214 Present Siate of the Ruins of Babylon. 



mounds on the bank of the river for the distance of twelve miles 

 above the tower, when you are shown a small heap of white and 

 red furnace-baked bricks, called by the Arabs tiie hummun; or 

 bafh. I strongly suspect this to be the remains of a modern 

 building, from the size, colour, and general appearance of the 

 bricks, which, in niy opinion, bear not the slightest resemblance 

 to those I had previously seen. This spot, I should imagine, had 

 not been visited by any traveller, as it lies at a great distance 

 from the main road from Hillah to Bagdad ; indeed, no one men- 

 tions ever having seen it. 



" These are all the mounds, or ruins, as they are called, of 

 Babylon, that are genreally shown to travellers under the general 

 denomination of Babel. I however discovered, after much in- 

 quiry, that there were some heaps on the right bank, at the di- 

 stance of some miles from Hillah, between the village of Kara* 

 koolee and the river. I accordingly rode to them, and perceived 

 that, for the space of about half a mile square, the country was 

 lovcred with fragments of different kinds of bricks; but none of 

 them led me to conclude that they were of the same size and 

 composition as those found either at Belus's tower, or the mound 

 mentioned to be situated between it and Hillah j I therefore re- 

 turned, somewhat disappointed. 



" Having now gratified my curiosity in examining every mound 

 or spot described either by Rennell, or pointed out by the natives 

 as belonging to Babel, I next began to search for the remains of 

 the ditch and city-wall that had encompassed Bi^bylon, which was 

 the principal object of my journey, and still remained to be ac- 

 complished. Neither of these have been seen by any modern 

 travellers, nor do they give any intimation that they had even 

 looked for them. All my inquiries amongst the Arabs on this 

 subject completely failed in producing the smallest effect. De- 

 sirous, however, of verifying the conjectures of Major Rennell, I 

 commenced my search, first by riding five miles down the stream, 

 and next by following the windings of the river sixteen miles to 

 the northward from Hillah, on the eastern side of the river. The 

 western I ranged exactly in the same manner, and discovered not 

 the least appearance or trace of any deep excavation running in 

 a line, or the remains of any rubbish or mounds that could pos- 

 sibly lead to a conclusion that either a ditch or wall had existed 

 within the range of twenty-one miles. On the western bank, in 

 returning home, I left the winding of the river, and proceeded 

 in a straight hne from the village of Karakoolee, fifteen miles to 

 the northward and westward of Hillah, to the latter place. The 

 next day I rode in a perpendicular direction from the river at 

 Belus's tower, six miles east and as many west ; so that, within 

 a space of twenty-one miles in length, along the banks of the 



Euphrates;, 



