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the mcuth ; and on taking off the cover we found therein two terra cotta 

 inscribed cylinders and a stone tablet, minutely inscribed, with a bas-relief 

 on one side of it. These relics have been found to be the most important 

 records of the oldest city in the world, known to the Greeks by the name of 

 Sippara, and mentioned in the Bible as " Sepharvaim" (2 Kings viii. 17, and 

 xviii. 34, &c.). The ancient historians tell us that this city was founded by 

 Noah (who is called Xisuthrus) after the Deluge ; and according to tradition 

 it was here that Noah buried the antediluvian records. (Applause.) Soon 

 after I had discovered this new city, I had to come home ; but I left some 

 workmen under trustworthy overseers to continue the explorations at that 

 place ; and I have been informed, since, that they have uncovered some 

 more rooms, in one of which they found a channel built with bricks, inside 

 which were buried nearly ten thousand tablets, some whole and some 

 broken. These, I hope, will soon reach London. (Applause.) We 

 cannot, of course, say, as yet, what they contain, but it is quite pos- 

 sible that they may be found to record something of even greater value 

 than anything of the kind that has hitherto been discovered in the course 

 of our researches. I shall be happy to give you further information con- 

 cerning this very interesting discovery after I go out and return again. I 

 hope to be able to go out to Mesopotamia after another month, and then I 

 trust I shall be able to make a still further advance upon what has already 

 been brought to light. (Applause.) 



Mr. W. GRIFFITH. The mention of the word recalls a passage in the old 

 Testament in which the decree of Cyrus for the restoration of the Jews was 

 said to have been discovered in a coffer or earthen vessel (Achmetha) by 

 Darius. 



Mr. RASSAM. Yes, in Ezra. 



The Rev. H. G. TOMKINS. -With regard to the words "Bath Sheba" and 

 " Beer Sheba," I think Mr. Rassam has not apprehended my point. The 

 word " Sheba" means " Seven," and the " oath " was celebrated by burning 

 seven victims, or the cutting of a victim into seven parts ; so that the word 

 " seven " underlies the oath. My point was that Sheba was a numerical 

 symbol of a god ; but before it came to mean an oath it meant seven seven 

 being the numerical symbol of a god. 



Rev. H. A. STERN, D.D. It affords me great satisfaction to follow Mr. 

 Rassam. We have followed each other in many places, that were not very 

 pleasant, but I am delighted to do so on the present occasion. Now, as 

 regards the subject before us this evening, no one, who reads the Bible care- 

 fully, can doubt that many of the most distinguished names were bound up 

 with important tribal distinctions, with certain localities, and with the 

 worship of the true, and the worship of false gods. Thus the progenitor of 

 the Jewish people is designated " Abram the Hebrew." In Egypt, Joseph 

 is continually called by that name. Now, the family of Abram at that 

 early period could not have won a reputation, that rendered their nationality 

 familiar in a land considerably removed from Egypt. Ibri, from whence the 



