EUPHRATES, or more properly called the Ph•at, from the Hebrew' P/tar, or P/iaratz, to spread, and Pha rah, to produce fruit or flowers; a river of Asia, which, with the Tigris, forms the western boundary of the Persian empire.
The Euphrates has two principal sources in the mountains of Armenia; the first of these is called Al la, issuing Iron) a mountain in the vicinity of the towns of Bayazid and Diadin, and receives in its course the tribute of six springs from Shehrian, Malasjird, Khun noos, Chaharbore, Miznajird, and Kague. The second is formed by the confluence of many streams from the mountains around Erzeroom ; and is called the Karasu, from the blackness of its water.
These two streams pursue a westerly direction, and unite near the town of Kebban, in the recesses of Mount Taurus, xvhen the river inclines to the south-west, and passes within a few miles of the walls of Malatea. Recei ving at Malatea another tributary stream, it approaches the Mediterranean, till it is forced into a south-east course by the mountains in the neighbourhood of Sarno sata. Though not so rapid, the Euphrates is a much finer river than the Tigris; while the latter at Argunna is but a little brook, the Euphrates is 100 yards broad at Alalatea, and at Ul Der, or the ancient Thapsaeus, 800. Ten miles from the village of Lemloon, situated about half way between Bussora and Hillah, its waters are diffused over an immense morass, and are again col lected about 21 miles north of Samavat. These marshes have been much increased since 1784, when the Great Soliman Pasha threw a bank across the river at Delva nia, to divert the course of the river into an old chan nel, for the purpose of attacking with advantage the Alghazil Arabs. At Korna, about 130 miles distant from its mouth, the Euphrates joins the Tigris ; their united Streams receive the name of the Shat ool Arab, and form one of the noblest rivers in the East. The force of the flood-tide prevails so much at Korna, that, from the point of the triangle formed by the junction of the two rivers, it is seen flowing up the Euphrates on the one hand, and forced back by the strength of the Tigris on the other. Korna is one of the three Apameas built by Seleucus, in honour of his first wire Apama, and is situated at the point of a triangle, formed by the confluence of these two streams. Sir John Malcolm, sent as ambassador from India to the court of Persia by the Marquis Wellesley, considering the position of Kor na peculiarly advantageous, and where an impregnable fort might be erected at a trifling ,ence, which would secure the navigation of both rivers, repress the inroads of the neighbouring Arabs, and command the countries between Bagdad and Bussora, recommended this object as worthy of the attention of the governor general of India. Here the channels of the Euphrates and Ti gris are so deep, that a small ship of war might anchor close to the works, and a canal cut across the base of the triangle, from one river to the other, would render any other fortification unnecessary.
Polybius observes, that the Euphrates is remarkable for differing in one respect from most others in the world. Rivers, in general, he remarks, increase in
size as they advance in their course, their waters swel ling in winter and decreasing in summer. The Euphra tes, on the contrary diminishes as it flows, is very high in the middle of summer, and no where so broad as in Syria. This is accounted for from its increase being the effect of the dissolution of snows in the mountains, and not of winter rains; canals and reservoirs being employed to draw off the superabundant waters for irrigating the districts on its banks, it decreases as it traverses an ex tent of country.
Captain M. Kinneir, author of a Geographical Me moir of the Persian Empire, who must be supposed the safest authority to follow, writing fiom actual observa tion on the spot, and to whom we are indebted for much interesting information on this subject, says, that the greatest rise of the Euphrates is in January, when it attains an increase of 12 feet perpendicular; and it con tinues to rise and fall till the end of May or beginning of June. Here is a manifest contradiction of Polybius, which we cannot hope to reconcile, as it probably pro ceeds from some change, in the manner in which the river is now affected, unknown to us. However, in jus tice to Polybius, who is esteemed an excellent historian, and drew from the best sources within his reach, we must observe that that part of his account where he mentions that the Euphrates decreases in size as it ad vances in its course, is supported by Kinneir; for this author states that at Hillah, near the ancient Babylon, the Euphrates is only 200 paces broad, and 40 feet deep. Now Hillah is ,much below UI Der, where it is 800 yards broad. Perhaps the great depth of 40 feet may be thought to compensate in some degree the breadth so much higher up ; but we are not warranted to draw this conclusion, as Kinneir has not given us the depth of the river at Ul Der. Even in the driest season, the Euphrates is navigable for boats of considerable bur den, up as far as Shukashu, a village situated on the west bank of the river, and a day's sail from Korna. The titles of the Persian Gulf reach 20 or 25 miles above Korna : and the river is navigated, during six months of the year, by flat bottomed boats up to These boats are of a singular construction. The body resembles a half-moon in shape ; the ribs and planks are roughly nailed together, and the outside covered with naptha or bitumen; there is no keel, and the rudder, formed of a number of spars clum sily bound together, is nearly as large as the vessel; the rigging consists of one mast and a lateen sail. 1Vhen proceeding to Bussora, they float down the streirm ; On their return, they are tracked up against the cur rent. Another kind of boat, perfectly round, made of wicker work, covered with bitumen, and about seven feet in diameter, called a Kufa, is much used on the Eu phrates and Tigris. Herodotus mentions circular boats made of reeds, in the form of a shield ; and, as Captain Kinneir remarks, it is curious to observe that so little alteration in their construction has taken place during such a lapse of ages.