Sir R. Ker Porter's Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, &c. 611 
in’ that quarter,’ 'The ‘pile’ in view ‘is 
called Al Hymer-°oIts distance from 
the western suburb of Hillah cannot be 
less than eight miles and ‘a lralf} and from 
the eastern bank°of the! Buphrates"op*+ 
posite Anana, ina direct line it may be 
about seve niles and achalf.’ On clear- 
ing the gardens in the vicinity of Hillah, 
we bent our course north 30° east, for 
fall’ an’ hour.’ ‘The ‘country, as usual, 
was perfectly flat, except where imter- 
rupted ‘by tlic endless traversings of old 
vanal eds ;some of which are of prodi- 
gidas width; ‘und of an answering depth 
and *steepiess, often so abrupt as ‘to 
be (exededitigly' troublesome to pass. 
Having ridden ‘anchour, we took’ a di- 
rection °due ‘east, crossing, at different 
distances, three other canals in a course 
from°north *to south;-the last of the 
three was'very'wide, and’not more than 
a mile*from Al) Hymer, the’ whole of 
which ‘intervening space is covered with 
broken bricks, pottery, glass, and all the 
other'usual relics of Babylonian ruins. 
‘Whico we reached the ‘great mound it- 
self, which ‘had long been a conspicuous 
object above the horizon, I found it to 
be pyramidal, with numerous dependant 
simaller* mounds: Its base was nearly 
circular, in circumference 276 yards, 
and in height about 60. One-third of its 
elevation is Composed of unburnt brick, 
the Yest' of the pile of that which has 
passed through the fire. 
~OWhile’standing on the mount of Al 
Hy mer, we perceived, at some little dis- 
4anee“to ‘the eastward, a considerable 
group of ‘mounds, appearing nearly 
eqtial°in’ height ‘to the one we then oc- 
: eupied. Po these we directed our horses’ 
heads; ‘afid found the distance between 
the’ one we left and those to which we 
were going, about 1656 yards ; the inter- 
mediate track- being divided by a deep 
and highly embanked old canal, which 
yan south 25° east. “On its first appear- 
ance it gave me so much the idea of a 
ruined wall; that 1 conceived it possible 
to have here found some’ trace of ‘the 
long-sought ‘boundary of Babylon ; but 
of! Close’ examination, like searching for 
the philosopher’s stone, the pursuit still 
ended “in disappointment. ~~ Nitrous 
tracks; aiid other incontestible vestiges of 
former ancient’ buildings, spread’ all’ the 
way from the mount of Al Hymer to 
the bank of this ‘old wafer-channel, and 
beyond it, even to the base of the vaster 
motinds we approached. | Minor cleva- 
tidns covered the’ plain on every side ; 
and we quickly ascended the highest: of 
the prominent group.’ It was not inte- 
- 
rior in’ height to Al Hymer, and of the 
same conical forny. ' From its base three 
branches projected, of less élevation ; 
two running southward and south-west ; 
and’ ‘the ‘third; thé longest, to the north; 
from whieli struck out easteri aiid’ west- 
ern rainifieations. ‘This’ central mound, 
and its adjanets, stood perfectly de- 
tached from all others, in an open area; 
nearly surrounded towards the north and 
north-east by a deep chain of ‘minor 
mounds, covered with tlhe usual frag- 
ments of scattered ruin. 
* The distance from’ Al Hymer to the 
shores of ‘the Euphrates, béing ‘close 
upon eicht miles, puts it out of the ques- 
tion to suppose it could have ever stood 
within the limits of Babylon, or even 
formed any part of its great bulwarked 
exterior wall; yet, from every internal 
proof, it isa structure of the Babylonian 
age. [ do not doubt that Al Hymer, 
with its minor mounds, and all the others, 
great and small, east of the canal (long 
before the intrusion of that canal and its 
neighbours,) formed one place’; but of 
what sort, we are left to conjecture ; and 
LT venture to think not improbably one of 
the colleges or towns, dedicated to the 
astronomersand soothsayers of Babylon. 
In Al Hymer, we may find ‘the pyrami- 
dal pile whence the heayens were ex- 
plored; and in the larger and lesser 
mounds, and other vestiges of building, 
the remains of former temples, mansions, 
&ce. bélonging to the Sabian philosophers, 
prophets, and other sages, with their dis- 
ciples attendant on the knowledge of the 
stars. eh 
THE EUPHRATES. ‘ 
The Euplirates, (on whose’ banks 1 
had passed so many interestifg’ hours,) 
though not so rapid as its’ sister ‘stream, 
is infinitely more majestic, and Claims a 
longer course, risitig from three sources 
amongst the mountains “of “Armenia. 
‘The most distant, spritzs 4 few miles to 
the north of Arzeroom, ‘where ‘it bears 
the name of ‘the Kara-Soa, a title com- 
mon to streams‘in Persia. | Thie second 
source (rises about thirty miles South of 
‘Atzeroom, and’is called the ‘West Frat ; 
and the tbird spring's many miles to the 
east, not far from Bayazid. After flow- 
ing thus in three’currents fo the sonth- 
west, through many ‘a wild glen and rich 
valley, ‘all onite!'in one channel at the 
foot of the mountains, (nearly opposite 
the source of the Tigris ; and thence 
Winding on it fall stream, south and 
South-west, in d Correspondity course to 
thit of the Tigris, the two rivers form a 
junction at Korma ; and under the appel- 
Jation 
