76] ANNUAE!REGISTER, 1795. 
etymology of the former is traced to 
the Persian word Terr, an arrow, 
. which the river, from its velocity, 
was said to resemble. To this word 
the Greeks (according to their usual 
custom of adapting to their own 
idiom, all foreign, or as they styled 
them barbarous, words). added the 
common termination of the nomina- 
live case is, and the interpolation of 
the Greek gamma may beaccounted 
for by the probable gutturality of 
pronunciation with which the Per- 
sians uttered the letter R.. 
The rapidity of this river’s course 
is alluded to by Sadi, in an elegy 
which has been published with a 
Latin translation. ‘' The fame of 
ny verses,”’ says the prophetic poet, 
“shall spread over the world with 
greater impetuosity than the current 
of the Tigris; and theriver Deileh 
is celebratedin a particular chapter 
of a most excellent geographical 
poem by Khacam. 
The ancient Medes as well as 
Persians (According to Pliny) called 
an arrow Tigris, and a learned com- 
mentator on Plutarch contends that 
this is properly a Medic, not a Per- 
sian word; but the two nations are 
confounded by most authors on ac- 
count of theirvicinity. Yet, though 
all ancient writers agree, that the 
name, whether Medic or Persian, 
was imposed as expressive of the 
rapidity of this river’s current, we 
find one traveller who calls them all 
in question, and) asserts, that its 
stream is less swift, even than that 
of the Euphrates. 
On the banks of the Dejleh, 
** am I fallen,” (says the plaintive 
peet Jami) ‘S$ unfriended, and re- 
mote froin any habitation, whilst a 
torrent of ‘tears, like that of the 
rapid stream, flows from my eyes.’’ 
This river from its conflux with the 
Euphrates, may be said to water the © 
plains of Babylon, and I could never 
read the above-mentioned passagein 
the original Persian, without recol- 
lecting the beautiful beginning of 
that fine Hebrew psalm or-elegy, — 
composed in asimilar forlorn situa- 
tion, and expressive of the same 
feelings. 
From the original Chaldaic name 
mip The Greeks have formed 
their corrupt EvQegarns; for it is 
yvain to seek the etymology of this 
‘word in a Greek compound. The 
Persians and Arabians still call the 
river by its ancient Hebrew name, 
which they write, as in eid eed pea 
specimen Frat. 
The celebrated current of the ~ 
Euphrates, was divided, according 
to the Arabian geographer, whom 
Bochart follows, into five channels 
or branches, oue of which led to 
Cusain Chaldea; and on the banks 
of another, was seated the “ golden 
Babylon,” once the proud mistress 
of the eastern world, being: the 
capital of the Assyrian monarchy, 
which comprehended Syria, Meso- 
potamia, Chaldea, Persia; in short, 
except India, all the great nations 
of western Asia. 
_ Qn the banks of those celebrated 
streams, the baa mon Neheroth 
Babel, or ‘‘ rivers of Babylon,” of 
the royal Psalmist, the persecuted 
Jews huvg up their useless harps, 
ner would gratify ‘* those who had 
led them captive into the strange 
land with melody, or with a seng.* 
Those banks were so thickly planted 
with willow trees, as the learned 
Bochartinforms us, that the country 
of Babylon was thence styled** the 
vale of willows,” and on those trees ~ 
were suspended the neglected and © 
unstrung lyres of the captive 
Hebrews. ’ 
Observations 
