expedition into the Sinjar, not with any hostile intention, but for the purpose of examining the state of the country; which had been ruined by the vexatious extortions, and gratuitous cruelty of the late governor of Mosul. He had previously sent an agent to make an inquiry into the condition of the villages; and a deputation of the inhabitants had returned with him to petition for a diminution of taxes, which the destitute state of the district rendered them unable to pay.

The arrangements of his Excellency, after numerous delays, were at length completed by the 8th October, and three o'clock of that day was declared to be the fortunate hour for leaving the town. The principal inhabitants, with the Cadi and Mufti at their head, were collected in the large square opposite the palace and without the walls, ready to accompany the Pasha, as a mark of respect, some distance from the gates. It was with difficulty that I made my way to the apartments of the governor, through the crowd of irregular troops, and servants, which thronged the courtyard of the Serai. Above, there was no less confusion than below. The at

tendants of his Excellency were hurrying to and fro, laden with every variety of utensil and instrument; some carrying gigantic telescopes, or huge bowls, in leather cases; others labouring under bundles of pipe-sticks, or bending under the weight of calico bags crammed with state documents. The grey-headed Kiayah had inserted his feet into a pair of capacious boots, leaving room enough for almost any number of intruders. Round his fez, and

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the lower part of his face, were wound endless folds of white linen, which gave him the appearance of a patient emerging from a hospital; and he carried furs and cloaks enough to keep out the cold of the frigid The Divan Effendesi, although a man of the pen, strutted about with sword and spurs, followed by clerks and ink-stand bearers. At the door of the harem waited a bevy of Aghas; amongst them the lord of the towel, the lord of the washing-basin, the lord of the cloak, the chief of the coffee-makers, and the chief of the pipe-bearers, the treasurer, and the scalbearer.* At length the Pasha himself appeared; the Cawasses forced the crowd out of the way, and as his Excellency placed his foot in the stirrup, the trumpets sounded as a signal for the procession to move onwards. First came a regiment of infantry, followed by a company of artillery-men with their guns. The trumpeters, and the Pasha's own standard, a mass of green silk drapery, embroidered in gold, with verses from the Koran, succeeded; behind were six led Arab horses, richly caparisoned with coloured saddle-cloths, glittering with gold embroidery. The Pasha himself then appeared, surrounded by the chiefs of the town and the officers of his household. The procession was finished by the irregular cavalry, divided into companies, each headed by its respective commander, and the wild Suiters with their small kettle-drums fastened in front of their saddles.

I was accompanied by my Cawass and my own servants, and rode as it best suited, and amused me, in

*These are all offices in the household of a Turkish Pasha.

different parts of the procession. We reached Hamaydat, a ruined village on the banks of the Tigris, three caravan hours from Mosul, about sun-set. Here we had the first proofs of the commissariat arrangements; for there was neither food for ourselves nor the horses, and we all went supperless to bed.

On the following day, after a ride of six hours through a barren and uninhabited plain, bounded to the east and west by ranges of low limestone hills, we reached a ruined village, built on the summit of an ancient artificial mound, and called Abou Maria. The Aneyza Arabs were known to be out on this side of the Euphrates, and during our march we observed several of their scouts watching our movements. The irregular cavalry frequently rushed off in pursuit ; but the horsemen, turning their fleet mares towards the desert, were soon lost in the distance.

We passed the ruins of three villages. The plain, once thickly inhabited, is now deserted; and the wells, formerly abundant, are filled up. In spring, the Arab tribe of Jehesh frequently encamp near the pools of water supplied by the rains. The remains of buildings, and the traces of former cultivation, prove that at some period, not very remote, others than the roving Bedouins dwelt on these lands; whilst the artificial mounds, scattered over the face of the country, show that long ere the Mussulman invasion, this was one of the flourishing districts of ancient Assyria.

A most abundant spring issues from the foot of the mound of Abou Maria. The water is collected in large, well-built reservoirs. Near them is a mill,

now in ruins, but formerly turned by the stream, within a few yards of its source. Such an ample supply of water, although brackish to the taste, must always have attracted a population in a country where it is scarce. The village, which was deserted, on account of the oppression of Mohammed Pasha, belonged to the Jehesh. Three miles below, on the stream derived from the springs of Abou Maria, is the mud fort and small hamlet of Kessi Kupri, so named from the ruins of a bridge. A party of irregular cavalry, under my old friend Daoud Agha (who, by the way, brought me a load of water-melons and Sinjar figs to celebrate my visit), were then stationed there.

Three hours' ride, still over the desert, brought us to Tel Afer, which we reached suddenly on emerging from a range of low hills. The place had a much more important and flourishing appearance than I could have expected. A very considerable eminence, partly artificial, is crowned by a castle, whose walls. are flanked by numerous towers of various shapes. The town, containing some well-built houses, lies at the foot of the mound, and is partly surrounded by gardens well wooded with the olive, fig, and other fruit trees; beyond this cultivated plot is the broad expanse of the desert. A spring, as abundant as that of Abou Maria, gushes out of a rock beneath the castle, supplies the inhabitants with water, irrigates their gardens, and turns their mills.

Tel Afer was once a town of some importance; it is mentioned by the early Arab geographers, and