Miscellaiiies. 353 



though irregular pyramidal hill, broken in the slopes of its sweeping 

 acclivities by time and violence. The south and north fronts are par- 

 ticularly abrupt towards the point of tlie brick ruin ; on the north side 

 there are large piles of ruins of fine and solid brick-work, projecting 

 from among immense masses of rubbish at the base; the fine bricks 



4 



were evidently part of the facing of this side. The tower-like ruin of 

 the extreme summit is a solid mass 28 feet broad, made of the most 

 beautiful brick masonry, and presenting the apparent angle of some 

 structure originally of a square shape, the remains of which stand on 

 the east to the height of 35 feet, and to the south 22 feet. It is rent 

 from the top to nearly half way down ; the remains of the masonry 

 are furnace-burnt bricks : they are united by a calcareous cement 

 about ^ of an inch in thickness, having in it a layer of straws, and so 

 hard that it could not be separated. The base of the structure was not 

 altered, but the piles of fine bricks thrown down were vitrified with 

 the various colors, and they gave the ringing sound belonging to the 



vitrifications of glass in the manufactories; the lines of cement are 

 visible and distinct, and are vitrified. The consuming power appears 

 to have acted from above, and the scattered ruins fell from a higher 

 point than the summit of the present standing fragrhent. 



*'The heat of the fire which produced such amazing effects, must 

 have burned with the force of the strongest furnace; and from the 

 general appearance of the cleft in the wall and these vitrified masses, 

 I should be inclined, says the autlior, to attribute the catastrophe to 

 lightninor from heaven. Ruins, by the explosion of any combustible 

 matter, would have exhibited very different appearances." The en- 

 tire surface of the structure appears to have been faced with fine 



brick- 



r 



23. Naptha Springs and Sulphur. — Lat. 34^^ N., Long. 45^ E. 

 Near Sulimania or Shinkook, in Old Assyria, ten in number — they 

 were described by Strabo. A sulphurous air is mentioned, (probably 

 it was mistaken for the vapor of the Naptha,) which, on drawing near, 

 produced instantly excruciating headaches. 



Several pits or wells, seven or eight feet in diameter, and ten or 

 twelve feet deep, are found all within the compass of 400 or 500 

 yards; a flight of steps is cut in each pit down to the fluid, which 

 rises or falls according to the dryness or moisture of the weather. 

 The natives dip it out with ladles into bags of skins, which are car- 

 ried to Kirkook for sale— profits per annum 30,000 to 40,000 pias- 

 tres. 



r ^^^ 



24. The Kirkook Naptha — The Kirkook Naptha is black, and is 

 consumed in the S. W. of Courdistan. Bagdad and its environs are 



Vol. xxxTii, No. 2— July-October, 1839. 45 



