The New York herald., 1870-08-20
there In not space in . newspaper letter TO enteS
into the details 0f such matters.


greatiy worth mentioning, except the passage or
rver aud conversation with Turkish school
master. We had crossed several small rivers
before but none Of them too deep to be forded.
Inis one, however. had to be creased in ferry
poa.' nuge shaky, ieaky crazy, fat-bottomed
Doat, WIN the bow towering up some twelve Or
| fifteen feet from the water while the stern was
almost level with the river. They are constructed
tns iaslon so that The horses after entering the
crait should not be scared by seeing water on
both sides OF them The ferry as do all ferries In
this country belonged TO the local Pacha and the
charge Tor transportation is, Of course, very
heavy, when the cheapness Of most other tlipas
In the country ~ taken into accounts quarter OF
dollar for each animal We got over safely,
however, which was great deal more than We
expected. The current carries the hoat across
the men steering with two heavy paddles.
NEWS FROM BOSTON.
We met the schoolmaster just after crossing the
river. He was riding along on spotlessly white
donkey, with red woellcn bride. Always on
the road the Moslem salutations are given, even
to the poorest caravanjee jee-"Salam alakoome,' il
both parties are Mussutuans; 'Marhabah," if one
OF them IA Giaour. We yenurcd of course
only on the latter, and were soon engaged with
him in conversation though we had to push cur
horses hard to keep up with his fast ambling ass.
He soon found cut that had come from India,
and that America wonld be the end OF my pll1
grmage. America" said he. why that is thd
place where the big schools are u He knew even
that there were such places "a New York, Boston,
eredulity when | told hlm that New York wSa
several times az large Boston. He, in fact had
been told he said, exactly the opposite by tho
gentleman who had informed him about
America, and who also himself
BostOnian. Oh, we Bostonians. I. when you find
yourselves in Stanboul or Aleppo. can not you no
content to boast simply OF your big organ and the
| Common and the transcendentalists Why take
from us, the ben GIFTED inha bitants OF Gotham the
sole glory we can hope TO posses q larger popu-
lation and greater store OF material wealthS In
other respects this Arab schcclmas,er's intorma-
ton upon most subjects was strictly correct. lie
| had a very good general idea OF geography; he
knew the relative positions Of the ve continents,
aud had even heard Of Napoleon Bonaparte and
| tie trial by jury. He himself has u school IL
Mosul of fifty youths OF noble family.
| THE PLAIN or sHISAa.
| Mosul have described in another letter there
parted with my companion and went on alone.
| From M0sul the plain of Shinar, thst part OF it,
rather, peopled by the older patriarcha fairly
| commences, and the latest antiquarian discovery
| ii that the ark rested on the mountains which
| form the eastern boundary of the valley. Here
also one begins TO get fairly among the Eastern
| Christians OF tho Chaldean ana HISTORIAN
| churches The Christians and Mussulmans, how.
however, live strictly apart, In ono village the
only faith known is that Of Islam in another that
| of Jesus Christ. For three days after leaving
Mosul noticed nothing worth mentioning, except
O. general Improvement IN the character
| OF the country, which seemsd to be nearly
all under cultivation, whereas titled ground
had been the exception between Bagdad and
| MOsul. The landscape, however. rensined much
the sanie--a rolling plain. absolutely destitute of
| ped mountains that form the Persian frontier.
| General insecurity was still the rule; the people,
for safety are forced to live in villages, most Of
which are situated on little hills sucn ~ have al,
ready described. Their fields are frequently four
Oh five miles from their dwellings,, and they ride
| out TO their labor on their donkeys, fully armed
| with ancient matchlocks aud heavy clubs and
| huge curved daggers.
After leaving little place called Talkejan, we
struck through pass piercing another spur OF the
little town which used ut one time TO DO OF con.
| siderable Importance and which still has On i'm.
posing serial, called LachO. Here the reignng
| caimakum received US with military honors. One
| OF our zabadeers had been sent forward to give
notice Of our coming and when arrived q
double line OF soldiers presented arms in very
civilized aud pleasing fashion. The csima.
kun himself received Us most Hospitality.
wanted bath, and forthwith all the women,
to whom the human Is abandoned during
the afternoon, received orders TO quit, and
soon they could huddle on theiI
clothes, was escorted to the building by guard
of haf a dozen soldiers had q grand dinner,
too, that night, and enjoyed pleasant chat,
through nay dragonan win aa my hosPtabis host
ME over the serrai which, thirty years ago,
! suffered siege at ths hands Oh ibraheem Pacha.
| IL Is large, handsome building, Of smoothly
| bewn stone, built Oh the river bank. The wine
| dows have the well known Saracenic pointed arch
| and some Of the arabesque work over the doors
is exquistcy beautiful.
|
| Two days journey from Zaso brought us In
Jezirch, where We crossed the Tigrs for the last
time, and entered Mesopo.amia Jezireh is now
simply heap Of ruins. but any one interested In
| antiquities could pass some very pleasant days
there. The old wall il built of peculiar kind OF
black stone, hewn out into square, regular blockA
but is now in a very dapidated condt,on. Jezireh
still boasts pacha OF two tails, and the Secre.
tary OF state ID Christian, with great fontnesa
for heavy drinking The river bank ON the west
ern side Il very steep and high, and lately
good road has been constructed uT
to the level of the Mesopo.arnian plain
| by some Polish engineers, boom which seems
| to be fully appreciated. From JeZireh TO Mar
din, four days journey, ! met with nothing o.
| special interest, except that the weather grew
perceptibiy colder, a biting north wind sweeping
| down the plain. at Nursabane, 1--we days jour.
ney from Mardn, the apostle ST. James was
/ tyred, but there are no visible yestlges OF his
| labors or death.
Mardin Is q handsome and iourishllg town,
built OF a browish gray stone, on the side of the
| mountain II has some IL 900 inhabitants, three
| or four humans, good khan, and large and
| prosperous missions, both Catholic and American,
1t is the first place one meets on the road from
| Bagdad which Shews unequlyocal signs OF pros
perty. The American mission numbers threS
clergymen and five ladies, who are meeting with
| very fair and solid success, though the Catholic
| mission is apparently far ioursilng. The
| greater part of the population of Mardin are
Christians and Jews. good road has been
made from Mardin nearly al, the way to Diarbe.
kir, distance of fifty mles. This road, too,
| which used formerly to be one Of the most unsafe
! Ia the country is now perfectly secure. Diaibe.
| kir | shall leave for another letter.
A DANGEROUS MOUNTAIN PASS.
| And now i must hurry briefly through the res
of the journey, this letter is beginning to assume
| gigantic proportions. stayed Ut Diarbekir thre,
days to rest my horses, aud then set out throngi
the mountain pass Of Carabakjs for Urfa. The
| pass filed with snow and the air was btterlf
! cold. Frequently our horses were up to the girthl
| in snow, and just as we lad reached the highest
| point oi the pass we were overtilkcn by vile
storm which at one time threatened 10 be oui
| DEATH But by dint OF steady cHbrt and little
| presence OF mind we managed TO get down into
the plain Many unfortunate travellers have how.
ever, paid with their lives for venturing through
| tlis pass in mid winter.
| UKFA-rHE SOLDIERS OF ABRAHAM.