point, or corner, full five hundred miles by land from Bagdad, and near six hundred down the Tigris. The dominions on the Persian side of the Tigris reach northwards one hundred and twenty miles and upwards, to the west upwards of two hundred; in which is included Hamadan, a province of the Lower Armenia, but conquered by the Persians, and which fell into the hands of the Turks when Bagdad was taken by Amurath the Fourth.

His dominions in Persia, eastward from Bagdad, extend along the banks of the Tigris, and inland to the north about one hundred and forty miles: this account I had from the collector of the customs, who appoints sub-collectors in all the towns of Mesopotamia, as well as in that part of Persia above mentioned. The pasha's dominion on the banks of the Euphrates (besides Mesopotamia) reaches west about fifty miles beyond Annah, and and from thence eastward to about thirty miles below Helah. In every town between Annah and Helah there is a custom-house dependent on that of Bagdad, as well as in those towns thirty miles below Helah, which, from west to cast, is above four hundred miles in extent. His dominions reach likewise fifty miles to the east of Bussora, a distance (along the banks of the river) of more than seven hundred miles below Helah, but not twenty inland from the river, as the Arab chiefs are there independent. Indeed the chiefs bordering on the river (quite to Bussora) may properly be called feudatory princes, as they pay a tribute to the pasha of Bagdad for his protection, but have neither Turkish garrisons nor custom-houses in their districts. The duties which are paid by vessels and goods going up or down the river belong to the Arab chiefs, both in Chaldea and Arabia.

The dominions dependent on Bagdad (both in Persia and Mesopotamia) are divided into provinces; viz. three in Pers a, and four in Mesopotamia; over cach of which provinces the pasha (imi

tating the grand signior,) appoints pashas of the second rank, or of two tails, who, in their respective goverments, support the dignity of a pasha; but when they come to Bagdad, must leave their train without the city, and appear in it as private persons. It is the same in Turkey, since no pasha can enter the city of Constantinople (except privately,) if he is appointed to the rank of visier, reis essendi, tufturdar, or any other high office at the Porte, without first resigning the badge of his office as pasha, that is, the horses' tails, when he loses the name of pasha. The grand signior, as a proof of his being sovereign lord over Bagdad and its dependencies, appoints one principal officer, the aga of the janisaries, who is sent from the Porte, and received at Bagdad, and acknowledged as such; he is allowed his usual salary, and is a member of the pasha's privy council, after which, no more notice is taken of him, but he becomes a mere cypher. By virtue of his office, he ought to be governor of the arsenal; but, to prevent that, care is taken that he shall not see the inside of it. The pasha of Bagdad, in imitation of the grand signior, has every subordinate great officer (the grand visier excepted,) that the grand signior has, who are promoted or displaced at his will and pleasure. The person who may be said to be grand visier, (in power, though not by title,) is his kyah, or lieutenant-general.

It happened, during my residence at Bagdad, that one of the great officers, upon some disgust, omitted his usual attendance at the seraglio, under pretence of indisposition, (he being then ninety-five years old,) although a very strong, robust, and handsome man. This man, through his largess and bounty to those in want, had always been, and still continued to be the darling of the people; and so great was his popularity, that upon the death of the late pasha he was, by universal consent, desired to accept the dignity, which he modestly declined, on ac

count

count of his advanced time of life, (as he was then upwards of eighty.) He was then told that they would invest his son with the dignity, if he would give his consent; he declined that honour also, judging him not to be a fit

person.

The present pasha, named Hamet, had been left an orphan under the care of this good old man, and was bred up by him with the tenderness of a father: he chose to embrace a military life, and arrived in that profession to the first honours in the state, unenvied. Him, the old man recommended (in the national assembly convened for the purpose of chusing a pasha ;) and such was the respect paid to his recommendation, that he was appointed about fifteen years since. The pasha was always good and humane, but latterly neglected coming to his council, shutting himself up in the ladies' apartments, where few (except the favourite cunuchs) could get access to him of consequence, things not going on so well as formerly, the old man became disgusted. The pasha, finding himself abandoned by his father, (for so he always called him,) complained to his favourite courtiers, who had long wished the old man dead, from his possessing more than all of them united. These wretched sycophants told the pasha, that they wondered he could not see things in the same light with themselves; but since he did not, it was their duty to acquaint him with what they had hitherto been afraid to mention, which was, that his father intended to dethrone him, and place another in his stead; and that if he had any regard for his own life, he must dispatch the old gentleman and his sons. The pasha, through fear, consented, and invited them to court: they came, and were stabbed by those courtiers, on Sept. the 17th 1774. :

At about six hours distance from the city, on the other side, are the remains of the tower of Babel, or Nimrod's Tower, situated in a vast plain, which is a mere desert. On the 18th

of September I hired ten armed Arabs, and a guide, and rode there in company with Major Knudson, in the East India company's service, Mr Marcad Awed, the Armenian merchant, and a Mr Utrey, a French physician.

I took my tent, provisions, and servants, and arrived about noon, when I pitched my tent near the ruins, where we staid until the 20th, during which time I employed myself in drawing four designs of them, and the other gentlemen in shooting wild pigeons; which are so very plenty, that they shot more than a hundred: they build their nests in many large holes in the building, which I suppose to have been designed to receive the timbers of the scaffolding.

The materials of the little remains of this once-famed tower are unburnt bricks, (now as hard as stone,) which in dimensions are fourteen inches by ten, and nearly five inches thick: there is not any cement between them, either of bitumen or mortar. About the distance of every four feet, from the bottom to the top, are layers of reeds, four inches thick: by digging about ten or twelves inches into one of these, I pulled out, by degrees, a handful of them, which are as firm and sound (excepting their being pressed flat,) as they were when first inserted; which the Jew rabbies at Bagdad tell me, according to a tradition of theirs, is very near four thousand and two hundred years. They all call it Nimrod's Tower, asserting, that in the memory of the oldest Jew now in Bagdad, it does not seem to have diminished. One of the rabbies who told me this, says, that he is a descendant from a family that was brought to Babylon from. Jerusalem at the time of the captivity. I preserved, and brought away those reeds, as likewise a piece of one of the bricks, lying about the plain for two or three miles together, all of the same dimensions, and many of them are frequently carried to Bagdad, to build or repair old buildings.

forth Preses of the meeting, shall proceed to take the votes for the second, third, and so on till the ninth is chosen. The election of Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian, will be conducted in the same manner. The offices of Treasurer and Secretary may be vested in one or two persons, as the meeting may think proper; who, with the Librarian, may be continued at pleasure: Bat three of the Curators must go out, and three others be elected in their place annually. Such outgoings to be regulated by the order of election, of which a record will he kept, and at every succeeding election, the three who are at the head of the list will go out, and three who are newly elected will be added to the foot of the list. The first election will take place at the first general meeting;-the second, on the first Wednesday of January 1806; and every first Wednesday of January thereafter, shall be the anniversary for the general election of office-bearers.

3d January, 13c6. The following addition was made to the above regulation.

When any vacancy takes place in the Curacy by death or resignation, those who are elected to fill up the vacancy shall be added to the foot of the List of Curators in the order of election.

6. The Treasurer shall have the management of the Society's funds, and the Secretary shall have the management of the minutes and correspondence. No salary shall be allowed to either, but both offices shall be purely honorary,

7. The Librarian, who will also be Under Secretary, shall have the maagement of the books of the Library, subject to the Rules for its government; and may, or may not have a salary, as circumstances shall direct.

8. A meeting of the Committee shall be held on the Wednesday previous to each general meeting, when the Treasürer shall lay a state of his transactions before them, for the purpose of being audited and settled, and the balance in his hands ascertained. They will then inform themselves as to the state of the Library, and make out a report thereon, to be laid before the general meet ing. They will also prepare, to be laid before the general meeting, a list of such Books as they would recommend for the use of the Library. And the better to

enable them to prepare this list, every member is invited to lodge with the Librarian, before the Committee meetings take place, a memorandum of such Books, not exceeding five in number, as meet his approbation.

3d January, 186. The first Curator and Secretary shall have power to call a meeting of the Committee as often as they think necessary, of which the Secretary shall give proper notice to all the members the day before such meetings take place; and it shall be incumbent on every member to attend, or to send a written excuse to the satisfaction of the meeting, under the penalty of Two Shillings and Sixpence. But if any member neglect to attend, or to send an excuse for two meetings running, such negligence shall not only subject him to two fines of Two Shillings and Sixpence each, but shall also be considered as a resignation of office; in consequence of which, the Subscribers shall, at the next general meeting, elect another in his place.

9. At each quarterly general meeting, a Report of the proceedings of the Committee shall be laid before the members

for their approbation. The foregoing

list of Books shall also be laid before them, from which they shall make a selection, with any additions they may judge proper, and give orders to the Treasurer which to purchase accordingly:-But it is declared, that no purchase can at any time be made, to a greater extent, than the funds in hand are sufficient to pay.

10.-Unalterable.-The said Library, with all its increase, being the property of the Subscribers, is by them consigned over to the Public, and conveyed in Trust, for the purposes of the Institu tion, to the persons holding the follow ing offices:-The Peers of Parliament, whose ordinary place of family residence is in the county of Lanark-The Member of Parliament for the county of Lanark-The Member of Parliament for the district of boroughs of which Glasgow is one-The Lord Provost, Deau of Guild, and Deacon Convener of the Trades of the City of Glasgow-The Principal of the College of GlasgowThe Moderator for the time of the Presbytery of Glasgow-The SheriffDepute of the county of Lanark, and his Substitute-The Sheriff Clerk of the

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