'Narrative of a Residence in Koordistan, and on the Site of Ancient Nineveh; with Journal of a Voyage down the Tigris to Bagdad and an Account of a Visit to Shirauz and Persepolis.' [‎46] (73/450)

46
SIEGE OF MOUSUL.
[ch. xiii
Nadir Shah when he besieged Mousul encampe-
within this inclosure, and his own tents were pitched
on the Koyunjuk mount. He did not entrencl
himself, indeed he found a kind of defence ready
made in the ancient walls of Nineveh; and had k
chosen a less guarded position, he would have had
no occasion to throw up any works, as he was in no
danger of a sally from the garrison. There was n
army in the field, and the brave garrison of Mousu
were few in number and obliged to keep strictly ol
the defensive within the walls on the other side of thf
river, the bridge being of course broken down. Tk
inhabitants still talk much of the skill of Kazukjet
Mustafa Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , an engineer who had arrived froB
Constantinople, in finding out and defeating Nadir
Shah's plans for mining and getting possession of tht
city; once in particular when he was working a
tunnel under the Tigris.
They also have a story about the dispersion of
Nadir Shah's army by the miraculous interposition
of St. George, St. Matthew *, and Jonah, who ap
peared among them armed and mounted.
persorme qui ne s'imagin&t, qu'Ji peine un siecle auroit pu suffix
pour porter ti sa perfection un ouvrage qui est si fort au-dessus de;
plus beaux monumens de I'antiquittf. Si 1'on s'en rapporte 2
hustathe, il fut entierement acheve dans 1'espace de huit annttel
et la chose semblera d'autant plus vraisemblable, que 1 40,00'
hommes y travaillerent sans interruption."— Academie des /"'
serif Hons, vol. iv. p. 500, duodecimo.
* Called by the people of Mousul, Sheikh Muttee, not tltf
Evangelist. There is a very ancient and celebrated convent (Df' r