62 
Trmjels into the aut. 
Part Ii; 
Next you find a Bridge of about forty Boats, on which they crofsinto Melcp- 
tamia^ where there is a Town alfo, or rather a Suburbs of Bagdad \ but the 
Houfes of it are ill built. Every night they undo that Bridge. 
It requires at leaft two hours to make the round of Bagdad^ which is not 
very ftrong on the Land ilde. There are fair Bazars and lovely Bagnio's in 
this Town, built by the Ferfians ; and generally all that is goodly in it hath 
been built by them. It is but ill peopled, confidering the bignefs of the place, 
and indeed, it is not compactly built, for there are a great many empty places 
in it, where there's not one Soul to be found ; and, except the Bazaars, (where 
there is always a great confluence of people,) the relt looks like a Defart. 
• The Soldiers here are very licentious, and commit all imaginable Infblencie?, 
• their Officers not daring (carcely to punifh them. Some weeks before I arri- 
ved there, they had put the Bafha to death by poylbn, becaufe of his Ty- 
rannies, and, , it was raid,j the Aga had a fhare in it, though he kept not his 
bed, but was in a languilhing condition. Befides the Turkifli Militia, there 
are a great many Chriftians in the Grand-Signior's Pay, to fight againft the 
Arab s J when they are commanded. 
It is very hot in this Town, and that's the reafon the people fleep upon the 
Tlie degrees. TerralTes. The eighteenth oï Augufi at noon, the heat was at the thirty Çq- 
ofheatat JS.fj- venth degree by my Thermomètre, and neverthelefs it blew a cool breeze of 
wind. ThoCafuchms, (to whom I went as foon as I entred Bagdad J very 
charitably pradife Phyfick there. 
The witer of Oppofite to Bagdad the Tygris is very broad, the water whereof they 
iheTygris. draw, and put into great Jars of Clay that is not burntj and through 
thefè Jars the water tranfpires and percolates into an earthen VeflTel under- 
neath, in the fame manner as at Aleppo ; they call this River Chaz^-Bagdad^ 
that's to fay, the River of Bagdad ; but wanting skill to make Water-mills 
upon it, they are forced to grind all their Corn with Horfe-mills or Hand- 
mil's. 
Mfopotdnua. Me[o^otamia is very defart, every thing being ruined there by the Ty- 
ranny of the Turks; but the places that are inhabited are well peopled. It 
bears few or no Trees, unlefs it be Liquorice, of which there is plenty eve- 
ry where. 
Oyi o^Ndph- They burn at Bagdad more of the Oyl of Naphta than Candles, and it is 
f't- got fomewhere in thofe Quarters. They have Carrier-Pigeons of a better 
Carrier Pige- j^jjij than in any other place. 
An' erreur in "^"^ ^^'^ ^^^^ notice of aconfiderable miftake in all Maps, where Bag- 
Geograpiiy a- ^'^^ placed a great way below the confluent of the two Rivers of Euphrates 
bourthe con- and T)gris, though it be certain that they joyn not but at ten or twelve days 
fluent of T>gr« Journey below Bagdad, in the furthermoft part of Dgez^ri : It is true, that in 
and Etiphra- the Winter time, when thefe two Rivers break out, they joyn at Bagdad, but 
that happens not every year. About eight or nine days Journey below 
Bagdad , there is a Canal made , which goes from Euphrates to the 
Tygris. 
Immediately after I arrived in this Town, a Caravan offering for Ramadan 
fff thTT"*^- '^^ ^^^fi^i i bargained with aChriftian, and gave himfèven I'lafres for every 
ncy ]mmBxi- ^^^^^ Carriage, and paid nine and twenty Tiafires Rjals, for three Horfes 
dadioHunia- that I had occafion for, for my own ufe, and a fourth for Monfieur Jacob, a 
ddu. Watch-maker, who travelled the fame way ; for which the Chriftian was to 
defray all Caffares and Cuftoms as far as Hamadan ; for all things generally- 
pay Cuftom, and that without any regard to the value, but only the weight. 
The na.T^es The ordinary rate is feven Fiafires Ryals for twenty three Tatmans ; a Batman 
<ind value of n\2ktsi\\xtQ Rottles oi Aleppo, 01 0(\ms and three Ounces. T)\t AbajJiXs 
weights and worth there VNoChais and a half; the Biaftre Ryal is worth eight Chais,znd 
^P^i^^re /ibijfi ^ach C/>^i five Paras, 3.nd the Fara four Afpres, which are all pieces of Silver ; 
Chais. Para. ' Bcqudk is worth fèven Chais ; thcTurkiJh Cheqmn is worth eighteen Chais, 
/îfpre.Boriuelle. and the Venetian nineteen. 
Turl^iP} Che- That Caravan confifted of threefcore and ten or fourfcore men, all bold 
Verw 'an Cle '^arlefs Blades, for they had but one Piftol and feme few Shables amcngft 
erietian :e- ^-^^^^^ . ^j^j ^-^qw that it was not the number they relied upon, they 
commonly divided, and marched feparately at fome dillance from one ano- 
ther. 
