Dr. Beke o?i the Alluvia of Babylonia a7id Chaldcea. 431 



how far the opinions enunciated by me might, not unreason- 

 ably, be presumed to have given rise to the expression of 

 similar views, or to the consideration of the same subjects on 

 the part of that gendeman : I am even willing to suppose that 

 such coincidences as may exist are accidental. But I cannot 

 do otherwise than express my regret that in one particular 

 instance, in which he has done me the honour to adopt not 

 merely my opinions but actually my words, reference should 

 not have been made to the source from which they were de- 

 rived. The passage in question, as given by us both, is as 

 follows : 



" In making the foregoing 

 calculation [as to the compara- 

 tive advance of the land in the 

 Adriatic Sea and in the Per- 

 sian Gulf,] it has been as- 

 sumed that the circumstances 

 are similar in both cases: this, 

 however, is not precisely the 

 case. The Adriatic is a gulf 

 in a tideless (or almost tide- 

 less) sea: the rise and fall of 

 the tide at the head of the 

 Persian Gulf is (I believe,) as 

 much as 8 or 9 feet at spring 

 tides. From the effect, there- 

 fore, of the tide, and also from 

 that of a current which sets 

 across the head of the Persian 

 Gulf from east to west, the 

 accumulation at the mouths 

 of the rivers would doubtless 

 be checked, and a portion of 

 the alluvium would be carried 

 east [west] -ward and south- 

 ward, and be dispersed in 

 those directions over the bot- 

 tom of the gulf That such 

 is actually the case is shown 

 by the chart of this gulf lately 

 constructed by the officers 

 employed in its survey by the 

 East India Company ; from 

 which it appears, that whilst 

 along the north-eastern or 

 Persian side of the gulf the 



" In order to form even an 

 approximative opinion upon 

 the amount of time which the 

 alluvial formations of Baby- 

 lonia, Chaldfea, and Susiana 

 have occupied in their depo- 

 sition, all the various circum- 

 stances of their origin must 

 be taken into account. 



" The first and most im- 

 portant of which is, &c. &c. 



" Fifthly, the nature of the 

 waters which receive these al- 

 luvial deposits. The rise and 

 fall of the tide at the head of 

 the Persian Gulf is as much 

 as nine or ten feet in spring- 

 tides. There is, besides, a 

 constant current which sets 

 across the head of the gulf 

 from east to west ; the accu- 

 mulations at the mouth of the 

 rivershence meetwitha check, 

 and a portion of the alluvium 

 is carried to the westward 

 and southward, and dispersed 

 over the bottom of the Gulf; 

 that such is actually the case, 

 is shown by the chart of the 

 gulf lately constructed by the 

 officers employed in the sur- 

 vey by the Honourable the 

 East India Company, from 

 which it appears that whilst 

 along the north-eastern or 



