^^2 RAWLINSON ON MOHAM'RAH. [May U, 1857. 



to believe that Greeks would thrive with the thermometer at 130° in the 

 shade ? 



Sib H. Rawlinson replied that the Greek settlement at the mouth of the 

 Euphrates was a well known historical fact. Alexander not only planted a 

 colony at the head of the Delta, but he gave to the surrounding tract of 

 country the name of Pellseum, after his native village Pella, in Macedonia. 

 He presumed the object to have been one of national glory rather than a mere 

 consideration for the comfort of the Greek soldiers ; Alexander cared little 

 perhaps whether the settlement throve or not, but that he did fix a colony in the 

 vicinity of the modern town of Moham'rah was certain. We had further the 

 evidence of the coins, struck in Characene with Greek legends and Greek 

 dates, to prove that the colony must have continued, under Arab or Partho- 

 Arab kings, to exist at the mouth of the Euphrates for several hundred years. 

 As to the doubt expressed whether Greek colonies could thrive in the great 

 heat of that country, he could not help referring to the remarkable case 

 of Seleucia, where the heat must have been fully equal to that of Moham'rah, 

 the town being situated on the upper part of the Tigris, about 20 miles below 

 Baghdad, but which, nevertheless, contained a Greek population of 100,000 

 souls, among whom Greek arts and literature were cultivated almost as 

 ardently as in Europe. Some of the most interesting descriptions that we 

 possessed of Greek society occurred in Plutarch's notice of Seleucia, under the 

 Parthians (after the defeat of Crassus), with reference to the acting of the 

 plays of Euripides in that city before an audience composed of Greeks and 

 Parthians. It was well known indeed that the Greek cities of the East flourished 

 quite irrespective of climate or of European comforts. He supposed that the 

 Greeks did deteriorate, as Englishmen also deteriorated in India. But whilst 

 we had an Indian empire, administered by resident Englishmen, we need not 

 wonder at the establishment and maintenance of Greek colonies in the countries 

 situated on the Tigris and Euphrates. 



Mr. Montgomery Martin, f.r.g.s., said it would be interesting to know 

 the declination of the country from Moham'rah to the northward ? what was 

 the nature of the soil, as regarded its salubrity ? and how far Sir Henry Piaw- 

 linson thought our gallant soldiers would be able to sustain four or five 

 months' residence in that country, without the loss that would arise from the 

 extreme heat? Because the extreme heat was not always destructive of life. 

 When he was at Aden, where the heat was intense, the mortality in the 1 7th 

 was only 3 per cent. 



Sir Henry Rawlinson could only make a few general remarks upon the 

 sanatory question, because he had not examined the country between Mo- 

 ham'rah and the mountains with that especial view. He only knew the 

 sanatory effects practically and from general observation. Near the sea there 

 was an extensive marshy region, where the climate was most deadly, oMnng to 

 the malaria which was engendered, he supposed, by the constant decomposition 

 of vegetable matter in a tropical sun. But when this marshy region was once 

 passed, the country was perfectly dry, the rivers remaining in deep beds in 

 their course, and never flooding the adjacent lands. No rain fell except in 

 the spring, at which period the whole country was covered with a most 

 luxuriant and wholesome vegetation, principally rich, thick grass, which he 

 had no doubt would be mowed by our troops and turned into serviceable hay. 

 In April and May the grass on the banks of the Kerkha and Shawer rivers was 

 so thick that it was difficult to force a horse through it ; and such was the case 

 all the way up to Shuster and Dizful. There was comparatively little irriga- 

 tion in the plains of Susiana. The desert was chiefly watered by the rains of 

 heaven. All this country was, of course, originally formed by alluvium, that 

 is, by detritus from the mountains. The rise from the sea to Shuster, near 

 the foot of the hills, was probably 1^ foot per mile, so that the base of 



