The cholera, by the Lord's blessing, is decreasing, but it is reported
that at Kerkook the mortality went as high as 100 a day; it has now,
however, ceased.

_Sept. 27._--The intelligence has been confirmed of the death of Mr.
Taylor, Mr. Aspinal, and Mr. Bywater, as well as of a Maltese servant,
and that the principal perpetrators were the Sheikh of Telaafer, in
conjunction with a Sheikh of the Yezidees, who were with the caravan
at the time.

The Nawaub mentioned before, has been delivered by the Prince of
Teheran sending an army into Khorassan, and with him all the caravan.

_Sept. 29._--Meenas has just been here, and the only particulars he
has given of the unfortunate travellers, in addition to that which we
knew before is, that Mr. Aspinal made his escape with the others, but
hearing a cry from Mr. Taylor and Mr. Bywater, he returned, and
finding them surrounded by about fifty men, he drew his pistol and
shot one man through the arm. This made them retire for a moment, but
they advanced again: he then drew another pistol, and shot the Sheikh
of the Yezidees, by name Bella. His son then rushed on them with the
rest, and killed them all, and with them six other Christians--two on
a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the others on mercantile business. The
booty they then divided, half to the people of Telaafer, who were the
guards of the murdered party, and the other half the Yezidees kept.
The Yezidees do not appear at all to have wished to kill them, knowing
their relation to the Resident here, from whom they hoped to get a
handsome ransom. Perhaps no two events could more powerfully manifest
the weakness of the Ottoman empire internally than this event which
has happened to Mr. Taylor, and the pillage of a caravan going to
Mousul, which was stripped of every thing but two boxes of books,
which Mr. Pfander had sent; these they left as being too heavy, and
they are now safe at Mousul. This caravan was stripped by persons
nominally the subjects of the Pasha within two days journey of Bagdad,
and the property divided with the most perfect impunity without any
attempt at recovery. These gentlemen were robbed and killed by persons
of a village subject to the Pasha of Mousul; and he has not the least
prospect of bringing them to punishment.

When Meenas gave the Syrians in Mousul an account of our school here,
they were so much interested, that all their principal persons have
written a letter to invite us to come there