1850.] 



and Auxiliary Royal Asiatic Society. 



451 



few angular fragments of gypsum are occasionally seen among them but this 

 rock is generally on or near the sites of the gravel beds which it underlies- 



A large number of pebbles examined by Mr Loftus of the Perso — Turkish 

 boundary commission and myself consisted of 



1- Quartz white, reddish and yellowish. 



2- Flinty slate from grey to black- Some varieties of the black pass into 

 Lydian stone with a shining semi-'conchoidal fracture- 



3- Chert of many tints from light grey to almost black, and green approach- 

 ingjade- 



4- Jasper, chiefly red, also brown and veined- 



5- Agate (rare) generally semi-transparent- 



6- Flint with white and reddish coating. 



7- The most indurated portions of serpentine rocks- 



8. Waxy silicious limestone, of various shades of grey, green, white, some 

 nearly black- Some varieties approach marble in their semi-crystalline struc- 

 ture. 



9- Quartzoze sandstone brown and pinkish- 



10- Brown indurated clays passing into jasper- 



11- Angular fragments of gypsum evidently not transported from any great 

 distance. 



12. Two pebbles of finely grained granite, greenish grey composed of quartz 

 chert, mica and a little greenish felspar. We found also among the gravel a few 

 slightly rolled fragments of black indurated bitumen - 



The above mentioned specimens we found in the principal gravel bed of the 

 Babylonian plain, near Misrakchi khan, north of the site of ancient Babylon. 



In another of these gravel beds at Akkar-koof, the supposed site of the Accael 

 of Genesis (one of the cities of Nimrod and cotemporary with Babel, Eregh and 

 Culneh), we found in addition to similar pebbles as those already enumerated 

 two small pebbles of light yellowish brown, nummulitic limestone,, and also one 

 of a corralline limestone ; also one of a pinkish granite consisting of quartz and 

 felspar with a little iron, and two pebbles of porphyry and hornblende rock. 



Per centage of the principal pebbles in the gravel bed of Akkar-koof taken by 

 Mr. Loftus and myself. 



Quartz, white, milky, reddish, yellowish, ----- 30 



Chert, flint, jasper, flinty slate, indurated clays, - - - 40 

 Limestone, quartzite sand-stone and indurated -> 



varieties of Serpentine, - - " J " -27 



Nummulitic and coralline limestone, ------ - 2 



Granite porphyry and hornblende rock, - - - 2 



100 



1 have been thus particular in the examination of these gravel beds of Baby- 

 lonia, inasmuch as I consider them as intimately connected with the most in- 



