fic bard unknown, pays this sympathetis pang to your memory! Some of you tell us, with all the charms of verse, that you have been unfortunate in the world-unfortunate in love: he too has felt the loss of his little fortune, the loss of friends, and, worse than all, the loss of the woman he adored. Like you, all his consolation was his muse: she taught him in rustic measures to complain. Happy could he have done it with your strength of imagination and flow of verse! May the turf lie lightly on your bones! and may you now enjoy that solace and rest which this world rarely gives to the heart tuned to all the feelings of poesy and love.

Description of BAGDAD.

This division of the city is governed by an aga, called the great aga, with other inferior agas, whose houses are situated at such a convenient distance from each other as to enable them easily to assemble, to quell any riot or disturbance. An officer, and a certain number of janisaries, mount guard at or near the houses of each of the agas; this is the military government. The civil magistrates are, the cadi or judge, and a mufti, who is chief of the law and of religion; both these are dependant on, and appointed by, the great cadi and mufti of Bagdad, properly so called; the agas are appointed by the pasha of Bagdad.

As the other side is the residence of all the chief men, (the court or the pasha's seraglio being there) as well as all the public offices, there are not to be found in the bazars any thing, except provisions, worth noticing, the

(Lond. 1808.)

BAGDAD is seated on both banks of the river Tigris, in latitude 33° 20 N. and latitude 43° 51' Ε.

The communication is by a bridge of boats from the one side, which is in Mesopotamia, to the other, situate in Persia; or, as geographical books call it, in Irak Arabi.

The Persian side is more than twice as large as the other, both in breadth and length; on the banks of the river they are nearly equal, an extent of upwards of three miles. The breadth of each side is very irregular. I shall first attempt to describe the Mesopotamian side. It has neither wall, gate, nor castle; and the breadth is so irregular as to defy description. Beginning at one end, on the banks of the river, and walking round (as nearly as possible) until I came to the other extremity on the same banks, I found the distance to be four thousand two hundred and twenty-five of my paces, exclusive of that side next the banks of the river.

Jan. 1809.

for merchandise from all parts of Persia and India, by the way of the Per

sian gulph, through Bussora and Arabia. No khans, or caravanseras of any note, for the reception of mer-. chant strangers and their goods, are built in this district; yet the inhabitants have advantages which those of the other side do not possess; first, in. the articles of provisions, which they have cheaper and in greater variety; as the many hords of Arabs, who supply the city with all kinds of diet, are in the neighbourhood. Besides, houserent is cheaper; as they have in the suburbs many handsome broad streets, with large houses and pleasant gardens, for the most part inhabited by eminent merchants, who find it more. convenient to reside here, though they transact their business in their magazines (warehouses) in the khans on the other side, to which they repair every morning, and return in the evening, on horseback. Here are also the houses of many eminent men in public stations, who go daily to the other side, to the duty of their respective offices,

offices, and return in the evening to their houses, which are so open and airy, with large gardens, as to supply the place of country houses. For several miles in the environs the country is much more pleasant and convenient for the inhabitants, with their families, to make the little excursions, which they frequently do, by way of giving their wives and children little airings and exercise on horseback, previously sending their servants with a tent and provisions, as there is not any town, village, or caravansera, nearer than three hours ride fit for people of condition to resort to. The greatest part of the public gardens and meadows are likewise on this side, which occasions cheese, butter, milk, fruit, and garden-stuff, to be cheaper than on the other; all which advantages make it a much more desirable situation than the great city, (which the other is called,) especially to those who have leisure to pass frequently from each.

From the banks of the river, on each side, and directly opposite to each other, are built two immense walls, which project from the banks into the river, which are sixty-six feet in length, by twenty-eight in breadth.These walls serve as jetty heads, and are built of excellent and well-burnt brick, so high as not to be overflowed when the water is highest.

The bridge consists of thirty-five boats, all of the same construction and dimension, the bows being sharp like the London wherries, the stern likewise bearing a near resemblance; their length is thirty-tour feet six inches, and their breadth fourteen feet eight inches. The distance from the jetty heads to the first boat on each side is eight feet six inches, the space between each boat six feet four inches, which makes the river Tigris, at Bagdad, to be, from bank to bank, eight hundred and seventy-one feet and four inches broad. From one side of the river to the other, wo massy iron chain. are

extended; the iron bars with which the links are made are as large as a man's wrist; the ends of those chains are fastened to the rings of two extremely large anchors, which are buried in the earth, two within the wall of the great mosque on the Persian side, the other two within the wall of a great warehouse on the opposite side. Each of those chains pass over the bows of twenty-nine of the boats, and are kept in their proper places by one of the links being placed over an iron bolt, which stands erect on the bow of each boat. Over these twenty-nine boats a stage is laid, made of strong planks, gravelled over, with railing on each side, nearly four feet high; the space between each railing is nearly twenty four feet, which gives the breadth of the bridge. The other six boats, of which the bridge is formed, are contrived so as to be moved when rafts or vessels pass down the river from Mosul (the antient Nineveh,) or up the river from Bussorah, or any other place, which is performed in this manner: from the jetty heads a stage is laid to the first boat, which reaches across that boat; from this boat another is laid over the second and third boats, which reaches and is fastened to the stage on the fourth, as the stage over the first boat is fastened to that over the second on each side. When boats or large vessels want to pass, it is sufficient to loosen the first boat on that side where the boat or vessel chuses to pass; the boat with the stage on it immediately swings off itself with the current, and is soon replaced; but when large rafts pass, the next two boats with the stages on them must likewise be let loose, which causes an impediment to the passage over the bridge for at least half an hour.

People who walk over the bridge ought to be very careful, as a great concourse of people on foot, as well as on horses, mules, and asses, are continually passing and repassing; particularly early every morning, when ma

ny hundred beasts come loaded with every kind of provisions from the Mesopotamian to the Persian side; and as in the middle of every boat timbers are placed across to secure and fasten the ends of the planks together, which, projecting above the gravel, form so many ridges, and are the occasion of many falls. No loaded camel is permitted to pass over the bridge.

A toll of one para (three farthings) is paid for the passage of every loaded horse or mule, and half a para for a loaded ass; but nothing by foot passengers, or even by those on horseback, who go over the bridge, nor for any beasts which are not loaden.

For moving one boat only, on either side, to let boats or large vessels pess, one piastre (two shillings and sixpence) is paid; for moving the three boats three piastres. The bottoms of the boats are quite flat, and draw six inches water at the bow, and four at the stern.

There are always boats ready to supply the place of any of those which form the bridge, when they leak or want any kind of repair. They are placed in less than ten minutes, without moving either railing, planks, or even the gravel on the bridge; it is effected in the following manner:

is

The defective boat is loaded with stones sufficient to sink her so low as to prevent her from bearing any part of the bridge; at the same time, the bolts in the bows, which are let into a link of each chain, are likewise loosened; the boat, thus liberated, moved in a minute, and the new boat (being previously loaded as the other was) is hauled up in her place: the loading is, by means of many hands, quickly taken, until she bears her proportion of the bridge, when the iron bolts are introduced into the links of the chain.

I have seen three boats shifted in this manner, each of them in less than ten minutes of time, which is mostly spent in loading the one so as to libe

rate it, and in unloading the other so as to supply exactly its place.

The current of water causes the bridge to have a great curve, (which is described in its proper proportion in the design which I have taken.) The two chains on either side from the first boat, over which they are placed, and from thence to the walls of the buildings which they pass through, are only visible for about twenty feet from each of the boats, and for the same distance from the banks of the river; the remainder, owing to their great weight and length without support, being under water.

As all vessels of every size on this river are flat-bottomed, they pass over the chains without the least obstruc tion.

From November to the latter end of March, boats and vessels of all sizes can come from Bussora up the Tigris to the bridge of Bagdad; in the other months they do not attempt it, as the current runs so very strongly against them, and the wind, being for the most part in the western quarter, increases the difficulty; in the interval, goods from Bussora, intended for Bagdad, are brought up the Euphrates to Helah, (mostly by tracking,) and from thence across Mesopotamia, by camels, to Bagdad.

May the 16th, I arrived on the seventh of this month, and as I rode over the bridge was greatly surprised to see the current run with such great velocity, and not then knowing the distance of Bagdad from the Gulph of Persia, I imagined that there was a regular tide, and that it was (at the time of my passing over the bridge,) the middle of an ebb tide; the current seemed to me to run at the rate of seven miles an hour. On this day (the 16th) in the evening, being the first time that I had leisure to make observations, I went on the bridge, and observing that the current still ran down, in all appearance, at as great a rate as on the 7th, I concluded, as be fore

fore, that it was ebb tide; and, without asking any questions, I made a mark on the wall of the custom-house coffee-house, which projects so far into the river as to be washed even when the water is at the lowest. I returned next morning, and found that the current still ran as before, which it continued to do all that day, and that my mark on the wall still remained even with the water's edge; I was then convinced that there was not any flux and reflux, but that what I had observed was owing to a fresh in the river, occasioned by rains in the interior part of the country. On enquiry, I was informed this was the case, and that in about a month the water would be at the highest, and remain, with little variation, several days, and would then gradually decrease, and continue decreasing until the middle or latter end of September, when it would be at the lowest. That some time in October it would begin to increase again, the current always running out, but with less velocity as the water ebbed; insomuch that when the water was at the lowest, the current was very little. According to my information, the water in the river is eight months increasing, and only four decreasing; and as there was a likelihood of my remaining here some time, I determined to attend to the rise and fall by daily observations.

From my observations it appeared, that from the 16th of May to the 30th, the water rose nineteen inches, and the current appeared to run at the rate of seven miles an hour. At this time people could not pass from the bridge to the custom-house, on the banks of the river, as the water in many places washed the walls of the houses between the bridge and the customhouse. The goods which passed over were carried full three times the distance before they reached the customhouse, which proportionally enhanced the price of porterage.

:

From May the 30th to June the

7th, the water rose only three inches and a half.

From this time to June the 14th I could not observe any rise or fall, as it was at the highest; the current ran as rapidly, to all appearance, as when I first arrived.

June the 15th. I could observe that the water had fallen since the day before, one inch and a half exactly, agreeing with the first day's increase.

From the 15th to the 30th, the water fell forty-four inches; the first five days it fell ten; the next five, thirteen; and the last five, twenty-one inches.

The current now seemed to have abated since the 30th of May, at least a mile in an hour.

From June the 30th to August the 1st, the water fell seventeen feet four inches; the first eight days, thirtyfour; the second eight, forty-six; the third eight, sixty-two inches; and the last seven days sixty-six inches.

From several experiments made by throwing chips into the river at the centre of the bridge, I believe the current did not run at this time four miles an hour; if this calculation be exact, the current had abated since the 14th of June three miles in the hour.

From August the 1st to the 31st, the water fell eight feet ten inches; the first eight days, forty-four inches; the second eight, thirty inches; the third eight, twenty inches; and the last seven days, twelve inches. On the 16th of this month, from observation, I believe the current did not run more than three miles in an hour); the watermen now began to ply (to carry passengers over the river in their baskets) at proper places on both sides the river, which before they could not do, owing to the strength of the current. These baskets are quite circular, plaistered over with bitumen on the outside, which keeps them from leak. ing, and which lasts as long as the

basket itself, which is made of a strong wicker-work, and serves as a boat.They are paddled over by two men or boys; though some of them are capable of carrying over six or seven passengers, besides those who paddle. These are the only passage-boats they have for crossing the river.

During the month of September the water fell exactly two feet: the first ten days, ten inches; the second ten days, eight; the third ten days, six. On the 16th of this month, the current did not exceed two miles in an hour.

On the 30th, it ran at the rate of about one and a half miles in an hour. From the 14th of June to the 30th of September the water had fallen in all thirty-one feet ten inches. On the 30th of September, the depth of the river at the centre of the bridge was fourteen feet six inches. From the 30th of September to the 19th of October, from daily observations, I could not observe any rise or fall of water in the river, nor any visible difference in the current; so that from experience from the 7th to the 14th of June, the water was then at the highest, and the depth then was forty-six feet four inches; and from the 30th of September to the 19th of October, the water was at the lowest, fourteen feet six inches deep. According to the best calculation which I was enabled to make, the current of the water, when greatest, was at the rate of seven miles; and, when least, one and a half miles in an hour.

It is worth noticing, that when the water in the river is at the highest, the boats nearest the land are somewhat higher than the jetty heads, consequently there is an ascent in passing from them to the boats over the stages, in proportion as the water rises, and consequently a descent when the water falls: therefore when the water has fallen so, that the gunwales of the nearest boats are about four feet lower than the top of the jetty heads, the

stages are then loosened from the jetties, and are hauled up higher, that is, to the westward, (the three first boats and stages are higher in proportion ;) the ends of the two first stages, which were before fastened to the jetty heads, are now laid down on the banks of the river, and fastened to an anchor on each side, which is placed about forty feet to the westward of each jetty. These stages remain in this state till the water in the river rises again, so as to bring the stages within four feet from the top of the jetty heads; at which time the stages are again moved, and fastened to the jetty heads.

In the interval (which is about seven months) the jetties becoming useless to the bridge, they then have a roof built slightly over them, which is covered with leaves of the date tree, and divisions being made on each side, are let out for coffee-houses, which are very pleasant and airy, commanding a view of the river and the opposite shore. As they are well shaded, they are almost full of company, from early in the morning until late in the evening, so that it is not unusual to see above five hundred people in these coffee houses on each side of the river.

October the 20th was the first day that I could discern the water in the river to increase, and from this day to the 28th, the water rose thirteen inches, and the current seemed to mend its pace.

(To be continued.)