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He was a Circassian, and, with thousands of his countrymen, had been conscripted for the Turkish army for a period of four years. He wore a long surtout and a high fur cap. His complexion was bright and his features were regular. He was a splendid horseman and an excellent guide. He informed us that the Sultan had forced a large number of his people to emigrate to this section of Mesopotamia, to be a barrier against the Arabs; but the plan had failed, as many of the emigrants had died.

We were now in Mesopotamia, vast, rich, and beautiful. Extending from the fountains of the Khabour about Mardeen and Nisibeen to Birijik, on the Euphra tes, and thence southward, between the Euphrates and Tigris, to Bagdad, it was divided into Upper and Lower Mesopotamia. Since we crossed the Tigris at Feshapoor, our route lay through Upper Mesopotamia, whose fertility is inexhaustible, and whose population is dense and thrifty. From the time we left Deroonah, we had passed on an average a town an hour, and nowhere else had we seen such apparent prosperity. The pastures were rich, the flocks were large and numerous, wheat and barley were abundant, the streams and fountains were frequent, and the water was clear and delicious.

As the shepherds were folding their flocks, and after a ride of eleven hours, we entered the Christian village of Uznaoor. The inhabitants are Jacobite Christians, who have not bowed the knee to Rome, and on the hill in the rear of the town is their little church. We estimated the population at five hundred, and were impressed with the apparent difference between a Christian and a Mohammedan village. In their apparel, their intelligence, their cheerfulness, their thrift, their freedom, their architecture, and comfortable style of living, the Christians are

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