'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎336] (387/562)

[ 336 ]j
At feven in the morning, we got to Nifthin*. It looked pretty at a
diftance, being leated on a confiderable eminence, at the foot of which runs
a river formerly called the Mygdonius, with a rtone-bridge of eleven arche-
built over it. Juft by the river, at the foot of the hill or hills (for the
town is feated upon two) begin the ruins of a once more flourilhing place
which reach quite up to the prefent town. From every part of this place'
the moft delightful profpeds would appear, were but the foil properly cul'
tivated and planted j but inltead of thole extenfive woods of fruit-trees
v/Yiich Rauwolf Ipeaks ot as growing near the place in his time, we could
not difcover above thirty or forty ftraggling ones of any kind ; and inftead
of that great extent of arable land, on which he dwells lb much, a very
inconfiderable number ot acres are now remaining.
This is one of the many towns which fo leverely fuffered by the late fa
mine. It loft almoll all its inhabitants, either by death or defertion. Of
thofe who left it, and furvived, fome begin to return. The ftreets pre-
fented us with many wretches, miferably poor, and more than half-ftarvedj
they now greedily devour the rind of cucumbers, and every other refufe of
food thrown out into the highway. We purchafed at this place, bread,
milk, cucumbeis, and pretty good mutton. The firft article, according to
our lervant Francifco\ information, (who was here about fourteen years
ago) has rifen in price near four thoufand per cent \ at that time, forty
cakes were fold tor one Para, the price of a tingle one at prefent.
The town itfelf is defpicable, the ftreets extremely narrow, and the
houfes, even thofe which are of ftone, arc mean. Our Jga fecured us a ^ood
roorn in one ot the Kauns. The late MuJJelem or governor of Nijibin is
now in irons, by order ot Solyman, Bajha ot Baghdad, for not having taken
proper care m efcorting a meflenger from Stamhcul to Baghdad, who in con-
iequence ot the governor's negled, was rifled by the Sanjacks.
It was agreed between us to difpatch a letter from this place to Mr.
Drummond, our conful at Aleppo. Accordingly Mr. JDoidge wrote one, and
ient it y a Ipecial mefTenger, who upon delivering it in feven days is to
e paid 14 piaftres; but it he fails one day only, he is then to have but
pf lbin ' a TOidIa " d town 35 miles from the Tygris towards Charra, (or
donlut whirK ' ^ c ' ore a v . er y conliderablc city called yf/i/onia Mygdonia, from the river
tfbndedtv i^hy Un . / Romans it was the capital of Mefopotamia proper, wdl
in the tim • nf ^ in ° n fi antiUS s time againft the Perjians, but taken by them afterwards
fraall M1U 1/T\ ian ' u ^ > the feat of a Turkijh Sangiack, Hands on two
but -1 fnrrv t ma 63 ^ ^andiome view at a diflance, but though a pretty large town, has
very fruiffuffi^r' T- I 0 ". 00 /" 6 , in r t0 it ' bein g piti^Hy built. The land about it is
the p-ood fnil CU tlvate ^' ^ufinefs ol the place being altogether agriculture, which
formir affnr 1^ S ^ ^ \ 0 Their 0rchards and corn-fields, efpecially the
foreign mm ? S^ cat P roht: from the pomegranates, figs, cubebs, &c. which they fend to
wild one S .'» R A uw 0 orF raerOUS ^ their fiuit - trees ' tha£ y ou WOuld take them for woods of
^ , > five.