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his own hands, and with an attitude of the greatest humility, a box of presents, containing a rich Cashmeer shawl, some female ornaments, an amber mouth-piece for a Turkish pipe, and other articles, amounting in value to at least fifteen hundred piastres, or fifty pounds sterling. These the brutal despot turned over, with a look of as much indifference as he had assumed from the beginning, and neither deigned to praise them, nor to seem even pleased with the gift. The list of our goods being then read to him, a certain sum was commanded to be affixed to each name, and, to judge from his manner of naming it, the amount of this was entirely arbitrary. The owners of the merchandize were then ordered to pay twenty piastres for each camel-load, fifteen for each hoise or mule, and ten for every ass. The leader of the caravan was to pay a thousand piastres, to be levied by him in any way he thought proper on the persons composing it; the merchants were to give a thousand Spanish dollars for the members of their class; the Mokhodessy, or pilgrims from Jerusalem, were to raise fifteen hundred piastres among themselves, which was a still harder condition than the preceding; and I was condemned to pay one thousand piastres, instead of five thousand, which it was contended would have been demanded of me, if I had not been under the protection of Hadjee Abd-el-Rakhman, who had smoothed his way by his presents to

the chief.

The sums named for the merchandize were instantly agreed to be paid; but the other assessments were not so easily to be obtained; as their amount was not only exorbitant, but the persons named were really unable to raise it. The leader of the caravan reduced his tribute to five hundred piastres, of which he paid the half himself, and raised the other half by subscription. The merchants compromised for two thousand, which was furnished by about ten of the principal ones; and the pilgrims could not raise altogether five hundred piastres, though they formed, in number, nearly two-thirds of the caravan.

The two men who exercised the duty of collectors, and who, being on the look-out on that day, were perhaps interested by a specific share of the prize-money, behaved with the greatest insolence and cruelty. They ransacked the private baggage of such as they suspected to have any thing worth taking, and selected from amongst it whatever they pleased. When they came to mine, I trembled for the result, as, though consisting only of a pair of small khoordj or saddle-bags, and a portmanteau, these contained all that was necessary, not merely for my journey, but for the success of my views in the East. In them were the money with which Mr. Barker had furnished me for my journey, a gold watch, all my Indian letters and papers, which if seen would have made them think me a greater man than they had yet imagined me to be, and induced them to augment their demand; a thermometer, compass, and other instruments, all now crowded, by the advice of the Hadjee, into this small space, to escape observation, from the fear that if seen they would occasion my being taken for a magician, and this idea would be confirmed by their finding among the rest of the things some few medicines, and broken specimens of mineralogy, of which no one would have known or even imagined the use.

I made all the efforts in my power to prevent the portmanteau from being opened, but, whenever I advanced to interfere, I was driven back by blows and insults, until seeing them proceed to loosen the straps, I entreated the Hadjee to intercede for me, saying, that it had cost me much trouble to get the things there into a small space, and begging that they might not be ransacked. The motive was suspected, and occasion was taken of it to say, that if I chose to pay the thousand piastres demanded of me, nothing should be disturbed. I had before declared, that I had no more money with me than the few piastres shown to them in my purse, and said that, as I was poor, I hoped to get along by the help of the faithful, and by such sum as should be produced by the sale of my horse at the journey's end. All the money that I had, indeed, except these few piastres, which were necessary for the current wants of the road, was really within the khoordj, the greater amount being in a bill on a merchant of Bagdad, and the remainder in gold coin, carefully secured, and I could not pay it, if disposed to do so, without opening this package. I was allowed a moment to consult with the Hadjee, to whom I stated my wish rather to accede to these terms, hard as they were, than to have my baggage opened, which might perhaps lead to still worse consequences, as in it money would be found, which would betray my having deceived them, and other articles of still greater value, which would be, perhaps, taken from me altogether. He then, after fruitless efforts to reduce it lower, agreed to pay the sum required, on condition that my effects should not be disturbed; and it was of course understood, that I was to return this sum to him either on the road, or on our arrival at Mardin,

After the duty of exacting and paying the tribute, the travellers were commanded to go up to the camp to supper.

We found in this tent two persons, superior even to the chief who had visited us below. These were seated on fine divans, tolling on rich cushions; and one of them, a corpulent man, with a long white beard, was dressed in silk cloths and furs, with a high cap, of a kind between that of a Delhi and a Tatar. We knelt humbly around on the earth, and were barked at by large dogs, stared at by dirty and ill-dressed children, and eyed by the women from the openings in the partitions of the tent; the whole presenting a greater mixture of the rudeness of Arab manners with the luxurious indolence of the Turkish, than I had ever before seen.

Supper was served almost instantly after the first cup of coffee had been taken. This consisted of a whole sheep, two lambs, and two kids; the former set before us with its limbs unsevered, the four latter in separate dishes of a large size, cut into pieces, and boiled with wheat in the husk. We had warm bread, and an abundance of lebben or sour milk, for which last only spoons were used, the boiled wheat being eaten by handfuls. The whole was despatched with the haste of beasts devouring their prey, and fearing to lose it by delay; and as every one, after washing his hands and mouth, poured out the water on the ground before him, without using a towel or a basin, the whole space within the tent was speedily inundated. The earth at length, however, absorbed it; but so rudely was every thing done amidst this abundance, and even luxury, that hands and faces were wiped in the sleeves of shirts, or skirts of cloaks, or else left to dry in the air. Coffee was again served, and as the sun was declining we prepared to return.

We were detained, however, by an affray that was likely to have proved fatal to many, and did indeed end in the wounding a considerable number on each side, of the combatants. During the supposed moment of security, while we sat beneath the tent of the chief, we observed a party of Turcoman horse, belonging, it was afterwards said, to another tribe, passing through the camp, leading with them several camels and their lading, taken from our caravan. Immediately, the whole camp became a scene of warfare. Our legitimate pillagers, roused with indignation at the interference of other intruders on their sacred ground, rushed to horse and to arms. All the members of the caravan who had come up here by command, some mounted, and some on foot, rushed out to join them. A battle ensued: the horsemen, with their spears and sword, the men on foot with their muskets, pistols, and daggers, were previously engaged, hand to hand. Many were run through and through, with the long lances of the cavaliers, and afterwards trampled under their horses' hoofs; several others were wounded with sabre cuts, and still more had severe contusions and bruises. All were hotly engaged, at close quarters, for half an hour at least, and it fell to my lot to come into grappling contact with three individuals in succession, neither of whom escaped unhurt from the struggle. It ended, however, in victory declaring on our side, in the recovery of the plundered property, and the chasing the intruders from the camp. It was faint twilight when this contest ended, and as it was desirable to get to our tents before it became dark, those who had ridden up to the camp, mounted the same horses to go back; but as I was on foot, a saddled mare was presented to me. I declined to ride, and begged to be permitted to walk. It was answered, that it would be a great breach of politeness to suffer one like me to depart from the tent of the chief on foot, and, in short, my riding was insisted on. I was obliged to yield; and, when mounting, my sword, which after the affray I had still continued to conceal, as before, was, as I expected, discovered. As the people of the country never see arms of any kind without examining them, it was in vain to resist their inspection of this. I was accordingly taken in to the sheikh, who expressed himself pleased with it. He asked how much it had cost me: I was afraid to say any sum; because, if I told him justly, he would have concluded that I was rich; if I stated its value at a low estimate, he would have excused himself for taking it from me as a thing of little value. I therefore said it had been given to me by a friend whom I respected; and added, that I valued it so highly on that account, that I would suffer my life to be taken from me rather than part with it. This was uttered in a very determined tone, as the only method which presented itself to my mind, of escaping from extortion. It had, in part, the desired effect; but to compensate to the sheikh for his relinquishing all further claim to it, on account of the motive of my estimating it so highly, I was obliged to give him another sword, belonging to the nephew of my host, for which I engaged to pay this young man two hundred and fifty piastres, or return him one of equal value at Mardin.

After being thus literally fleeced, we returned to our camp, fatigued as much by the vexations of the day, as by the privation of our usual noon-sleep, and the bustle we had undergone in the mid-day sun.

Chapter VIII. From the Arab camp at El Mazar to Mardin.-In this route they arrive among the Koords, a peculiar people, boasting of no very high character in the East. This is Mr. Buckingham's sketch of a Koord.

In our way we had seen some of these koords from the northern hills, or those called generally Jebel Mardin, and the dress of these was nearly that of the Bedouin Arabs, the chief garments being a long and ample shirt, and an outer goombaz or caftan, of coarse white cotton cloth. The girdle of the waist was of thick leather, tightly buckled on. On the head, instead of the kaffeah, was worn a small red tarboosh, bound round by a thin blue cotton handkerchief. They wore also a white cloak of coarse and open serge, which, being thrown over their head and shoulders, sheltered them from the sun in the heat of the day, and served for a sufficient covering at night, in a climate where we had yet found no dews, and where the atmosphere after sunset was mild and agreeable in the extreme. Their arms were merely a sword and shield. The sword was slung by a belt, depending from the broad zennar, or girdle, with its edge downwards, in the European fashion, and not with the curve of the blade turned upwards, after the manner of the Arabs and Turks. The shield was formed of a semi-globular piece of brass, with carved devices in the centre; and this surrounded by a broad fringe of black silk, which waved in the air, the outer part being made of a close basket-work of coloured reeds, and the whole forming a handsome appendage to the wearer.

As these koords walked beside our caravan, singing and driving their cattle before them, with their shields slung over their shoulders, their loose robes and light cloaks blown out by the storm, and thus trudging along, with their naked and brawny legs covered about the ancle only with sandals of thongs, they formed an interesting group, and in the hands of a skilful artist would have furnished an admirable subject for a picture of costume.

Chapter IX. Contains the entry into, and stay at Mardin.-Mr. Buckingham does not enter Mardin immediately, but turns aside to the east of the town to visit the Syrian patriarch, at his convent.

On our arrival at the convent, my letter procured me a favourable reception from the patriarch, who was a handsome and polite young man, and had been advanced unusually early to the dignity he enjoyed, as he was but little beyond thirty years of age. Our evening was passed in a large party, consisting chiefly of pilgrims belonging to Mardin, who had returned from Jerusalem, and had come from Aleppo in their own caravan. The supper served to them consisted of the choicest dishes; and not less than twenty jars of arrack were drank by about as many persons, all of them, too, before the meal, as a stimulant, and not a single cup after it. The party was continued until a late hour, and our enjoyment was then terminated by the delicious luxury of clean linen and a clean bed.

These convents appear to be very singular institutions-the priests, who inhabit this one, which is called Deer Zafferany, consist of three orders the patriarch, six matrans, and twelve catzces; the catzees are permitted to marry, and they and their wives and children all live in the convent together.

The population of Mardin is about twenty thousand two-thirds are Mahommedans, and the remainder Jews and Christians Mardin is built chiefly on the side of a lofty hill, and the houses rise in ranges above each other, like the seats of a Roman theatre.

Near Mardin the caravan remains so long, that Mr. Buckingham, disgusted with the delay, determines upon leaving it; and on going to Diarbekr to find, if he could, Tartars or government messengers, under whose protection he might proceed at a more rapid rate. Diarbekr

is the seat of government, and the chief central town in the passage from Constantinople to Bagdad.

Chapter X. Journey from Mardin to Diarbekr.-This journey is considered particularly dangerous-the robberies are constant, and the inhabitants by the way notorious thieves. In the character of guide and protector, Mr. Buckingham hired, as his companion, a man named Hassein, one of the most notorious robbers among the koord horsemen. Hassein's habitation was on the road-here they alighted at sun-set, and Mr. Buckingham was taken to visit his chief. In the true spirit of the country, says Mr. Buckingham, the aga first exacted an arbitrary contribution, as à tribute to his local authority, and then entertained me with the liberality of a friend of long standing. By sun-set next day the travellers saw the Tigris-the next morning the travellers cross the river, and arrive at Diarbekr.

The aspect of Diarbekr, at this first view, is that of a walled and fortified city, seated on a commanding eminence, appearing to be strongly defended by its position as well as its works without, and splendid, and wearing an air of great stateliness and opulence, in its mosques and towers within. The country amid which it is seated, is every where fertile and productive. Lofty mountains in the distance, while looking eastwards toward Koordistan, give an outline of great grandeur; in that direction, gar dens and bridges, and pleasant summer-houses, seen nearer at hand, add softer beauties to the scene; while the passage of the Tigris, at the foot of the hill on which the town is seated, offers a combination of picturesque beauty, agricultural wealth, domestic convenience, and rural enjoyment.

After passing the Tigris a second time, we went up a steep road on the side of the hill, having gardens below us on our right, and extensive cemeteries, in more abrupt valleys, on our left, till we approached the gate called, by the Turks, Mardin Kaupusee, and by the Arabs, Bab el Mardin, from its being the gate leading to and from

that town.

Chapters XI. and XII. contain a description of Diarbekr and a the journey back to Mardin, Dara, and Nisibis.-Diarbekr is a very considerable town and the population is estimated at fifty thousand at least. There are upwards of twenty baths in the town, and about fifteen khans or caravanserais.

The Khan Hassan Pasha is particularly fine, and superior to any of those at Orfah. In its lower court, the corn-market is usually held. Its magazines, within the piazza, which runs around this, are generally filled with goods. In the upper galleries are carried on several trades and manufactures. The rooms around form the lodgings of the travellers who halt here; and above all is an upper story, with apartments for the harems or families of t' se who may sojourn here, with kitchens, fire-places, and other domestic conveniences.

Diarbekr seems to be in the enjoyment of considerable wealth and some little commerce.

The bazars are not so regularly laid out, or so well covered in, as in the large towns of Turkey generally. They are narrow, often crooked, and mostly roofed over with wood. They are, however, well supplied with goods of all descriptions that are in request here, and during the regular hours of business, are thronged with people. The manufactures of the town are chiefly silk and cotton stuffs, similar to those made at Damascus ; printed muslin shawls and handkerchiefs, morocco leather in skins of all colours, smith's work in hardware, and pipes for smoking made of the jasmin branch, covered with muslin and embroidered with gold and silver thread. There are thought to be no less than fifteen hundred looms employed in weaving of stuffs; about five hundred printers of cotton, who perform their labours in the Khan Hassan Pasha, after the same manner as before described at Orfah; three hundred manufacturers of leather in the skin, besides those who work it into shoes, sadlery, and other branches of its consumption; a hundred smiths; and a hundred and fifty makers of ornamented pipe-stems only, besides those who make the clay balls, amber mouth-pieces, &c.

The cloths consumed here are obtained from Europe, through Aleppo, as well as most of the glass ware, which is German; and fine muslins, Cashmere-shawls, spices, and drugs, come to them from India, through Bagdad, but most of the articles of domestic necessity can be procured in the place from its own resources, as every species of fruit and provisions are abundant and cheap, and the common manufactures of the town are sufficient to supply the wants of the great mass of the population.

The present governor of the Pashalick and city of Diarbekr, whose name is Kullendar Pasha, has the dignity of three tails, and is therefore immediately dependent on the Sublime Porte only, without acknowledging any intermediate chief. His force within the city is said to consist of about a thousand soldiers, of whom more than half are Turkish cavalry, and the remainder Turkish and Albanian foot. In the remote part of his territory, however, there are always petty chiefs, both among the Turks and the Koords, who, in case of need, do him military service with their followers, on condition of certain privileges and exceptions granted them in return. Even among the people here, in the heart of the Turkish empire, where despotism is so familiar to all, the government of Kullendar Pasha is thought to be severe; though, judging from external appearances, there are few towns in which there seem to be more of personal liberty, competence, and comfort among all classes of people.

Mr. Buckingham was disappointed in finding here any government messenger, and determined upon returning. His guide, however, had been seized for a debt; Mr. B. himself and his horse were likewise detained on the complaint of his guide's creditor, and it was with difficulty that he got out of the town. He set off on his dangerous journey without a guide, and appears to have galloped away until his journey was ended by his arrival at Mardin. Here he found that the caravan had departed. In his endeavours to overtake it, Mr. B. is himself overtaken by two Tatars, on their way from Constantinople to Bagdad.

At Nisibeen Mr. Buckingham and his companions found the caravan employed as usual in resisting the exorbitant demands of a chief in extorting tribute, and in paying some mitigated sum. Nisibis was anciently one of the most important places in Mesopotamia; it is now fallen into great decline, it contains scarcely more than three hundred families of Arabs and Koords; in 1173 it contained no less than a thousand Jews-now there are none.

Chapter XIII. describes the journey from Nisibeen across the plain of Sinjar. No sooner had the caravan encamped at the end of the first day's journey, than a body of fifty horsemen, "all mounted on beautiful animals, and armed with long lances," poured down upon it. "There were among this party two little boys, not more than ten years old, who rode with as much firmness and ease, ald wielded their lances, and discharged their pistols with as much dexterity as any of the rest, and had, if possible, more boldness in their behaviour to strangers." These were followers of the most powerful chief between Orfah and Mousul, who is said to have under his orders twenty thou sand horse. They did not leave the encampment till they received 1257. in coin, and had pilfered every thing to which they took a fancy. Over the remaining part of the plain the caravan adopted the expedient of hiring an escort from the sheikh of a tribe near the place of their encampment. The guards kept the members of the caravan awake all night by their incessant shouts; sometimes their alarm was well founded, and nothing but a general muster and display of their force kept off the assailants.

Chapter XIV. carries the traveller from the plain of Sinjar, by Romoila to Mousul-During this journey the caravan was afflicted with a dreadful drought. Its arrival at water gives rise to a most APRIL, 1827.

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