must know, that these people, the
Agails, who belong to a powerful tribe living
in the centre of the desert, have been em-
ployed for many years by the rulers of Bagdad,
to guard the caravans which leave the city;
a thousand or twelve hundred are kept con-
stantly for this purpose; when they have
enriched themselves, many return to their
tribe, andare replaced by others, whilst many
intermarry with the people of the town and
remain. For many years, the part of the
town they occupied has been a place of safety
for all sorts of villains and rascals, where they
lived secure, and where the Pasha's power
could not reach them. These Agails, with
their friends and families, occupied fully half of
the town west of the Tigris, and might alto-
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
105
gether amount to ten thousand souls, counting
women, children, friends, &c. They have a
Sheikh or Chief of their own, whose authority
they acknowledge.
It appears, that during the attack of the
Annaigies, the Agails had proved treacherous
and would not fight against them; which,
added, to other causes of grievance, so annoy-
ed the Pasha, that he resolved to turn them
out of the town. But as he apprehended some
resistance, he wrote to the Chief of the Tobeide
Arabs, to come up and assist him; and at the
same time, kept a camp of some four or
five hundred men, and six or seven pieces
of artillery, on the west side of the river.
Before the Tobeide Arabs had arrived, the
Agails suspected or received information of
the Pasha's intentions, and on Thursday morn-
ing, their Sheikh, accompanied by two old
men of the tribe, went to the Pasha to ask
an explanation. He told them, that it was
his intention to turn them out of the town,
and that if they would not go out, he would
use force against them. They objected to
this; high words ensued, and the Sheikh and
106
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
his companions were seized and confined.
The Pasha then ordered his regular troops
and Albanian irregulars to march to the
Arab's quarter, and sent a messenger to his
Lieutenant-General on the other side, to
attack them on the rear. The Agails, how-
ever, got notice of what was going on, and
before the troops reached the bridge of boats,
to pass into their district, they had cut off five
or six boats from the end nearest their side,
and began firing on the Pasha's troops as soon
as they appeared. From the top of Colonel
Taylor's house, which is within ten yards of
the river, and about five hundred from the
bridge, we could see all that passed. The fir-
ing across the river continued for nearly two
hours, without much damage to either party;
for the distance is fully two hundred yards,
and all the combatants kept behind the walls.
The Pasha's troops made several ineffectual
rushes to the end of the bridge, with the view
of dislodging the Arabs from the coffee-houses
they occupied, in which they had some men
killed and wounded; seeing that they could
not cross in that manner, they requested the
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
107
loan of Colonel Taylor's large boat, which
was granted, and a hundred and fifty, or two
hundred of the regular troops immediately
squeezed themselves into it.
The boat lay exactly opposite to, and within
fifteen yards of, the Colonel's house, and na-
turally enough attracted the whole fire of the
Arabs from the opposite shore. We amused
ourselves for some time looking where the balls
struck the water, thinking ourselves secure
crouching behind a low parapet, with only
our heads exposed, but were soon convinced of
our error, by a ball striking within an inch
of the edge of the parapet, exactly under
Colonel Taylor's head. The whistling of
others all about, made us seek a more secure
shelter behind a higher parapet, where we
could still see through openings, all that was
going on. After the soldiers got into the boat,
they were kept there at least an hour and a
half waiting for ammunition, during which
time four of them were wounded. While this
was passing here, the Pasha, finding that he
had not succeeded in taking the Arabs by sur-
prise, released the Sheikh, gave him a shawl
108
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
in token of reconciliation, and sent him home
to pacify the Arabs. But that rusé did not
succeed; for on the first alarm, the Arabs
rushed to attack the camp on their side of the
town, whose commander had not yet received
information of what was going on, and was
quite unprepared for the attack. One of the
guns was taken by the Arabs on the first on-
set, but re-taken by the troops. A regular
battle then followed, which ended in both
parties firing away all their ammunition; but
the Arabs were driven into the town, and the
troops got possession of the gate. Towards
the afternoon, the soldiers who had crossed in
Colonel Taylor's boat with ammunition, joined
the troops on the other side, and the fight was
re-commenced with great fury.
Although we could not see them, we heard
very brisk discharges of musketry and artil-
lery, and the balls singing through the air
like bees in a summer day; a rush to the end
of the bridge was again made by the Albanians,
in a very gallant manner, exposed to the fire
of the Arabs, in which their leader was killed
and several men wounded. They succeeded
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
109
in raising the bridge, and just as it was grow-
ing dark, they rushed pell-mell into the town,
when all resistance ceased. Nothing was now
to be heard but a confused hum of voices, and
the shrieks of women and children. In a few
minutes the river was covered with what they
call gooffas, (small round boats,) laden to the
water's edge with people and their property.
During the whole night the soldiers continued
to pillage the town, carrying away every thing
they could, and destroying or burning what
they could not; every house and shop was
broken open.
The poor people continued
flocking to this part of the town for safety
during the night, and the greater part of next
day. In the morning, it was a melancholy
sight to see the streets crowded with these
poor creatures, who had been plundered of
every thing, having scarcely a rag left to
cover them. Women crying and beating their
breasts, bewailing their unlucky fate, while at
the same time, straggling soldiers, tired with
plundering, drove before them with blows and
kicks, men they had pressed into their service,
laden with furniture, fowls, clothes, sheep or
110
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
lambs. One man offered me for sale a very
good horse, which he said he had just taken,
for about two pounds. I saw another driving
before him four fine donkeys, which of course
were not empty backed. The town is now
quieter, and in a few days people will cease to
think on what has just passed; for it is not
a very unusual political expedient in these
countries.
I have given you this detailed account of the
affair, that you may be the better able to judge
of the state of the country.
I forgot to mention, that my friend Abdal-
aziz, had his house plundered of every thing
on Thursday, and cannot go to Bussorah for a
time. I have, therefore, again arranged to go
by the boat, which will sail as soon as the south-
erly wind ceases. I therefore hope to be at
Bussorah about the 20th instant, and I shall
lose no time in getting to India as fast as
possible, for I am exceedingly anxious to know
how things have gone on during my absence.
December 9th.—We are actually to sail to-
day for Bussorah.
LETTER X.
MY DEAREST ADDY,
BAGDAD, 19th Dec., 1834.
GREAT will be your surprise to find that
I am still in Bagdad, but your surprise cannot
exceed my disappointment and impatience at
so long a detention. The real truth is, that I
came here at a very unfortunate time, when
the arrival of the great tribe of the Annaigie
Arabs had put the whole country into con-
fusion. However, things began to look a little
better about the beginning of this month; and
I made arrangements to go to Bussorah on
the 4th, by land, with Abdalaziz, the Pasha's
favourite jester, who was going down to collect
rents. But the same day we had a fight in
Bagdad between the Pasha's troops, and the
112
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
inhabitants of that part of the town, which is
on the west side of the Tigris. This ended in
the defeat of the insurgents, and the pillage of
that quarter of the city and the house of the
great fool Abdalaziz which was situated there
was completely gutted, and his horses taken, so
that he was obliged to give up his intended
journey. Seeing that this had failed, I resolved
to go in a vessel which was to have sailed every
to-morrow during the last three weeks. I took
passage accordingly, for myself and horse, a
nice little Arab which I bought for about
eighteen pounds. The vessel in which I was
to make this voyage, was about sixty tons bur-
den. She had a raised poop at the stern con-
taining one cabin, but had no deck amid-ships.
One long mast supported a large tattered lug-
sail. As a great favour, half of the cabin was
given up to me; the other half was occu-
pied by an Indian lady returning to Bombay.
Above a hundred passengers were squeezed
together in all parts of the vessel; and four-
teen unfortunate horses were doomed to occu-
py a space scarcely sufficient for so many men.
On Monday, the 8th, the Captain came to beg
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
113
I would send my luggage on board without
loss of time, as we should certainly sail "to-
morrow." I packed up my little all, and sent
them on board without delay. On Tuesday,
nothing on earth could prevent the vessel sail-
ing; the Captain swore it by the beard of the
Prophet and on Wednesday, she actually did
drop down the river, about two hundred yards.
Thursday was now to be the day of sailing.
Early in the morning, the Captain called, and
begged me to go on board immediately, or I
would be too late. After eating a hearty
breakfast as an antidote against hunger, and
bidding good-bye to my kind host and hostess,
I embarked in a gooffa, (or round boat, com-
monly used here,) and was soon on board the
vessel. Dr. Ross accompanied me. After a
delay of a couple of hours, we dropped down
the river about a mile, and then made fast to
the bank, to take on board some horses. The
Captain said he had some business in Bagdad,
and away he went. We lay there till next
morning, Friday the 12th. During that night
I had an opportunity of forming a pretty good
idea of the noises to which I should be expos-
H
114
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
ed; these were enough to have driven many
people mad. The passengers were the most
motley crew I ever sailed with-Turks, Per-
sians, Arabs, Indians, Dervishes, Pilgrims,
Albanian soldiers in search of employment,
and others whose occupation it was difficult to
guess; few had room to lie at full length;
every inch of the vessel was the subject of
dispute. These angry and loud altercations
were generally referred to the judgment of the
bystanders, who increased the noise without
diminishing the difficulties of the case; the in-
cessant, clear shrill voice of the Indian lady,
every note of which I heard with painful dis-
tinctness, poured a stream of words like a
mountain torrent falling over a precipice, with
a steadiness and strength of lungs which ban-
ished all hopes of even a temporary check.
On the outside of the poop, the slow mono-
tonous hum of the Turk was rather soothing.
But the rascally Arab vocalist! the hard-
hearted monster! many and loud as were the
other sounds, all were drowned by his song, as
long as he could maintain it. Those who have
not heard an Arab favourite singer cannot
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
115
form an idea of his powers from a mere de-
scription. He wisely begins by stuffing his
thumbs into his ears, and then strikes up the
most discordant and thundering sort of chaunt
which it is in the power of man to bring forth.
He chooses the highest key, and in order to
give more force to his lungs, he writhes and
struggles as if to squeeze all the wind out of
his body like a bagpipe. I bore this last and
greatest of nuisances as long as I could, hop-
ing he would either tire or burst; but despair-
ing of such good fortune, I gave him a shilling
on the condition that he should sing no more
on board, which he was conscientious enough
to observe; but no sooner did he get on shore
than he re-commenced, and drove me into the
desert. In other parts of the vessel might be
seen some reading the Koran in a sing-song-
tone, others telling stories to a crowd of listen-
ers, who rewarded them now and then with a
peal of laughter, to which a clap of thunder
would not bear a comparison. In spite of these
varied disturbances, I fell asleep, and have no
doubt added to the general harmony, by intro-
ducing a nasal solo, appropriate to the occasion.
116
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
The next morning we again dropped down
the river about a couple of miles, and waited
for the Captain. We had not been long there,
before two soldiers came down with orders
from the Pasha to land all the horses as they
had not paid the duty. The Doctor sent a
messenger to the Colonel, who got this arrang-
ed; and the Captain having come down, we all
got on board and sailed a little before sun-set.
The weather was clear and delightful; the
days resembling our finest English summer
days, but the nights very cold. The river was
very high, we had a fair wind, and every thing
promised a quick passage to Bussorah. But
the vicissitudes of this world are great. By
bad management we struck against the bank
of the river so fast, after a couple of hours'
sailing, that all efforts to get the vessel off
were unavailing. Next morning the river had
fallen nearly two feet, and all hopes of moving
her, even when unloaded, vanished. We were
now in a very unpleasant situation, for the
neighbouring Arabs were known to be a bad
set, and as soon as they should hear of our
misfortune we had reason to expect that they
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
117
would attack and plunder the vessel. I im-
mediately wrote to Colonel Taylor requesting
his assistance; in the meantime we were not
entirely without the means of defending our-
selves. We had on board ten or twelve regu-
lar Arab guards, armed with guns and swords;
and most of the passengers had some sort of
defensive weapon. A small encampment or
fort was made of matting, sufficient to protect
our people from horsemen ; and at night a
guard was placed there. After remaining
about twenty-four hours in this condition, the
Doctor came down in one of the Colonel's
boats, with six Sepoys and plenty of ammuni-
tion. This reinforcement greatly increased
the confidence of our camp, especially when
it was generally known that vessels had been
sent from Bagdad to assist us. Next morning,
Sunday, the 14th, all the horses and luggage
were landed without difficulty, the river having
fallen so low as to leave the vessel dry. Every
one was making himself comfortable on shore;
some cooking, some sleeping.
I had gone
some way from the camp to dress at my ease;
when my toilette was about half finished, the
118
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
Doctor halloed to me, and on looking about I
saw six or seven Arab horsemen, about a mile
off, advancing towards us with their long spears
over their shoulders. Naturally expecting that
they would be followed by others, I picked up
my duds, and lost no time in retreating to our
people, whom I found all in the greatest con-
fusion, preparing to receive the expected
attack; some were running away with their
cooking-pots; some were loading their guns;
others hiding what they had most valuable.
The band of Arab guards had got their arms,
and were advancing in a sort of dance, all sing-
ing a wild exciting war-song, making ferocious
grimaces, and holding their guns over their
heads. Our Sepoys stood to their arms; and
the Doctor got ready his pocket pistol. For-
tunately these military preparations were suffi-
cient to scare the Arabs, whose numbers were
too few to enable them to attack us.
Soon after the vessels sent from Badgad to
assist us hove in sight; there were five. To
our surprise, the two first passed us, which so
annoyed our party, that they resolved to make
the other heave to "nolens volens.”
She was
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
119
accordingly hailed and ordered to stop, which
she would not do; a pretty brisk fire of guns and
pistols was then opened upon her; all the crew
ran below, howling and yelling most piteously,
as the balls whistled past them; but in spite of
all our firing, she glided down with the stream
and escaped. The fourth stopped. I do not
believe any one was hurt aboard the vessel we
fired into, although she was within fifty yards,
and at least twenty shots were fired at her.
Knowing from the Doctor, that Mr Fraser
was very nearly ready to go by land to Bus-
sorah, by way of Babylon, and that I could not
have a better or safer opportunity, I returned to
Bagdad to join him, and I have every reason to
believe that we shall get away early next week.
We will be ourselves a large part, and will
be accompanied by an Arab horseman of the
Zobeide tribe, sent by his Chief or Sheikh, to
shield us with his name, which is the best pro-
tection we can have. In this country some
protection is necessary, for it is the invariable
practice of the stronger to rob the weaker
party when travellers meet. Men go to dig
in the fields close to Bagdad with a sword by
120
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
their side. The Arabs in fact are practical
Owenites. Every one takes just what he
wants, if he can; and all are rewarded accord-
ing to their strength and activity. They are a
kind, philanthropic, dutiful race. "Cousin,"
says the Arab to his victim as he strips him of
clothes, "thy aunt is without a shirt!" It
might be a satisfaction to Mr Owen to know,
that these people are so well pleased with his
excellent system, that they greatly prefer it
to living under a government on antiquated
principles.
I see little chance of getting to Bombay be-
fore the end of February at soonest.
I hope
I shall find there a number of letters from
you, waiting my arrival, for I am very anxious
for news from you. Here I am, without the
prospect of receiving any intelligence either
from my friends in England, or those in Bom-
bay, and my impatience every day waxes
greater. The Buckinghamshire will beat me
hollow, and people in Bombay will think I am
lost. To-day the weather is very cold and
foggy; quite a winter day. We have fires all
day. The thermometer at nine, is generally
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
121
about 50º, which is lower than I have seen it
for the last three years.
December 21st.-To-morrow is the day fixed
for our departure, but I daresay we shall not
get away before the 23d or 24th. We go first
to the ruins of Ctesiphon and Selucia, thence
to Babylon, and thence down to Bussorah,
where I very much fear I shall not arrive be-
fore the middle of January. Our party will
consist of Mr Fraser, Dr. Ross, and myself,
with about a dozen servants and attendants ;
and as we shall not always find houses at night,
we take a small tent with us to sleep in. We
generally stop at Arabs' camps when we can
fall in with them.
Yesterday we went to see a man who pre-
tends he can make silver and gold. The
Pasha having a particular affection for metals,
was delighted to procure the services of so
valuable a person, and immediately set him
to work. Mr De Marquot, an Italian, super-
intendent of the Pasha's Mint, &c., was
charged with the surveillance of this gold-
maker; and he told us the circumstance. At
the first experiment he made a few drachms
122
LETTER FROM BAGDAD.
of gold out of some copper, and although Mr
De Marquot watched him very closely, he
could not discover by what trick he did it.
This success delighted the Pasha, who ordered
him to be supplied with money and means to
prosecute this valuable trade. His next at-
tempt was to make silver, also out of copper,
but Mr De Marquot discovered the trick,
and exposed it to the Pasha, who was present.
The gold-maker, with extraordinary address
and impudence, explained the circumstance,
and restored confidence to the Pasha, but of
course, not to De Marquot. He is now pre-
paring to make another experiment. We went
to his laboratory and saw him at work, with
crucibles, furnaces, &c., &c. He is playing a
very dangerous game, for De Marquot told us,
that if he does not succeed, the Pasha has
resolved to cut his head off. It is an experi-
ment on the success of which I should not
like the safety of my head to depend.
With kind love to my Father, Mother,
Janet, and all the rest, I remain, my dearest
Addy,
Your very affectionate Brother.
LETTER XI.
SHOOGY SHOOCH, 10th January, 1835,
On the Euphrates, near Bussorah.
MY DEAR FAther,
WE arrived here last night, after a
rather fatiguing journey of seventeen days
from Bagdad; I was accompanied by Mr
Fraser and Dr. Ross. We visited the ruins
of Ctesiphon and Babylon, paid a visit to the
Sheikh of the Zobeide Arabs, whose camp was-
near the Tigris. We then crossed the desert
to the Euphrates, through marshes, wet and
dry, were obliged to swim our horses, twenty-
one in number, over that river, and at last,
after much annoyance and trouble, reached
this wretched village, near which we expected
to find the Sheikh of the Montifeck Arabs;
124
LETTER FROM SHOOGY SHOOCH.
but he was absent, with many of his people,
repairing the dykes on the banks of the river.
My companions return to Bagdad; I embark
here for Bussorah, where I hope to arrive in
the course of a day or two.
During the greater part of our journey, the
weather has been fine, but dreadfully cold-
hard frost every night, which was not very
pleasant, as we had only a small thin tent to
sleep under, and our horses and servants were
quite exposed.
I have not time to give you any particulars,
but I shall do so when I get to Bombay, or
from Bussorah, if I am detained there. Mr
Fraser, the author of Kuzzilbash, who is
ging home, has kindly offered to take this
lette I requested him to call upon you
if he happened to be in the west. He has
travelled a great deal in India, Persia, Koor-
distan, and Mesopotamia..
I wish you all a happy new year, and many
returns of the season, at some of which I
hope to be present; this year my Christmas
night was past wandering in the desert,
having lost our way; and on new year's day
LETTER FROM SHOOGY SHOOCH. 125
we were benighted in a similar situation, be-
fore we reached the camp of the Zobeide
Skeikh, and were obliged to seek shelter at a
few miserable tents, where we got nothing to
eat, and could hardly procure a drink of dirty
water. My troubles, however, are now over,
and one soon forgets the past.
With kind love to my Mother, and all at
home, I remain, my dear Father,
Your affectionate Son.
LETTER XII.
On board the BUGGALON, "FUTTY ILLAW,"
In the Tigris, 25th January, 1835.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I WROTE a few lines to my Father from
Shoogy Shooch, a fortnight ago, to wish you
all a happy new year, and to let you know
how I was getting on. I gave it to Mr Fraser,
who returns to England direct, by way of
Bagdad and Constantinople; it will in all
probability arrive long before this, which I
intend to send by a vessel from Bombay.
My journey has been of late a very slow
one. It is now nearly three months since I
arrived in Bagdad. I was detained there from
the 11th November, to the 24th of December,
by the dangerous state of the
renders travelling very unsafe.
roads, which
On the 24th
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
127
December, Mr Fraser, Dr. Ross, and I, left
Bagdad on horseback, and travelled down to a
small town on the Euphrates, called Shoogy
Shooch, where I hired a boat for myself,
horses, and luggage, and in twenty-four hours
arrived at Bussorah, on the 12th January. I
have now been a week on board a native
vessel bound for Bombay, and hope to get
away in a day or two. Such is the skeleton of
my journey, but I now intend to give you,
in detail, an account of what passed during
our journey from Bagdad to Shoogy Shooch.
Our party consisted of our three selves,
twelve servants, and eighteen horses and
mules; a negro guide sent to us by the Sheikh
of the Zobeide Arabs, who happened to be
in Bagdad at the time, had orders from his
master, first, to conduct us to the ruins of
Ctesiphon on the Tigris, about twenty miles
below Bagdad, then to Hillah on the Euphrates,
where are the ruins of Babylon, thence to the
brother of the Sheikh of Zobeide, to whom he
sent a letter requesting him to send us on
safely to Shoogy Shooch. Most of the ser-
vants were armed with guns, swords, or pistols,
128
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
and we also carried swords and pistols. Our
guide had a long lance; we all wore the Arab
dress.
We left Bagdad about nine o'clock on the
24th December, and arrived the same after-
noon at the ruins of Selucia and Ctesiphon.
We stopped at a place which had formerly
been used as a gunpowder manufactory; but
was now deserted. Our lodging was not very
elegant, but it was more secure than it would
have been in the open desert. We slept in a
sort of room, with bare brick and mud walls,
and mud floor, with a door-way, but no door.
The following morning, we crossed the Tigris
in a small round boat, to see a ruin called
"Tank Kesia." It is one of the most perfect
in this part of the world, and formerly was
part of the city of Ctesiphon. It is nearly
three hundred feet in length in front, and
about a hundred feet high. In the centre of
the building is a large vaulted chamber, stand-
ing at right angles to the front. Its dimen-
sions are, as nearly as I could discover, a
hundred and fifty feet in length, eighty in
breadth, and a hundred feet high at the centre
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
129
of the arch. The side end towards the front
is quite open.
On each side of this large
arch, are wings, which are now mere blank
walls, ornamented with two rows of pillastres,
and four rows of blank windows. Formerly,
rooms were probably attached to these wings.
The whole is built of brick and mortar. The
walls in some places are twenty feet thick.
The front faces the east. It has been either
a palace or a temple. The architecture is
neither correct nor fine, but the conception
is good. Near the ruins are many mounds,
covered with broken bricks and pottery, re-
mains of ancient buildings where antiques
and coins are frequently found. The walls of
the town are also plainly marked by high
mounds of earth. Whilst we were standing on
the top of one of these mounds, accompanied
by our Arab, who was Chief of a small tribe,
and whom the Doctor had known previously,
four Arabs on horseback came up to us. One
of them asked our companion who we were,
and upon saying that we were from Bagdad,
he coolly observed, that if he had not been
with us, he certainly would have stripped us,
I
130
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
which shows their way of thinking on such
occasions.
We re-crossed the river, rejoined our people,
and after a good breakfast, mounted and
started for Hillah, intending to pass the night
at a caravanserai, which we were told was
only five hours' ride. The country was level
and barren, but covered with small mounds,
which were evidently the remains of ancient
towns and villages; the whole ground was
strewed with broken bricks, pottery, and
pieces of glass, and we could distinctly trace
very large canals for irrigating the country,
leaving no doubt that it had once been thickly
inhabited, and well cultivated. Now there
is neither hut, house, tree, or shrub. A
little before sunset, from the top of a rising
ground, we saw the camp of the Jerabha
Arabs, who had been defeated by the Anni-
sees, near Bagdad, the day of my arrival there.
For many miles, as far as the horizon, we
could see nothing but crowds of camels,
amongst which were clusters of black tents
irregularly pitched, from which the smoke of
many fires rising slowly up in their blue lines,
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
131
produced altogether a very grand and impos-
ing effect. This was Christmas day. About
dinner time we all thought of the pleasant
parties our friends would be enjoying, whilst
we were amongst the savages of the desert.
It was a dark cold night, and we had no road
nor footpath to guide us; hour after hour
passed away, and no caravanserai appeared,
till at last we began to suspect that our guide
did not know very well where we were. A
council of war was held; every one spoke, but
no one would listen; and as the people com-
posing our party consisted of Persians, Arabs,
English, and Indians, all these languages were
put in requisition at once; the darkness
preventing them from knowing who they were
speaking to; Persians
Persians were jabbering to
Arabs, Arabs to English, Indians to Persians,
producing a complete confusion of languages.
Some proposed to pitch our tent, and stay
where we were; but then there was neither
water nor grain for our horses, and nothing for
ourselves; some were for going straight on;
others to the right, and others to the left.
Fortunately for us the noise we made roused
132
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
a dog, which began to bark, at no great dis
tance. We sent a man to the place whence
the sound came, and he soon returned with the
information that it was a caravanserai, but not
that to which we had intended to go. Thither
we all went pell-mell, glad to find any lodging.
As you may not be aware what sort of place
a caravanserai is, I shall give you a short
description of this one. It consisted of a large
building, one storey high, in the form of a
square, the centre being a large yard surround-
ed by stables. It is entered by a covered
arch-way, on one side of which is a recess
about twelve feet square. This recess is des-
tined for the accommodation of travellers of
distinction, and in it we lay our carpets and
bedding. The servants and others sleep where
they can. After our long harrassing journey,
every one was tired and out of humour ;
horses breaking loose, and fighting, servants
quarrelling, abusing one another, and doing
nothing; "muckle din, but little woo." It was
at last found necessary to administer the stick
to one of the Persians. About midnight we
got some dinner, and went to sleep. Such is
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
133
now-a-day an "Arabian night's entertain-
ment."
We continued our journey early on the
following morning; about twelve o'clock we
arrived at one of the great ruins of the mighty
Babylon, called the "Muzelibe." It consists
of a large square mound, measuring five or six
hundred feet on each side, and about a hun-
dred feet high. It is composed of such a con-
fused mass of detached pieces of brick work,
rubbish, and heaps of earth, that it is not
possible for any human being to say what it
may have been. It appeared to have been
partly constructed of large flat fire-burnt
bricks, and partly of sun-dried bricks, between
which were layers of reeds. The fire-burnt
bricks are as perfect as the day they were
made; the latter have crumbled to dust, but
the reeds between them are still quite fresh ;
some of these I have now with me. From this
ruin we rode to another, which is said to have
been part of the famous hanging gardens. It
consists of a very extensive range of mounds,
not so high, but more extensive than the
Muzelibe. Amongst them still stands a small
134
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
remnant of the former building, but it rises
only a few feet above the rubbish, sufficient
however to show the size of what appeared to
have been dwelling apartments, probably part
of the palace to which the hanging gardens
were attached. It is built of the finest bricks,
which are so firmly fastened together by mor-
tar, that it is not possible to separate one
without breaking it in pieces. Amongst these
mounds are great quantities of coloured tiles,
glass, and some alabaster. Many of the finest
antiques have been found here, which lead
me to believe that it was inhabited by wealthy
people. On the top of the mound is a very old
tamarisk tree, which is mentioned as an old
tree in books written several centuries ago.
According to tradition, Ali the uncle of
Mahomet, tied his horse to it, and passed a
night under it. Some go so far as to say that
it once grew in its younger days on the hang-
ing gardens.
After having spent some hours poking
amongst these ruins, we went on to Hillah,
where we had previously sent our luggage and
servants, with orders to deliver the Governor's
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
135
letter which he had brought up for the Lieu-
tenant-Governor, and to provide a house for us.
We had scarcely arrived in the town, when
an Arab, named Rujab, rather meanly dressed,
went up to the Doctor, kissed his hand, and
took hold of his horse's bridle to lead him to
his house. It appeared that the Doctor had
been his guest on a former visit to Hillah, and
he was now quite disappointed when told that
as our party was large, we did not like to
trouble him. He begged us very hard to
change our mind, but finding that it was no
use, accompanied us to the house allotted to
us. It was a large building, in a complete
state of ruin; the walls in many places had
fallen down; the yards were choked with rub-
bish, not a door, nor door-post, nor window-
frame remained; of course there was not the
slightest vestige of any furniture; we got an
open recess cleaned out, and made ourselves
as comfortable as we could.
Hillah is a small town, situated on the west
bank of the Euphrates, which is crossed by a
bridge of boats. It formerly contained ten or
twelve thousand inhabitants, but was so re-
136
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
The
duced by the plague three years ago, that
there are not more than three or four thous-
and now. It is subject to the Pasha of Bag-
dad, who appoints a Governor. It is situated
near the centre of old Babylon, and is built
chiefly of the brick taken from the ruins.
houses are low and mean-looking; the streets
narrow and crooked; the people poor, and
shabbily dressed. Its inhabitants are support-
ed chiefly by cultivating the neighbouring
country; provisions are very cheap; a sheep
can be had for two shillings, or two and six-
pence; and a wasna of barley which will feed
a horse fifteen days, costs only three and six-
pence.
In the evening our Arab friend Rujab,
brought us a large tray covered with good
things, roasted fowls, dates, pomegranates,
newly baked bread, clotted cream, &c. He
never left us except to bring something which
he thought we might want.
Next day, which was the 27th December,
the Doctor, Mr Fraser, and I, mounted our
horses, and went to the most remarkable of
the Babylonian ruins, called by the Arabs
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
137
"Birs Nimrood," "the tower of Nimrod."
Rujab accompanied us as a guide. It took us
two hours to go at a foot's-pace, which gives
some idea of the size of Babylon, supposing
Hillah to have been in the centre. Accord-
ing to ancient authors, Babylon was nearly a
square, measuring fifteen miles on each side,
containing therefore an area of about two
hundred and twenty square miles.
The Arab tradition about the "Birs Nim-
rood" is, that it was built by a great king to
fight against God, and that God destroyed it.
From its situation and appearance it is gen-
erally supposed to be the ruins of the tower
of Belus, which was in ruins in the time of
Alexander the Great, who, it is said, wished
to rebuild it; but after having employed ten
thousand men for three months, in cleaning
away the rubbish, he abandoned the project
in despair. At the distance of a few miles it
looks like a tower upon the top of a little,
steep hill; but on coming near it, it is evident
that the hill is composed of masses of brick-
work, doose broken bricks, and rubbish; and
what appeared like a tower, is a solid lump of
138
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
building of an irregular oblong square form,
fifty or sixty feet high, and as near as I can
guess, thirty feet long, and from ten to fifteen
wide. The surface is irregular and uneven on
all sides, which leads one to suppose that it
was part of the inside of the wall. It is
situated on the highest part, and about the
centre of the great mound, and is built of
strong brick, connected with mortar and bitu-
men. The mound is about two hundred feet
high, nearly circular at the base, with a pro-
jection on the north side. It rises with a
steep acclivity, composed of loose rubbish. In
some parts, pieces of brick work have been
laid open for the purpose of digging out the
bricks, but not enough to enable one to judge
of the original form or object of the building.
On the top, near the tower-like building just
mentioned, are twelve or fifteen large lumps
of solid brick work, which have been reduced
to a vitrified state by fire. They are heaped
one over another as if they had fallen from a
height. The largest of these vitrified masses
I should think measured eight or ten feet in
diameter, and had been so completely melted,
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
139
that in parts you could not distinguish one
brick from another, all having run into a
substance harder than stone, whilst in another
part of the same mass, which had not appar-
ently been exposed to so great a heat, the bricks
were plainly marked, but in a half-vitrified
state. To produce such an effect, this building
must have been exposed for a very considera-
ble time to a heat so intense that one cannot
easily account for it.
After having spent the whole day exploring
this ruin, we got back to Hillah about sunset.
We were met in the town by one of our ser-
vants, who told us that the Governor of the
town had returned from Bagdad, and that the
Albanian soldiers who accompanied him had
taken possession of our house, and turned out
our horses and baggage. They had complain-
ed to the Governor, but got no redress. He
did not even offer us another house. In this
disagreeable situation, our friend Rujab came
to our assistance; he gave us a house, and
procured a yard for our horses. But it cost
us two or three hours' labour in the dark,
moving our horses, goods, and chattels, and
140
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
a still longer delay before we got any thing to
eat. Probably we should have got nothing if
our hospitable friend had not brought us a tray
laden with good things. This we called the
second night of the Arabian entertainments.
On the following morning we dispatched a
special messenger to Bagdad, complaining to
Colonel Taylor of the treatment we had re-
ceived, and I hope to hear that the Governor
has been recalled, and bastinadoed.
We were obliged to remain two days longer
in Hillah, on account of rainy weather. We
did not leave Hillah, till the morning of the
30th December, and went only three hours'
journey, to the tents of some Arabs encamped
near a mount called "Al Heimar," another
of the remnants of Babylon, but too much de"
cayed to be very interesting. Nothing parti-
cular happened during this short march, except
that one of my horses tumbled into a canal,
his foot having gone through the narrow rick-
etty bridge they were leading him over. He
got out luckily after some delay, without much
injury. This will give you an idea of the
Arab bridges, where there are any. It is
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
141
=
always a matter of speculation, whether it is
better to swim or ford a river, or risk crossing
the bridge.
The camp at which we stopped for the
night, consisted of forty or fifty tents belong-
ing to Arab cultivators of the Zobeide tribe.
We pitched our own tent near them, and got
our dinner dressed by our own servants, as
the hospitality of the Sheikh of these people
was far from pressing. We were now going
to the camp of the Sheikh or Chief of the
Zobeide Arabs, which lay to the eastward; we
were told that we could with perfect ease go
in seven hours. Early on the 31st, we put
ourselves in motion-the weather was bitterly
cold-all the pools of water were frozen, and
a cold piercing north wind blew the whole day.
We passed over a desert country quite barren
and level, except where there were mounds of
ancient ruins, or the high banks of old ca-
nals, both of which were in great plenty. The
seven hours passed, and still there was no ap-
pearance of Arabs. At sunset, after a ride
of ten hours, we came to a few miserable tents
belonging to some poor Jerabha Arabs, most
$
142
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
of whose tents had been taken by the Anni-
sees. They were very unwilling to receive
us, because they were poor and had nothing
to give us; but if we wished to stop we were
welcome. They assured us, that the Zobeide
camp was within an hour's ride. But we al-
ready had too much experience to believe
them, so we pitched our tent, and dined upon
dry bread and dates, with a cup of tea.
Our
servants and horses had nothing to eat, and
were obliged to sleep in the open air. Our
tent was just large enough to hold our three
rugs, and the few tents of the Arabs were
scarcely sufficient to hold themselves.
state of these poor people was very miserable:
none had more than a coarse shirt and an
outer cloak; many had not so much. Child-
ren of two or three years old were running
about quite naked, although the weather would
have been considered very cold in England,
for it was hard frost. At night they slept on
the ground, without any additional covering
under the tents, which are so open that they
are scarcely any protection. They get very
little food, and that of the worst description.
The
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
143
Before sunrise (about seven o'clock) on the
1st of January, we were mounted. After rid-
ing three hours, we came to the Tigris, and in
two hours more, to the camp of the Zobeide.
At this time the tribe was scattered in differ-
ent directions, and the camp consisted only of
the Sheikh's relations, dependants, and ser-
vants. There were in all from a hundred
and twenty, to a hundred and fifty tents, irre-
gularly pitched. Near the centre was a white
double-poled tent, given by the Pasha of Bag-
dad. To it we directed our steps. The
Sheikh himself was at Bagdad, where he had
gone with two thousand or three thousand
horsemen, to assist the Pasha in turning out
the Aghail Arabs. His brother, who now
acted as Sheikh, was asleep when we arriv-
ed, for this was the month of the Ramazan,
when day is turned into. night, and night into
day, by all good Mahometans. But to make
a long story short, he received us at length
pretty well-sent us meat, and rice, and bar-
ley for our horses. Next day we dined with
him in his large black tent. The dinner was
laid on the ground by raggedly-dressed Arabs.
144
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
It consisted of twelve or fourteen dishes.
One
enormous copper dish, between three and four
feet in diameter, and containing about two and
a half hundred weight of boiled rice, heaped
up, occupied the centre. Round this father of
the feast were placed moderate sized earthen-
ware dishes, containing meat variously dress-
ed, and sweet-meats. We were placed in the
most honourable place: the rest of the circle
being occupied by other Arabs. The Sheikh's
brother sat down with us, as he was not the
giver of the feast, for it is an invariable cus-
tom among the Arabs, that the giver of the
feast stands, and does not eat till his guests
have finished. Every one laid hold of what he
liked best with his fist, for he had no plates,
knives, forks, nor spoons. When one had
finished, the master of the ceremonies, a rag-
ged looking functionary called to another; and
so on, till all were satisfied. What remained
was given to the poor.
•
The Sheikh was rather a good sort of man,
between thirty and forty years old, but too
fond of attacking us about our religion. When
he saw us retreating from a blazing fire he had
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
145
in his tent, he said, "this is nothing compar-
ed to the fire you will be put into bye and
bye ;" alluding to what he considered our cer-
tain damnation. He offered the Doctor four
horses, a tent, a wife, and four hundred sheep,
if he would turn Mussulman.
On applying for a guide to prosecute our
journey, he said that he could not send any
of his own tribe, for there was a deadly feud
between them and another tribe, which we
would very likely meet. After a little hesita-
tion, he sent us two men that belonged to
another tribe; with them we started on the
3d of January. Our party was further in-
creased by several other people, so that it now
consisted of twenty-three men, twenty-one
horses and mules, and one camel. We were
told that we should find Arabs about 12 o'clock
on the following day, and accordingly took
only one day's provision. After travelling
about twenty miles in a southerly direction,
over a barren desert, with many ruinous
mounds and old canals, we encamped near a
puddle of water. Next day we were again in
motion soon after sunrise; the weather still
K
146
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
hard frost, and wonderfully cold. We had not
travelled very far before we espied a party of
people upon camels, at the distance of a couple
of miles or less. As every stranger in the
desert is an enemy, the discovery caused some
sensation amongst us.
We halted, guns and
pistols were examined, and a telescope was
produced to see the strength of the camel men.
Finding that there were only twelve or fifteen
of them, the courage of our party began to
rise; a horseman was sent to ask them who
they were? where they came from? and where
they were going? Our ambassador kept at a
respectable distance from them, and at last
made a hasty retreat, pursued a short way by
two camel men. He returned at full speed,
crying out that they belonged to the Shinar
tribe, who were their mortal enemies. One
man dashed his turban, or rather his handker-
chief, on the ground, and commenced dancing
and singing their war song, saying that we
must go after them, and put them all to death.
We preferred however going quietly on our
way, and soon lost sight of the camel men,
who were going in a contrary direction. We
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
147
continued travelling over the trackless barren
desert all day till near sunset, without seeing
any traces of Arabs, and were under the neces-
sity of halting, and pitching our tent near some
water, which we considered ourselves fortunate
in finding. We had no grain for our beasts,
and no food for ourselves and servants. We
managed however to scrape together a few
odds and ends, out of which we made a sort of
soup.
At day-light on the following morning, we
were once more on horseback, and after riding
nearly three hours, we perceived horsemen
and camels near the horizon, moving rapidly
to and fro. It was evident from this that we
had been seen, and mistaken for enemies. An
Arab horseman was immediately sent on to
tell who we were. He approached, and ap-
peared to satisfy two horsemen and several on
foot, who were hanging on our left as we con-
tinued to advance. Still, horsemen in ones,
and twos, and threes, were dashing about in
different directions. We kept our people close
together, and in readiness to resist an attack.
Three horsemen who had been some time on
148
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
our right, at last made a regular charge, with
their lances poised, with what intention I do
not know, as they could hardly expect twenty-
three people to run before them. They pulled
up when within a few yards; one of our Arabs
recognised one of them, went up to him, kissed
him, and we then all rode together. They
told us they had seen our fires the preceding
night, and had been two or three hours trying
to come up to them, because they said they
feared enemies.
If they had found us, they would, as a matter
of course, have plundered us if they could; and
as we kept no regular watch, it would not have
been difficult. We wished these Arabs to
take us to their tents, as we were very hungry;
but they, (frightened I suppose at the size of
our party,) told us we had better go on, and we
would, in an hour's ride, come to a large camp.
But we were too much acquainted with their
mode of computing distances to follow their
advice, and therefore determined to break-
fast in a good-sized tent we saw close at hand.
The rascals, however, had taken us on the
opposite side of a small river from where the
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
149
tent was, which put us under the necessity of
fording it. We made a hearty breakfast on
dried dates and bread, and were about to
proceed, when one of our guns was missed.
After much trouble and many threats it was at
last produced. This petty thieving while we
were actually in the tent, is only practised by
Arabs who have none of the true Arab spirit.
Such people are generally cultivating Arabs;
a true Bedouin would rob one openly in the
desert, by force, with much pleasure, but as
long as one is in his tent every thing is safe.
In leaving them we made a present to the
master of the tent, which he was glad to re-
ceive, whereas a genuine Arab would have
refused it, and considered the offer an insult.
At night we stopped at a few small tents be-
longing to a petty tribe calling themselves the
"Benirichal," "Sons of the Stirrup ;" and on
leaving them next morning, a cloak was miss-
ing, which we had much difficulty in recovering ;
nor did we succeed until we had rather rough-
ly handled one of the Arabs, and frightened the
rest. This part of the country, which is near the
Hye, a small river running from the Tigris into
150
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
the Euphrates, is cultivated in small patches;
but the greater part, at least nine hundred and
ninety-nine one-thousandth parts, is desert or
swamp. Here there are fewer ruinous mounds,
or remains of canals, than more to the north,
which may be owing to the frequent inundations
to which it is subject. As we advanced, we got
deeper into the marshes, some of which were
dry, and others wet; and were obliged to stop
for the night with Arabs who live by feeding
buffaloes. They are called Madahn Arabs,
and are despised by other Arabs, from whom
they are dissimilar in many respects. They
do not practise hospitality to strangers, but
will sell what may be wanted. They live dur-
ing the winter in huts made of reeds and mat-
ting, always amongst the marshes, for the sake
of their buffaloes, which cannot live without
a great deal of water. In summer, in order
to protect themselves from the musquitoes,
which would otherwise be intolerable in these
swamps, they take off all their clothes, and
cover themselves with a thick coating of mud.
They at first refused point blank to receive us;
but we at last succeeded in inducing them to
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
151
be more hospitably inclined; and as soon as
they found that we actually paid for what we
took, they brought every thing we wanted.
Many of them had never seen such a party
before, and crowds came to look at us; but
when we began to eat with spoons, and knives
and forks, their amazement knew no bounds.
Men, women, and children, came out of their
huts, and sat on the ground in a large circle
round us, like as one of the Persian servants
observed, "diamonds set with pearls."
We procured a guide from them, and left
them early next day. After riding about three
hours, we unexpectedly came to a river, vary-
ing from thirty to fifty yards wide, and appar-
ently very deep, of which we had not pre-
viously heard. This we were told must be
crossed; no boat could be had, so nothing was
left but fording. It was deep enough to take
a man over the shoulders. All our luggage
and saddles were crossed upon the men's heads,
and we, half undressed, rode our horses bare-
backed across. Fortunately the weather was
not so cold as it had been. The same evening
we arrived on the banks of the Euphrates, and
152
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
were again obliged to stop for the night at a
small encampment of Buffalo Arabs, who
most resolutely refused to receive us. But as
necessity knows no law, we told them distinct-
ly, that if they would not give us what we
wanted for money, we should be obliged to
take it by force. They yielded to this argu-
ment, and we became such good friends that
one of them said he would procure us a boat
to pass ourselves and luggage over to the other
side of the Euphrates, which was at that spot
about a hundred and fifty yards wide.
The following day, which was the 8th of Jan-
uary, we commenced early in the morning to
cross our luggage and horses. The horses had
to swim, which made it a very tedious business ;
the day was cold and wet, and nearly four hours
were we obliged to remain exposed to the rain,
superintending this operation. At last all got
safely over, we remounted, and continued our
journey southward, through a country perfectly
barren and uninhabited. In the afternoon we
stopped at a small encampment of poor Arabs,
near a very large mound of ruins, which we
went to see. It is called by the Arabs, “Um-
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
153
gahdiar." Never having heard of it before,
we flatter ourselves that we are the first Eu-
ropeans who have seen it. It is a mound
at least a hundred feet high; enough of the
outer walls are standing to show that its form
was an oblong square, measuring about sixty-
three by forty-three yards. At about seventy
feet from the base it becomes smaller, as if it
had been built in stories, diminishing in size;
its four sides front the four cardinal points.
Round its base are remains of an ancient city.
It is situated about ten miles from the Euphra-
tes on the west side, and about due south of
the town of Shatra.
On the afternoon of the next day, we arriv-
ed at Shoogy Shooch, quite as glad to get to
this point of our journey, as I dare say you
will be to have got thus far in this letter,
many parts of which can be of very little
interest to you. But as I thought you might
like to know all I have been doing and seeing,
I give the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth. The remainder I shall write in a se-
parate letter to Thomas, as he formerly was a
regular correspondent.
154
LETTER FROM FUTTY ILLAW.
Wishing you all a happy new year, and
many happy returns,
I remain, my dear Mother,
1
Your affectionate Son.
LETTER XIII.
On board the BUGGALOW, "FUTTY ILLAW,"
In the Tigris, 27th Jan., 1835.
MY DEAR THOMAS,
If you take the trouble of sending for
my letter to my Mother, you will find that
Mr Fraser, Dr. Ross, and I, arrived at a small
town on the Euphrates, called Shoogy Shooch,
on the afternoon of the 9th of January. Being
persons of consideration, and bearers of pre-
sents from the English Resident to the Sheikh
of the Montifeck Arabs, in whose capital we
were, we demanded lodging and food for our-
selves, servants, and eighteen horses and mules.
The Arab calling himself a governor, sent his
black slave to us, who led us to a place out-
side of the town, more fit for cattle than a
residence for human beings. It was neither
156
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
house nor shed, being merely surrounded
by a palisade. We rejected this as an insult
to our dignity, and at last chose a spot for
ourselves, on the quay or landing place, on
the banks of the Euphrates, where we pitched
our small tent; two huts of reeds and mats
were speedily built for our servants, and our
horses were piqueted near us.
The rascally
governor sent us nothing to eat till near mid-
night, although we had tasted nothing since
sunrise; we seized by force barley for our
horses;
the sufferer came to us with loud
lamentations, but we could not pay him with-
out insulting the Sheikh.
The Montifeck Arabs are the most power-
They
ful tribe in this part of the country.
can bring about thirty thousand horsemen in-
to the field. Their territory extends along
the banks of the Euphrates, from Semawa to
Bussorah, and eastward as far as the Tigris.
They are not Bedouins; but live by cultivat-
ing the land, and growing dates. Most of
them live in tents, but many also inhabit small
villages, and huts made of mats and reeds.
The Sheikh or Chief of the tribe, pretends to
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
157
despise living in a house, and retains much of
the Bedouin simplicity of life. He is subject
to the Pasha of Bagdad, to whom he pays an
annual tribute; but in his own country he is
sole governor. They have no regular system
of government. Every man does as he likes,
and every one considers himself as good as the
Sheikh; nor could the Sheikh do any thing that
was disapproved of by the whole tribe. Still
he has great power: makes war and peace;
leads the tribe to battle; settles disputes; pun-
ishes the guilty, even with death. But his
power is not one which is regularly defined
a favourite Sheikh has sometimes absolute
power, while it not unfrequently happens, that
the tribe deposes an unpopular one, and elects
another. There is no code of laws, nor have
they any courts of justice; disputes are settled
by the Sheikh, the Cazee, or by old men of
the tribe. The office of Sheikh is not exact-
ly hereditary; but the son has generally a bet-
ter chance of succeeding the father than any
one else. It is a sort of despotism and demo-
cracy mixed, influencing each other.
;
Shoogy Shooch is a small miserable town,
፡
158
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
built of mud, and surrounded with a mud wall.
It is about fifty miles from Bussorah by land,
and double that distance by the river. I pre-
ferred going by the water, as my two com-
panions intended to return to Bagdad, and
engaged a large boat, with a sort of cabin, to
carry me and my two horses.
The day after our arrival, Jesus, Sheikh of
the Montifecks, arrived in Shoogy Shooch, –
having been superintending the repairs of the
dykes built on the bank of the Euphrates, to
prevent inundations from injuring the country,
which is all very level, and in many places
lower than the river. He arrived in the
evening, and having a good deal of business to
attend to, he could not receive us till near
eleven o'clock at night. We found him seated
on a very rude sort of sofa, made of a few
pieces of rough wood nailed together, at the
upper end of a hut which had hastily been
constructed for him of matting and reeds. It
was about fifteen feet square, and so low that
we could not stand upright under it. The
lee side was quite open, and the others were
very far from being air-tight. A dirty lamp
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
159
with a single candle hung from the roof be-
fore the Sheikh, and in the centre of the hut
was a fire on the ground, which filled it with
smoke. On both sides of this miserable hovel
blackguard looking Arabs sat upon the ground.
We were led close up to the Sheikh, and sat
upon a carpet laid on the ground, at his right
hand.
He was a coarse vulgar-looking man of
forty; dark complexion, harsh loud voice, and
imperative tone. His dress was quite plain,
rather shabby. Like all the Arabs we had
met, he began with attacking the Doctor; he
racked his brains to think what pains he had
felt, and what illness he had suffered from
during the last ten years. Made him feel his
pulse; asked if the Doctor was certain he was
quite well; said he could not eat heartily
without feeling a fulness afterwards, and a
number of similar questions. He did not how-
ever touch upon the usual complaint. They
generally apply for some medicine to strengthen
the back. Sheikh Jesus after he had exhaust-
ed the medical subject, began to talk about
Bagdad, about the situation of the different
160
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
tribes, about the Sultan, Mohamed Ali, and
the Russians. But he appeared to be an
ignorant thick-headed fellow. After remain-
ing till our legs were stiff, and our eyes half
blind from the smoke, we bid him good night.
Such is the man that, in a week, could have
thirty thousand horsemen at his back. Twice
he has taken and plundered Bussorah, and his
name is much more feared all about this
part of the country, than that of the Pasha
of Bagdad, or the Sultan himself.
On the following day I bid good bye to my
companions; embarked, and sailed; the wind
and current were favourable, and I arrived at
Bussorah on the afternoon of the 12th. The
Euphrates is a small river compared with the
Tigris. It is scarcely half so broad, and not
rapid. These two rivers meet between twenty
and thirty miles above Bussorah, and form a
splendid stream, nearly a quarter of a mile
broad, and very rapid.
During nearly two centuries the East India
Company had a large commercial establish-
ment at Bussorah. It was given up only at
the abolition of their monopoly in 1818. The
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
161
old Residency still remains, and a native agent
takes care of the British interests. On my
arrival I went to the Residency, where I found
Mr Parnell. He had been nearly two months
in Bussorah, waiting for a vessel to take him
to Bombay. He had engaged his passage
above six weeks, in an Arab Buggalow, which
was then ready for sea. For the last month
he had been lying at a place called Mohumra,
about twenty miles down the river, and he had
been expecting the Captain every day to take
him on board. As there was no other vessel
ready for sea, I determined to wait the arrival
of the Captain, and make arrangements to go
with him if he could take me.
Bussorah is now merely the skeleton of what
it was. In 1832, the plague which had ravaged
Bagdad and the surrounding country the pre-
vious year, appeared in Bussorah with such
dreadful effect, that out of a population esti-
mated at sixty thousand, it is said that scarcely
three thousand remained in the town; many
had fled, and many died. It now contains
about fifteen thousand, but commerce has been
paralysed by this dreadful blow; and it will
L
162
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
take a long time, under the present oppressive
system of government, before it rises to what
it was. It is governed by a Turk, appointed
by the Pasha of Bagdad, who sells the govern-
ment to the person who offers to pay him the
highest revenue; and as he is liable to be re-
called at any time, and without any reason
being assigned, he naturally tries to squeeze
as much out of it, and as speedily as he can :
taxes, fines, confiscations, and forced loans,
are all put into requisition, that the governor
may make a fortune. European merchants
are protected by treaty, and their property is
secure.
Owing to the bad government of Bussorah,
Mohumra, already mentioned, is rising into
some importance. It is on the east side of the
Tigris, and under the power of a numerous
tribe of cultivating Arabs, called Chaabs; no
duties are charged at this place, and native
merchants are protected. The prosperity of
this small town hurts Bussorah; but on the
other hand, it is likely to be temporarily bene-
fitted by the present disturbed state of Persia,
which renders property insecure at Bushier,
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
163
the great Persian port; and has already driven
some of the Bushier merchants to Bussorah.
The Governor of Bussorah is a good old
fellow, has a tolerable idea of the state of
Europe, and is fond of the English, and Eng-
lish brandy, of which he will drink a bottle at
a sitting. We went one evening to pay him a
visit; he gave us coffee and pipes. While we
were there, a miserable looking Jew lad was
brought in, having declared that he wished to
turn Mahommedan. The only reason he
could give for this desire was, because he
could not keep his wife in order. He was
accordingly made Mahommedan, and received
a present from the Governor. Religion in
this country is a mere farce; it appears to
have no effect whatever on the morals of the
people. Since the world began I do not think
there ever existed any men so destitute of vir-
tue, and so addicted to the worst of crimes, as
the inhabitants of all this part of Turkey.
The Bedouin Arabs, those who live in the
desert, and never come near towns or vil-
lages are the best. If the Bedouin meets you
in the desert he will rob you if he can; as a
matter of course, he does that with the same
164
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
sort of feeling that the
Captain of a man-of-
war takes a prize at sea.
Bedouin's tent, you are
But if you go to the
hospitably received,
and treated with the best of every thing he
has; and as long as you remain with him, he
will defend your life and property against all
your enemies, at whatever risk. The Arabs
inhabiting towns and villages, are quite a dif-
ferent sort of people. They are liars, thieves,
and murderers, incapable of a generous action,
cruel, ungrateful, treacherous, selfish, ignorant,
avaricious, dishonest in the highest degree,
without a particle of shame, frequently betray-
ing their best friends, and nearest relations,
and abandoning aged parents to starve in the
streets. Oppressive to the weak, slavishly
submissive to the powerful, and avowedly
guilty of all crimes. The Turks are worse
than the Arabs, the Christians worse than the
Turks, and the Jews worst of all. Many a
man is hanged in England, who would appear
innocent compared with many who are highly
honoured in this country. The laws are not
enforced, or enforced only as a means of op-
pression. No man can trust his neighbour;
all look upon each other as enemies; friend-
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
165
ship and disinterestedness are totally un-
known; generosity would be called weakness
or folly; the bonds of society are completely
destroyed; virtue is despised; and successful
crimes are applauded. In Europe this will
appear an exaggeration; but I believe, that on
the contrary, it falls short of the truth.
On the 15th of January, the Captain of the
Buggalow arrived, and wished Mr Parnell to
go on board that night, as he said he was in
a great hurry, and would sail immediately.
After much difficulty he granted him per-
mission to remain till the 16th, saying he
would follow him. On the 17th the Captain
took unto himself a wife, although he had al-
ready two living at Mohumra! On the 18th I
made a bargain with him to take me and my
horses to Bombay, and on the 19th we got on
board the Buggalow. The Captain was dis-
appointed with his new wife, fortunately for
us; but as he had displeased the other two by
marrying a third, he was obliged to remain
some time with them at Mohumra, opposite to
which we were. Nevertheless, on the 20th, he
swore by his beard that he would sail next
day, but went on shore and did not appear for
166
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
two days. At last, after a multitude of lies,
we weighed anchor on the 23d, sailed about a
couple of miles, and anchored. This is now
the seventh day since we sailed, and we have
not gone fifty miles! I mention these particu-
lars to show what sort of people I have to
deal with, and how impossible it is to do any
thing with them, for they promise to do ex-
actly as you wish, without having the least
intention of doing it.
This Buggalow, the "Futty Illaw," is a good
specimen of an Arab vessel; she is between
three hundred and four hundred tons burthen,
with a very high poop, under which are Mr
Parnell's and my cabin. She has only one
mast, with one enormous lug-sail, which it
takes fifty or sixty men twenty minutes to
hoist. She is laden to the water's edge with
dates. On deck there are fifty horses, sheep,
goats, large water tanks, spare sail, coils of
rope, straw, luggage, and every sort of thing,
most ingeniously jumbled together. There
are at least a hundred and twenty human
beings on board, part crew, and part passen-
gers, who all live and sleep upon deck. In-
numerable fires for cooking are always kept
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
167
going. The noise, which is perpetual, "baffles
description," as the newspapers say. There
is no sort of order or discipline on board;
when an order is given, the crew generally sit
still, lazily arguing the propriety of it, or de-
bating how it had best be done. It is amusing
sometimes to see them when they are at work,
yelling, howling, stamping, and singing in a
most horrific manner, showing mouths that a
crocodile might not be ashamed of. If the
common narquila, or small hooka, happen to
be lighted, they keep running after it, each
man afraid he may lose his turn. How we
are ever to get to Bombay in such a convey-
ance, I do not know. All except my horses
have been on board nearly two months! One
died this morning, and several took very sick-
ly. The proprietor of them, who is a Persian,
told me that when he sent them on board, the
Captain gave him a written note, promising to
sail in two days!
I am now well seasoned for travelling; ac-
customed, as I have been, for the last four
months, to disappointments, detention, and
inconveniencies of every description. For
above a month, I have not slept with my
168
LETTER FROM ON BOARD
clothes off; but now I am in comparative
luxury, for I have a tolerable cabin to sleep
in, and enough to eat; but travelling in the
desert, exposed to frost and rain, liable to be
robbed and left naked every moment, with
little or nothing to eat, one becomes indiffer-
ent about comforts which at home one thinks
necessary, and I now do not feel the want of
them. If I have only clothing enough to keep
me warm, enough to eat, and a little clean
water to drink, I am perfectly satisfied. When
I first left the luxuries of the Falmouth steam-
packet, I was quite miserable if obliged to go
without my breakfast or dinner, and thought
it a dreadful hardship to be under the neces-
sity of sleeping in the open air. Now I can
live as an Arab, upon bread and dates, lie
down to sleep in the desert, wrapped up in
my abba or cloak, and think a bundle of dried
grass to lay my head on a luxury. Those who
travel in search after pleasure in this part of
the world, will find it only when they return
home.
I do not think I have written anything about
the Arab horses. An Arab's greatest ambi-
tion is to have a well-bred mare-she is his
THE FUTTY ILLAW.
169
She
pride, and his glory,—she has her regular feed
of barley every day, and is allowed to graze
about the tent with her fore-legs chained. Her
foals are brought up with the children, who
teach themselves to ride, and the foal to carry,
before either are well able to walk. I have
seen Arabs beat their camels most barbar-
ously; and I have seen one use a club to his
wife; but I never saw one strike a mare.
carries the Arab to battle; if she is taken or
killed, he returns broken-hearted. But if the
mare of a Sheikh is lost in war, the whole
tribe mourns, and vows a bloody vengeance.
The finest and most esteemed, are those be-
longing to the powerful tribe of the Annisees,
who lately attacked Bagdad; and those which
are bred in the interior of Arabia. They are
all small, seldom exceeding fourteen hands;
some there are higher, but it is difficult to
procure them. Their value varies exceedingly,
according to their race, and the place they are
sold at. In Bussorah, some are sold for ten,
and some for a hundred pounds. I bought a
very beautiful one in Bagdad, about fourteen
hands high, a perfect picture, and of an ami-
able, affectionate disposition, which now knows
170
LETTER FROM, &c.
me so well, that it neighs and snorts whenever
I come in sight, for less than twenty pounds;
and another stronger and most excellent beast,
but not so pretty, for about seventeen. Yes-
terday, we went on shore, and saw a beautiful
colt sixteen months old, for which I offered
twelve pounds, but in vain. It will be a per-
fect beauty in a couple of years. My two
horses in Bombay, will be worth a hundred
pounds, and will not have cost me half that
sum.
January 31st.—We are still lying at anchor
in the Tigris, a strong south wind furnishing
the Captain an excuse for not sailing.
I am
now disgusted and annoyed beyond measure
at the length of time spent in getting so far
on my journey. My only consolation is, that
I have gained much useful information, which
could only be obtained by visiting the Persian
Gulph and the interior.
Having received no news from India, except
what I collected from the newspapers, since I
left England, I am of course entirely ignorant
of what has been going on, which increases
my anxiety and impatience.
LETTER XIII.
BOMBAY, 23d March, 1835.
I ARRIVED here yesterday, after having
been sixty-three days on board the Buggalow,
Futty Illaw; and if I ever set foot on a Bug-
galow again, may my beard turn grey! Such
a system of navigation I never before witness-
ed, and hope I never shall again. Every one
wished to be Captain, and all except the real
one were vociferous in giving orders. In fact,
tongues were much more used than hands, by
the greater part of the crew. When it blew at
stitch of sail, and
all hard, they lowered every
allowed the vessel to drive where she chose ;
and after such an event they took two or three
days to recover their fright. Two days after
we left Busheir, when we had gone about a
172
LETTER FROM BOMBAY.
hundred and fifty miles, we had a contrary
wind of no great strength, but sufficient to
alarm the gallant crew of the Futty Illaw.
Down came the big sail, in spite of my abuse
and remonstrances, and our head was turned
back to Busheir, where the Captain resolved to
go. After driving a whole night, and great
part of a day, with only a small fore-sail set,
the wind shifted, and to my great joy and
amusement, our course was again changed to-
wards Bombay. For nearly two days we had
no sail set, because our big sail
took a whole night to mend.
was torn, and
When ready,
they were afraid to set it, for fear it should
be torn again, as there was only a little
wind and a slight swell. At a place called
Singar, on the Persian coast, we took in water
and a pilot, to take us to Bombay. This pilot,
or rather sailing Captain, had a sextant as rick-
etty as an old chai, and a nautical almanac
twenty years old. With these and two English
charts of a very ancient date, and all wrong,
he intended to take us direct to Bombay. But
some difficulty arose between him and the man
who had previously commanded the vessel.
LETTER FROM BOMBAY.
173
One wished to keep near the land, and the
other to go out to sea. Mr Parnell and I call-
ed them into our cabin, and held a council of
war, in which it was resolved we were to keep
at sea. We kept a reckoning ourselves, as
a check upon the pilot, who in the course of a
week, was only sixty miles wrong in his longi-
tude !!! Fortunately a fair wind blew us,
nolens volens, into Bombay, like a peat stack.
Besides the bad navigation causing me some
uneasiness, I did not like the rig of the vessel,
which is a very dangerous one, consisting, as I
before mentioned, of one Brobdignag lug sail,
the yard of which cannot be less than a hun-
dred and twenty, or a hundred and thirty feet
long. In wearing this sail, it had to be turned
round before the mast, the sheet going round
by the vessel's bows. When this was going
on it was a fearful sight, especially when there
was any wind, for sheet and tacks were flying
loose in the air, and the sail floating like a flag
from the yard. Men were frequently pitched
overboard by the flapping of the sail, but being
expert swimmers, they easily got into the long
boat, which was towed astern to pick up strag-
174
LETTER FROM BOMBAY.
glers. In this operation the confusion and
noise on board exceeded belief. My greatest
wonder was how they managed to do it at all,
for it is a thing which Englishmen would not
like to undertake.
::5
蠱
​LETTER XIV.
BOMBAY, 10th Dec., 1835.
MY DEAR THOMAS,
THE bearer of this letter is Ali Agha,
who was Governor of Bussorah when I was
there, when I and many Englishmen received
much kindness and attention from him. A
reverse of fortune, by no means uncommon in
eastern countries, drove him from his exalted
station, and he is now a wanderer among
strangers. His object is to return to Constan-
tinople, and should the "Hero of Malown" go
to Liverpool, you will perhaps be able to be of
some service in procuring a passage for him,
and showing him a little kindness. If he
should be in want of some money, advance
a small sum on my account, for the poor fel-
176
LETTER FROM BOMBAY.
low, although I believe he is well provided for
in that respect. Should the "Hero of Malown”
go to the Clyde, this letter may be considered
equally addressed to James or John. He
speaks nothing but Turkish and Arabic, so
that your conversation will be limited; practi-
cal proofs that my letter is not a dead one,
will be most acceptable to him and to me.
When I was a stranger in the desert, the
Arabs gave me what they had, and I should
be sorry that my friend Ali Agha, should be
treated in England worse than I was in
Arabia.
Believe me, my dear Thomas,
Your affectionate Brother.
Printed by AIRD & RUSSELL, 75, Argyll Street, Glasgow.
ERRAT A.

Page 49, line 3 from bottom, for were, read was.
57, line 11 from bottom, for emigration, read migration.
108, The 2 from top, for rusé, read ruse.

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