'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.' [‎349] (400/562)

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[ 349 ]
offices of thefe worthy men, we owe our not being reduced to the very ex
tremity ot diftrels; and to the deceit of onr fair,? r- • ,> ,
that we might otherwife have fuffered.-T^/^ is now on thf iCcoverv
Benjamin Jenkins, the night before laft had a fever • f " r J y *
paft Mw Doidge's rheumatilm in the (houlder has been fo troublefome that
0b \ l Zf hlm 5° P A ut r ^ ^to a fling. Mr. Pigot is not well, and 'looks
greatly fatigued. Meflieurs Pye, Alms, and lelf, are pretty well, but have
not yet recovered our loft appetites. y " ave
is a large and well-fortified city, defended by bafiions and tur
rets after the Vurktjh manner. It has about twelve with
The former we are told, were originally Chriftian churches. The houfes
for the mo ft part, are built of a grey moor-ftone. The city, about two
years ago was very populous, its inhabitants amounting to four hundred
thoufand fouls ; but in the laft year, three hundred thouland died, either by
cold or famine. 1 he Chrifttans refiding in the city before this calamity
were reckoned to amount to 26,000, of whom 20,000 died. This account
we had from one of the French miffionaries, a who alfo faid, that
fh e famine, the city contained 60,000 fighting men, but that now
ey are not able to mufter 10,000. He affures us, that the houfes and
Itreets, nay the very were filled with dead, that every part of the
city exhibited a dreadful image of death, and that the furviving inhabi-
tants not only greedily devoured all kinds of beafts, brutes, and reptiles,
but alfo were obliged to feed on human bodies. Yet, in the midft of this
, ene , of . h ° rror i the Grandees of the city had every thing in plenty; for
they had taken care to monopolize vaft quantities of corn, which they fold
out to the other inhabitants at moft extravagant prices, and therebv acquired
for themfelves immenfe fortunes. Corn rofe from two piaftres a meafure
to 50, 60, and even 70 in the fpace of fix months. The father added, that
the very fevere winter of 1756, and the in 1757, were the caufes
of this dreadful vifitation ; for by reafon of the former, there were but few
acres of land fown with corn; and by the latter, the fmall crop they had
was in a great meafure deftroyed. He fpoke of thej'everity of that winter
m terms almoft incredible ; that it was common to fee the people fall down
dead in the ftreets; that he himfelf once on quitting a warm room and
going into the open air, fell down motionlefs, and that his brother in attempt
ing to aflift him, met with the fame fate.
This account of the efie^fs or cold in the city of Diarbekir (which, ac
cording to an obfervation taken by Mr. lies only in 38° 22' north)
feems at firft very iurprizing; but confidering that the place fbands on a
* Our common journal fays, " near 60 towers, and 16 Mofques with ftone Minarets, and one
with a large Dome ; there are no guns mounted on the walls. To the eall is an high hill which
quite overlooks the city, and commands it. The other three fides are open to a fine large
plain, part of which hath this year been fown with corn.'*
rifing