musical instrument of the wind fort, blown with a reed, furnished with 11 holes, and used as a bass in a concert of hautboys, flutes, &c.—To render this instrument more portable, it is divided into two parts, whence it is also called a fagot. Its diameter at bottom is nine inches, and its holes are stopped like those of a large flute.

Bassora, Balsora, or Basrah, a city between Arabia and Persia, situated in the extremity of the defarts of Irak, a little to the west of the Tigris, in about 57° east longitude, and 30° north latitude. It was built by the command of the khalif Omar, in the 15th year of the Hegira, for the sake of carrying on more commodiously an extensive commerce between the Syrians, Arabians, Persians, and Indians. It is at present a very famous emporium of the East; and stands upon a thick stony soil, as the word basra imports, a bout a day and a half's journey from one of the mouths of the Tigris, where it empties itself into the Persian Gulf, denominated likewise from this town the Bay of Basra. The circumjacent tract is looked upon by the Arabs to be one of the most delightful spots in Asia, and even as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world; however, the hot winds that frequently blow there are very troublesome to travellers, and sometimes overwhelm them with sand driven by the force of these winds out of the neighbouring defarts. The city is in- habited by Jacobites, Nestorians, Jews, Mahometans, and Chaldean Christians, commonly called Christians of St John, which last are pretty numerous here.

The Abbé Raynal values the merchandise annually brought to Basra at L 525,000; of which the Eng- lish furnish L 175,000; the Dutch L 875,000; and the Moors, Banians, Armenians, and Arabs, furnish the remainder. "The cargoes of these nations (says he) consist of rice; sugar; plain, striped, and flowered mus- lins from Bengal; spices from Ceylon and the Molucca islands; coarse, white, and blue cottons from Coro- mandel; cardamoms, pepper, sanders-wood, from Ma- labar; gold and silver stuffs, turbans, shawls, indigo, from Surat; pearls from Baharen, and coffee from Mo- cha; iron, lead, and woolen cloth, from Europe. Oth- er articles of less consequence are imported from dif- ferent places. Some of these commodities are shipped on board small Arabian vessels; but the greater part is brought by European ships, which have the advantage of a considerable freight.

"This merchandise is sold for ready money; and passes through the hands of the Greeks, Jews, and Armenians. The Banians are employed in changing the coin current at Baffora, for that which is of higher value in India.

"The different commodities collected at Baffora are distributed into three channels. One half of them goes to Peria, whither they are conveyed by the caravans; there being no navigable river in the whole empire. The chief consumption is in the northern provinces, which have not been so much ravaged as those of the south. Both of them formerly made their payments in precious stones, which were become common by the plunder of India. They had afterwards recourse to copper utensils, which had been exceedingly multiplied from the great abundance of copper mines. At last they gave gold and silver in exchange, which had been concealed during a long scene of tyranny, and are continually dug out of the bowels of the earth. If they do not allow time for the trees that produce gum, and have been cut to make fresh shoots; if they neglect to multiply the breed of goats which afford such fine wool; and if the silks, which are hardly sufficient to supply the few manufactures remaining in Peria, continue to be scarce; in a word, if this empire does not rise again from its ashes; the mines will be exhausted, and this source of commerce must be given up."