Sir R. Ker Porter's Travels in 
most ancient caprtals'of the Persian‘eni- 
pire ;-Nebatan« of the Medesyand Sasa 
of Blam, or Snsianas | ‘Besides/from the 
numerous tiversowhich flow througly the 
extensive valleys-of these numerous dis- 
tricts;:this! may: be! esteemed the most 
productive;government in the kingdom’; 
frwitfallcimi every aliment of: life, and 
abundant ino life: itself) by producing 
multitudeszofi warlike tribes, Courdish, 
Bactiari, Fiebly;:&cJowho-are by “turns, 
hosbandimen; soldiers, or robbers. In 
the handsiof sucha princeas Mahmoud 
Ali; ‘these are formidable resources. 
02 DOS ORNTERS2IRAK ‘ARABI. 
'o Kanakee fs said to be a place of consi- 
derable anitiquity> "Tt may, indeed, be 
called ia little town’ its excent occupy- 
itigy tora considerable length, both sides 
of the river, whiclr is bere pretty broad, 
flowing ‘south-west, swith a’ handsome 
bridge: crossing its stream. » Delightful 
gardens’surround tlie:town'; and there, 
for the first time, Ibcheld the date-tree, 
with other treasures: of the’ vegetable 
world: indigenousto Arabia. We are 
mow, infact, entered on the: extensive 
revions ofifrak “Arabi; one of the most 
interesting: portionsoof the globe, and 
which vas also°one of the most fruitful. 
Vtiissso: éallede by ‘the: Persians, in dis- 
tinetion fromTrak Ajem; the wide divi- 
-sionof their.empire to the north-east of 
dhe faristretching Gacros ; and even the 
short distance we had travelled within 
its)botndary) presented'a material dif- 
ferences both tins the character of the 
coumry; and the aspect of its inhabi- 
aants.)(E:have already mentioned the 
variationjinits produce; and the people 
shewedi:as little similarity to the Per- 
sians, as liking to their persons. Jea- 
Jousy of ‘too :near neighbourhood, and 
detestation of their contrary creeds, may, 
perhaps, account forthe Sooneli natives 
of Irak Arabi, treating the Sheah sub- 
jects: of the Great King, withthe same 
absence eforespect) ‘that! the “common 
‘order‘of Turks bestow on Christian’ Eu- 
ropexns, whenever they dare shew) sach 
‘contempt with impunity.) It may notbe 
irrelevant: ‘to!*mention ‘here, that othe 
Soornch+ faith—is' that which’ ‘considers 
Othar’ or Othman, to have ‘been “the 
Jegitimate immediate successor in’ tlie 
caliphate, ior licad of the Mahoredan 
oharel; >to the ‘prophet’ himself ;) and 
this isthe ereed of the Turks or Otto- 
omans;) While» theo Sheah (looks upon 
Omar to: have beenva usurper of | the 
sacred throne; having wrested:it from 
Alt, the son-in-law, and first disciple of 
tlie prophet, and whose attested rizht to 
Georgia, Persia, Armenia, §c. 589 
the siipremacy was sealed with his own 
bl6od and thatofhis son Hossein. The 
Persiaris are of this faith; buttulerant 
to those of a different’ opinions while 
their advérsarics'denounce on them, the 
fiostnnequivocal condemuation. 
“But to Fetura to the beautiw" banks 
of) the °Diala; and * their ‘inhabitawts. 
The dréss ‘of these “people, a mixture 
of Courdish: Arabian; and? Parkish: 
consisting of ‘large flattened turbans, 
lone white. trowsers, and “wide ‘ample- 
sleeved kaftans bound round the waist 
with a piece of linen, or silk of various 
colours, in which’ they’ stick a‘ large 
crooked knife. * Such were the persons 
who appeared from the town, but we did 
notthen enterit, rather taking up our qnar- 
ters in an excellent khaun: the most spa- 
cious, indeed, I had seen on either side 
of the Zagros. Close to it flowed a 
clear stream ; the usual’ object. of our 
idolatry, after one of these hot anid:dusty 
rides. ‘ 
PESTILENTIAL WINDS. 1! | 
Oct. 9.—My people were. still ‘too ill 
to-day to give any signs of speedy amend- 
ment; and in order to while away my anx- 
icty in this untoward detention, I sent for 
the master of the khaun, to: make some 
enquiries respecting the country and its 
inhabitants. He told me; ’ that ‘they 
consider October the first month of their 
autumn, and feel it delightfully cool in 
comparison with July, August; “and 
September; for that; during forty days 
of the {wo first-named Summer months, 
the hot wind blows fron {he désert, and 
its effects are often’ destructive.’ Tts 
title is very appropriate, being” called 
the Samiell or Baude Semoon, ‘the pes- 
tilential wind. It does not come in 
continued long currents, but if gusts at 
different intervals, each blast lasting 
several minutes, and passing along with 
the rapidity of lightning. “No one’ dare 
stir from their houses while! this invisi- 
ble flame is sweeping over the face of 
the country, | Previous t6-its approach, 
the atmosphere’ becomes ‘thick and suf- 
focatine, and; ‘appearing ‘particularly 
dense near the horizon, gives sufficient 
warning of the’ threatened’ mischief. 
Thouh hostile'to humaii life, it'is ‘so far 
from being prejudicial to the vegetable 
creation, that’ a continuance’ of the 
Samicll tends'to' ripen the fruits. I cn- 
quired what becante of the cattle daring 
such a plague;'and’was’told they  scl- 
dom were? touched (by it.’ Tt ‘seems 
strange: that°thei lungs should be so 
perfectly insensiblé to what scems in- 
stant destruction to the breath of an 
