244 
BAGDAD. 
feeble to move fast, narrowly escaped being ridden over ; while 
spots on the way-side were covered with crawling kittens just 
ejected from the nearest houses, and in other places, whole 
litters of them lay on dust-heaps stretched by their dead mothers. 
These sights a little disenchanted my imagination, respecting 
the scenes which had once animated such avenues to the palace 
of Haroun-al-Raschid. 
The outward fashion of the houses, bore an aspect new to me 
in the East. They are built in different stories, with window 
openings thickly latticed ; which style giving them a European 
appearance, I felt a kind of welcoming old-acquaintanceship 
in looking at them ; that, perhaps, made me prefer their height 
before the low Asiatic dwellings I had left in Persia. In pro¬ 
ceeding to Mr. Rich’s house, the point whither we were moving, 
we crossed through part of the great bazar. It was crowded 
with people, and displayed every kind of Asiatic commodity 
for traffic. Numberless coffee-houses, intermingled with shops, 
were ranged on each side ; all of which were well-stored 
with silent and smoking guests, seated in rows like so many 
painted automatons. There was a rustling sound of slippered 
feet, and silken garments, and a low monotonous hum from 
so numerous a hive ; but nothing like the brisk, abrupt move¬ 
ments, and clamorous noises of a Persian assemblage of the 
same sort. Yet, as all present were not of the taciturn na¬ 
tion ; Jews, Armenians, and even some of the great king’s 
subjects, mingling in the exchange of commerce ; at times the 
swell of human voices augmented a little; but take it in 
general, had the mysterious crier who called the enchanted 
merchandise of the fairy Parabonoo, then appeared amongst 
them, his sonorous proclamation would have been audiblv 
