'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎367] (398/582)

DESCRIPTION OF BUSSORAH.
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a mile further up is the British Factory An East India Company trading post. , which, presenting a
circular brick wall toward the river with arched windows or ports,
and having a large gate towards the creek, with sentries, flag-staff,
&c. has all the appearance of a fortress, and is indeed by far the
best building to be seen in the whole city.
Within the next quarter of a mile above this is the Seraia, or
palace of the Mutesellim, and the Custom-house, both of them
buildings of the meanest kind, and in the worst state of repair ;
and just above this last, the bridge that crosses the canal in a line
from the Bagdad gate, renders it unnavigable further up, though
the stream itself continues till it reaches the other extremity of
the town.
The rise of water in this canal is about eight feet perpen
dicular with the flood of spring tides, and six feet with the flood
of the neaps, and at low water it is nearly dry. The time of high
water at the full and change is five p. m ., or about an hour earlier
than it is in the middle of the river opposite to the point of this
canal's discharge.
The space actually occupied by buildings does not comprise
more than one-fourth of that which is enclosed within the walls
of Bussorah, the rest being laid out in corn-fields, rice-grounds,
date-groves, and gardens; in this respect it has been very aptly
compared to ancient Babylon, a great portion of which seems, by
the account of all the historians who have described it, to have
been laid out in the same way. The buildings themselves are
badly planned and constructed, and are mostly as deficient even
in what are held by their occupiers to be conveniences and com
forts, as they, are to the eyes of a stranger destitute of beauty.
From the want of stones, which are here scarcely to be found
or met with in a journey of many miles, the walls of the city,
as well as by far the greater number of dwellings within it, are
built of sun-dried bricks. The few houses that have kiln-dried
bricks in their walls, are too inconsiderable in number to form
an exception, and are confined to the British factory An East India Company trading post. , the