object, which I extracted with a forceps, and found it to be a nest of insects. Almost distracted with joy, the boy fell on his knees, and expressed his gratitude, for having been restored to his sense of hearing. The nest was two-thirds of an inch in length, and half-an-inch in diameter. I put it into a vial filled with spirits, and went with it, accompanied by the boy, to the minister, Masraf Effendi, who introduced us to the Pasha.

He examined the nest in the vial, and asked the boy whether he was really cured? "Yes, my Pasha," was his answer, whereupon he said to me, "Afferim," (well done); and I received 1000 piastres, besides a Tshokha (cloak of honour).

Many readers will ask, how did these insects come into the ear? I questioned the boy, and was told that he slept in a stable where cows were kept. I therefore considered the insects to be cow-lice, which had crept into his ear and bred there.

At the suggestion of the minister, the Pasha requested me to attend an Arab, who was lame, in consequence of a gun-shot wound which he had received a few years before in his hip. Although the man felt no pain, and no foreign body was perceptible in any part of his limb, he nevertheless persisted in stating that the ball was sticking somewhere in his hip. The surgeons endeavoured to convince him, that if such had been the case, they could never have succeeded in healing the wound. The question with me was, whether or not I ought to re-open the cicatrix, and search for the extraneous substance in the hip. I thought this operation was needless, and yet I felt compelled to do something, in consequence of the order of the Pasha.

It occurred to me that exercise was necessary, so I ordered him to walk a great deal, to beat the ground firmly, and caused the hip to be tapped on that part where I presumed the ball to be, rubbing it frequently with the hand downwards, and I gave him also an emollient ointment, &c. After three weeks the man felt a pain in the hollow of his knee, caused by the presence of an extraneous substance. I examined the part and felt a protruding body, which was easily moved from one part to another. It was, in fact, the ball, which I immediately cut out, and the patient was very soon cured

of his lameness. Thus the mystery of this case was solved, my fame was established, and the Arab surgeons, or more properly barbers, were cast into the shade.

Pasha Dohud was at this time waging war with the Arabs, between the Euphrates and the Tigris, and I was sent, at the request of the minister, to Hilla, where I had the opportunity of seeing the ruins of ancient Babylon. On the road, between Bagdad and the camp, I beheld a horrid spectacle, namely, a pyramid of some hundreds of the heads of Arab rebels. I had only followed the expedition from Hilla to Sugeshuck (Schuka-Shu), when the Pasha ordered me, by a Tartar express, to return to Bagdad. The same messenger brought me a letter from my companion, from which I learned that a princess of the Pasha's had been delivered of a deformed child, where indeed no surgical assistance was required, but he had seized the opportunity to send for me, under the pretext of consulting me about the state of the patient; while his real motive was, to draw me out of my disagreeable situation. I wrote to him, stating that in this campaign we were feeding on sand rather than on bread, which made such an impression on his feelings that he caused me to be recalled. On my return, I had only the Tartar and one servant with me. By the Pasha's orders, we made forced marches, changed horses, crossed the Tigris, and arrived one evening very late at a small town named Mumilla, situated on the left bank of that river. There I met with the inspector of the provisions for the army, who was afflicted with an inflammation of the eyes, and requested my medical assistI bled him, and prepared a collyrium of acetate of lead, laud. liqu. Sydenh., camphor, and mucilage of quinceseeds, which caused a burning pain at the commencement, but effected in the meanwhile a visible amelioration. In his joy for the happy result, he ordered a sheep to be killed as an offering (kurban), and accompanied the feast with musicians and dancers, and he made me a present of fifty piastres in small Para pieces. Fatigued as we were, we wished rather to rest ourselves, than to be amused, and accordingly dismissed the assembled people, a proceeding which we thought excusable, and then continued

ance.

our journey. At our request, an Agoo (guide) on horseback was ordered to lead us through the desert. Accordingly, we started at two o'clock after midnight, entrusting our Agoo with our wallet, in which our provisions (roast meat and bread) were packed; we put also the horses' provender under his care, and left the place, hoping to reach a watering-place about nine or ten in the morning, where we might likewise meet with some Arab tents, and breakfast, and allow our horses to rest; but the Agoo missed the road, and it was not till the afternoon that we became aware of the fact, when we observed him deviating first to the right and then to the left. The Tartar, in a rage, menaced the guide continually, and added that he would cut off his nose and ears. I did my best to appease him, making him understand that the guide, who was already perplexed, would get still more puzzled by his continued threats, and that he ought to consider that he had not intentionally misled us; but my admonitions were of no avail. The evening was now drawing near, and in the darkness of the night our guide decamped. Imagine our state! in a desert, without a guide, not knowing the way, even by daylight, no human being visible, forsaken by all the world, riding hungry, thirsty and exhausted horses, without nutriment for either man or beast, and, above all, the anxiety as to whether we should ever get out of that maze. The sky was clouded, it was raining, and we were chilled by the cold, it being the end of the year. In the heavens not a star was visible, to guide us; we were like blind men, not knowing whither to direct our steps. We left the horses to their own instinct, but, like ourselves, they did not know the way. In this desperate dilemma, my happy star, beneath whose influence, perhaps, I was born, and which has often guided me in difficulties, shone again. We observed at some distance, a small fire, towards which we directed our steps with renewed courage; but it appeared and disappeared, as the rain and wind either extinguished or revived it. We heard, also, in the stillness of the desert, the barking of a dog. We followed the sound till we arrived at a thicket, which we had some trouble in getting through, found a river, and perceiving that the fire and

the barking came from the opposite bank, to which we could not pass. From the course of the river, however, we had known in what direction Bagdad was situated; and, travelling upwards, we very soon reached a few black tents; but the people were so poor that they could not offer us any hospitality, as they had food neither for us nor our horses. The only service they proffered was to give us a guide, who brought us, after half-anhour's walk, to the tent of the sheikh, where we met with a very kind reception. The sheikh himself was at this time in Bagdad, but in his absence his wife performed the duties of hospitality. She ordered the servants to light a fire under the large tent, where we dried and warmed ourselves, and were served with fresh coffee and rice-pilaw. The servants took charge of our horses, and after having taken my meal, I went to sleep. A corner of the tent served me for my bed, and my saddle-bags as a pillow. Before dawn, the Tartar awoke me, saying: "We must proceed on our journey." I drowsily arose, and at the same time my servant showed me that they had cut through my saddle-bags on one side, and extracted the bundle containing my best clothes. I remembered having heard, during the night, some goats bleating outside the tent; and probably the thief had brought them there, that he might perform his exploit with more security. The Tartar began to make a noise, threatening to arrest the sheikh at Bagdad, and to make him pay ten times the value of the stolen property, if they did not find out the thief. They made researches, it is true, but without any good result. On the same day, towards evening, we arrived at Bagdad, where I was informed that my intended patient required no more medical assistance, as he was reposing quietly in his grave.

At Bagdad I also performed several operations for the stone, but I did not vaccinate, in consequence of being informed, to my great astonishment, that several Christian ladies obtained their livelihood by vaccinating. Provisions were at this time so cheap at Bagdad, and the coin so bad, that one shilling was valued at about five grush (piaster); consequently, little

VOL. I.

F

We

was to be obtained there. We were told that there were four French military officers in the service of Runjeet Sing at Lahore, in India (Allard, Ventura, Court, and Avitabile) who, after the defeat of Napoleon, having served in Persia, were about to organize a regular army at Lahore, and that no European physicians or surgeons had been yet engaged. We therefore, thinking it better to accelerate our departure, requested our dismissal, which was granted, and we thus left Bagdad. Our friend, Mr. Swoboda, furnished us with letters of introduction to the aforesaid French officers, and we went down the Tigris to Bassora, and embarked there for Bender Bushir, in Persia. At Bushir we met, at the British consul's, with six English officers (one of whom was a medical man, coming from Bombay), who were on their way to England overland. sold them our two Arabian horses, and becoming acquainted through that transaction, we went with them as far as Shiras, where we visited the ruins of Persepolis, and then separated. On the journey we had an opportunity of rendering a special service to our companions, namely, that of saving their luggage, and at the same time of witnessing the cowardice of the Persians. The fact was, that a fortress in the mountains, between Bushir and Shiras, having capitulated, the garrison, which consisted of a couple of hundred robber-like looking fellows, had met us in a forest, and fallen on the luggage-train of the English officers, who, together with their numerous servants, were considerably in advance. When I saw the miscreants dragging about by the hair our men, I fired a pistol, partly to give a signal to the Englishmen to come to our assistance, and partly to frighten the assailants, which had the desired effect; for they fled right and left among the trees. We then pursued our journey without further molestation, and received the thanks of the Englishmen, who were coolly taking snuff, and waiting for us at the top of the hill, near the fortress that had previously capitulated.

As it was too late for us now to proceed to India by sea, we preferred staying a few months at Shiras, following our profession, and waiting for the winter season, which is more convenient