ROUTE TO COURDISTAN. 
427 
not more than 50 yards ; but it increased as we advanced, and 
often shewed low sand-banks breaking the surface of the water. 
The left shore of the river has always appeared to me much 
higher than the right; but here, and for a considerable way up, 
I found it from 50 to 60 feet above the stream. The Euphrates 
is more elevated than the Tigris, from far beyond Felugia up¬ 
wards, and downwards to nearly its junction with the Tigris; 
hence the inundation pours in such floods from the former river. 
At this stage of our march we found numerous plantations of 
date-trees, and the ground much cut up with ditch-like canals, 
for the purpose of irrigation. The horizon, to the west, pre¬ 
sented the top of a high dark object opposed to the pale golden 
hue of the descending sun. From its shape and situation, I 
supposed it to be the Tepesse of Akarkouff, and thence took 
my last look of the plains of Shinar. At sun-set we reached 
the village of Howish, our halting-place, having been on horse¬ 
back exactly six hours, by which I compute the distance from 
Bagdad to be nearly 24 miles. The village is situated in the 
heart of a wood; from which circumstance I could not take the 
declension of the sun with the accuracy I wished, but as near 
as I could ascertain, just as it touched the branches of the trees, 
it bore S. 75° W. By my watch, at that time, it wanted three 
minutes of five o’clock. 
This place, and its neighbouring village, Dokala, the more 
common menzil, are inhabited by a kind of mongrel race, 
neither Turk nor Arab, but abundantly skilled in turning every 
object around them to profit. Here, for the first time, I tasted 
a strong liquor distilled from the palm. This, they told me, 
they extracted in quantities from the rich groves by which they 
are surrounded; vinegar also, and a sort of pithy cake, of 
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