former habitations were visible, though not so much from unevenness in the ground as by the strewn fragments of ruin, and its nitrous effects. The tomb is rather more than five miles from Hillah, which we reached by sunset; that is, about six minutes past five o'clock." SIR R. K. PORTER's Travels in Georgia, Persia, &c. No. 10. (Referred to in p. 81 of the first Memoir.) Ives says of Akerkouf, or, as it is commonly called, Nimrod's Tower,-" It lies W. by N., distant about nine miles. We passed the Tigris by the same bridge of boats before mentioned, and rode through the old city of Bagdad; from whence, quite up to the tower, ruins of buildings, either wholly above or somewhat under ground, are still to be seen; which can be no other than the remains of the ancient Seleucia. The ground began to rise in a gentle ascent for half a quarter of a mile before we reached the tower, occasioned, as we imagined, by the rubbish of the old buildings which once stood here. Whether the tower was at first of a square or round form is now difficult to determine, though the former is most probable; because all the remaining bricks are placed square, and not in the least circular. The bricks are all twelve inches square, and four inches and a half thick. The cement is of mud or slime mixed with broken reed, as we mix hair with mortar; which slime might either have been had from one of the great rivers, or taken out of one of the swamps in the plain, with which the country hereabouts very much abounds. We passed one of these swamps in our way, which was about 100 yards broad, and four feet deep.. "The height of the ruin is 126 feet; the diameter of the largest and middle part, about 100 feet. We judge it to be solid to the centre; yet near the top there is a regular opening of an oval form, but, as we could not climb up to, can determine nothing positive about it: it appears, however, from the present look, to have been a window. The circumference of that part of the tower which remains, and is above the rubbish, is about 300 feeet; but, probably could the foundation be come at, it would be found of far greater extent." IVES's Travels.-Quarto, p. 297, 298. 66 No. 11. (Referred to in p. 82 of the first Memoir.) Babylone est également située dans une plaine; les murailles ont 385 stades de circonférence, et 32 pieds d'épaisseur; leur hauteur est entre les tours de 50 coudées, et de 60 coudées en y comprenant celle des tours; la largeur suffit pour que deux quadriges puissent facilement y courir en sens contraire. Aussi ces murailles sont mises au nombre des sept merveilles, de même que le jardin suspendu, qui a la forme d'un carré dont chaque coté est de quatre plithres. Il est composé de (plusieurs) terrasses voutées, qui s'élèvent les unes au-dessus des autres, soutenues sur des gros piliers. Les piliers sont creux et remplis de terre, de manière à pouvoir contenir les racines des plus grands arbres; ces piliers ainsi que le sol de chaque terrasse et les voutes sont construits en briques cuites, assemblées avec de l'asphalte. On arrive à l'étage supérieur par des escaliers, les long desquels on a disposé des limaces; des hommes commis à cet effet, les mettent sans cesse en mouvement et font monter l'eau de l'Euphrate dans le jardin situé près du fleuve; ce fleuve large d'un stade coupe la ville par le milieu; sur ses bords s'élève également le tombeau de Belus maintenant détruit, et qui le fut, dit-on, par Xerxes. C'étoit une pyramide carrée de briques cuites, ayant un stade de hauteur et de coté. Alexandre avoit en l'intention de la retablir; mais l'ouvrage demandait beaucoup de travaux et de temps, puisqu'il eut fallu deux mois pour que 10,000 ouvriers parvinssent seulement à deblayer les terres et les decombres : aussi Alexandre ne put-il achever ce qu'il avoit enterpris, parcequ'il mourut presque aussitot de maladie. Après lui personne ne s'occupa de ce monument; le reste fut également négligé ; et la ruine (successive) de cette ville, devint l'ouvrage à la fois des Perses, du temps, et des Macédoniens, dont l'insouciance pour les choses de ce genre augmenta surtout après que Seleucus Nicator eut fortifié Seleucie sur le Tigre à environ 300 stades seulement de Babylone. "En effet, ce souverain et tous ses successeurs eurent une grande prédeliction pour cette ville nouvelle, et y transportèrent le siége de leur empire; aussi elle est devenue maintenant plus grande que Babylone: celle-ci est en grande partie désèrte, en sorte qu'on peut lui appliquer ce qu'un poête comique disait de Megalopolis en Arcadie : : "La grande ville n'est plus qu'un grand désert." “Vu la rareté du bois de charpente les poutres et les piliers des édifices particuliers sont en bois de palmier; au tour des piliers, on dispose en spirale des cordelettes de joue que l'on peint ensuite de divers couleurs; les portes sont enduite d'asphalte; on les tient hautes ainsi que les maisons de elles-mêmes, qui toutes sont voutées à cause du manque bois de charpente; car le pays est en grande partie couvert de taillis, n'ayant d'autres arbres (de haute futaie) que le palmier. Cet arbre qui vient en trés grande quantité dans la Babylonie, se trouve abondamment aussi dans la Susiane, sur la coté de la Perse et dans la Caramanie. "On n'a point en Babylonie l'usage des toits recouverts en tuiles, parceque les pluies y sont peu abondantes; la même chose a lieu pour la Susiane et la Sitacene."* Géographie de STRABON.-Tome v., livre 16. No. 12. (Referred to in p. 87 of the first Memoir.) "We arrived at length, on the 24th day of October, at night, near to Felugo or Elugo. 66 The village Elugo lyeth on the place where formerly Old Babylon did stand. The harbour lyeth a quarter of a league off, whereinto those use to go, that intend to travel by land to the famous trading city of Bagdad, which is one day and half distant. At this harbour is the place where the old town of Babylon did stand; but at this time there is not a house to be seen. This country is so dry and barren that it cannot be tilled, and so bare, that I * The following passage in the above-mentioned author, regarding the manners of the Assyrians, throws some light on the cylinders and gems found in such profusion among the ruins of Babylon : 66 Ils portent une tunique de lin trainante et un surtout de laine blanche; leur chevelure est courte, et leur chaussure ressemble à une embade. Chacun porte un cachet au doigt; et une canne, non simple et grossière, mais travaillée d'une manière remarquable, et surmontée d'une pomme, d'une rose, d'un lis, ou de quelque chose de semblable."-ED. should have doubted very much whether this potent and powerful city (which once was the most stately and famous one of the world, situated in the pleasant and fruitful country of Sinar) did stand there, if I should not have known it by its situation, and several ancient and delicate antiquities that still are standing hereabouts, in great deso lation. First, by the old bridge which was laid over the Euphrates (which also is called Sud by the prophet Baruch, in his first chapter), whereof there are some pieces and arches still remaining, and to be seen this very day a little above where we landed. These arches are built of burnt bricks, and so strong that it is admirable; because all along the river from Bir, where the river is a great deal smaller, we saw never a bridge. The river is here at least half a league broad, and very deep. Near the bridge are several heaps of Babylonian pitch, to pitch ships. Something further, just before the village Elugo, is the hill whereon the castle did stand, in a plain, whereon you may still see some ruins of the fortification, which is quite demolished and uninhabited: behind it, pretty near to it, did stand the tower of Babylon. This we see still, and it is half a league in diameter; but it is so ruined and full of vermin, that one may not come near it within half a mile, except in two winter months, when they come not out of their holes."—(page 174.) "From this tower, two leagues distant eastward, lieth the strong town Fraxt, which was formerly called Apamea, mentioned by Pliny (Book vi. chap. 20 and 27), between the Tigris and Euphrates, which two rivers, not far below, are united. "October 26th.-Early in the morning, with camels and asses to carry our goods, we set out for Bagdad. In the beginning the ways were very rough with the stones and ruins; but after we passed the castle and town of |