Part IL travels into the Levant, 
made for a Communication betwixt the R iver of Schat-El-Jarab^ and the Caron : 
there is good Land on eachiideof that Canal, but it is not Cultivated, and bears 
only plenty of Date-Trees. The Canal makes many turnings, it is very deep, and 
our Men (hoved the Bark forwards with Poles. Three quarters of an hour after" 
Noon, we faw a Canal to the Right Hand, which lofes it (elf in the Fields -, and a 
litOe after, another to the Left, that runs into the Caron near io Kont-Mnmthl^ as I 
laid before \ and then our Men went on (hoar to Towe us. There the Canal oïHajfar 
grows very broad, and at the end is above feven or eight Fathom over. About four 
a Clock we faw a Canal that fpends it felf in the Fields. Half an hour after ,we paffed 
betwixt two fquare Caftles, each of which have a Tower at every Angle, and one 
in the middle of each fidei they are called Kout-Haff^r\ becaufe they lye at the K^iit-Hafar, 
end of che Canal Haffar that has its mouth to the Sontb : it is about fix French 
Leagues from thence to BaJJora , and about twelve to the Sea. We then en- 
tered into the River made up of the Tygris and Euphrates joyned into one i the ' 
Arabs call it Schat-El-Aarab, that is to fay, the River of Aarabs. We turned - 
then to the Right Hand, and ftood away North-JVeji^ having to our Left the Ifle 
DgezirakcCbader^ and feeing we had a breeze of Wind from the South wefpread Dgtzira^-Chk' 
our Sail. Half an hour after five in the Evening, we faw to our Left the end of 
the Ifle called Vgezirak-Chader^ which reaches from the Canal by which they go to 
Bahrem, to the mouth of Schat-El- Aarab i there are Palm- Trees i yet their Soil is 
not good, but from the Canal of Babrem, till over againft, or a little above the 
Canal H(2j^jr: for from thence to the Sea, the Land is barren, perhaps becaufe it 
being very low the Sea overflows it at high water. Next to the Iflle Chader we faw 
on our Left Hand the Canal, by which they go to Port Calif and Bahrem ■■> it runs 
towards the Sontb^ and pafles betwixt the Ifle Cbader and the main Land of Baf- 
fera i it is very broad, and has above eight Fathom water i but there are great 
ftones infome places of it. From thence to Bajfora the River is above twice and 
a half as broad as the Seine is at Paris^ and yet is very deep all over. Three quar- 
ters after fix we faw on our Right Hand the beginning of a long Ifland called 
Dgeztrat-el-Bouarin ; and a little after, we had on the fame hand, the Ifle El-Bochafi^znd ^i^l^f^^-ii- 
not long after, the \i[&,El-Fayadi, to the Left Hand. Thefe are all great Iflands, ^JXJk 
full of Palm-Trees, and neverthelefs the Channel is every where very deep and El-Fayadi. 
broad. The Wind flackened fo at this place, that we fcarcely made any way at 
all : however we drew near to the flioar on the Left Hand or Wejl fide i and about 
half an hour after eight, our Men took their Oars, and Rowed till three quarters 
after ten at night, when we ftopt clofe by the flioar before a Caflle of the Bafljas that 
feems to be very lovely i it has many Pavillions all made into Windows and Por- 
ticos for taking the frefh Air in the Summer-time -, and indeed, thefe Caflles are 
only for pleafare, for they could make no great defence. 
We parted from that place Saturday the feventeenth of October^ at fix a Clock 
in the Morning : half an hour after, we entered into a Canal to the Left Hand, 
which runs South-JVe(i h we had on our Left Hand a very fpacious Caftle, pretty 
entire on the fide of the Canal, but all ruinous towards the Sea- fide. This Canal at 
high water, is as broad as one half of the Seine, but when the Tide is out, it 
is but a forry ferook full of Mud. The Town of Bajfora lies on the two fides 
of this Canal, though along the fides of it, there be nothing to be feen but 
Gardens, the Houfes being backwards, Wc came along that Canal, till eight a 
Clock in the Morning, when we arrived at the Cuftom-Houfe, which is al- 
moft at the bottom of it •, and having had our Goods viewed, we went to Lodge 
with the Reverend Fathers the bare-footed Carmelites , which is not far di- 
iianti at that time there was but one Religious Italian there, called Father Arrival at s^f 
Severin, f'"'"' 
With a good Wind they come often from Bender-Kik^ to Bajfora in a days time, ^[^^ Bender- 
though fometiraes it makes a Voyage of three weeks. We found no preparations Bajfora 
for War at Bajfora i only the Bajha of the place finding that the Bajha of Bagdad ' 
fuffered no Bark to come to Bajfora^ laid an Embargo alfo upon all VefTels that 
were at Bajfora loaded with Goods for Bagdad. They had other falfe News at that p'^*^ ^^^^ 
time at Bajfora, to wit, that the King of Perfia was coming to Befiege it, and ^^'^'^^^ 
fome people of Falhion asked me the News at the Cuftom Houfe » but I put them 
out of trouble as to that, afluring them that in Perfta there was no appearance that 
îhe King had any thoughts of making War, which was true enough. They then 
X 2 told: 
