'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎303] (370/905)

CHAP. XIV.]
'OSMANJIK AND MERZIVAN.
303
the Halys on the west; and the river Euphrates as its eastern
boundary. In addition to the affluents of these two abundant Slvas district,
rivers, the greater part of the territory is watered by the two
principal branches of the Char-Shambah, which have already
been noticed.
The extensive pashalik of Sivas has Mount Taurus towards
the north; the Anti-Taurus traverses its centre from S.E.
to N.W. ; and an offset of the latter, which runs northward
of Mount Arjish, skirts the eastern side of the Halys.
These ranges give to the district of Slvas a very diversified
surface, which is now chiefly occupied by the flocks of the
Kurds and Turkomans; although, in general, like the fertile
Gadolinitis at its north-western extremity, 1 it is admirably
adapted for the most productive cultivation.
In the latter portion of the province is Bafra, a town with Towns of Bafra,
two mosques, a fine bridge, and about 700 houses on the
right bank, at about 10 miles from the estuary of the Halys ;
and towards the interior is Vezir Kopri (formerly the Kedi
Kal'ah, or Ghedakara 2 of the Turks), a town containing
about 1070 houses. 3 Lastly, we have 'Osmanjik, the ancient 'Osmanjik,
Otressa, a bustling post town of about 300 houses, with a
proportion of khans and mosques, and a noble bridge of 13
arches over the Halys ; besides a castle, which, from the
summit of an isolated rock, commands a view of the whole. 4
A little way southward of this early station of the Osmanli
conquerors is Churum, a town having a castle, 16 mosques, and churum.
several khans and baths, and nearly 2000 houses. It is now
governed by an A'yan, under whom are also the towns of
Saz, Haji-Hamzah, Iskelib, Kasar, and 'Osmanjik. About 22
miles eastward of the latter is the district of Merzivan, which
contains mines of silver, copper, and salt; also a town of the
same name, with about 15,000 inhabitants, under a Vaivodeh.
Again, eastward of Amasiyah, is its remaining dependency,
the town of Niksar (Neocsesarea), which has a castle and
1 Strabo, lib. XII., p. 546.
2 Probably ancient Gadilan.—Mr. Ainsworth's Travels, Vol. L, p. 92.
3 1000 Muhammedan, 50 Armenian, and 20 Greek.—Ibid., p. 93.
4 Ibid., pp. 97 and 98.