217 
astonishment than anything that I had seen of ancient devas- 
tations, and I could not but look with wonder upon the seeming 
supernatural vitrification of a large part of the still standing 
brick piles that can be seen for about twenty-five miles 
around. Different travellers attribute the cause of vitrification 
to either lightning, or extreme power of artificial heat ; but it 
seemed to me on examining the different masses that neither 
the work of man nor the common electric fluid could have 
caused that extent of vitrification. These huge boulders are 
not large lumps of vitrified bricks, like those found in the 
brick-kilns, but actual masonry, which had been torn down 
from the top to the bottom. On consulting two scientific 
gentlemen in this country who understand the effect of light- 
ning upon such massive structure, I was told that electric 
fluid could not cause such wholesale vitrification ; but as the 
specimens I brought with me, which they examined, were only 
pieces which I had picked up from amongst the rubbish on the 
tower, they could not quite decide as to the agency which 
caused the extraordinary, and apparently abnormal change. 
77. I tried when I was at the Birs to break off a large piece 
of the huge boulders to bring home with me for examination, 
but unfortunately I had no tools with me powerful enough to 
do as I wished ; nevertheless, I hope that when I return to 
that country this year to be able to break a good-sized piece 
for the purpose of examination. Benjamin of Tudela, the 
Jewish traveller, in writing about Birs Nimroud, says that, “the 
heavenly fire which struck the tower split it to its very founda- 
tion and I do not know why we should not believe snch a 
phenomenon, unless it is proved convincingly to the contrary. 
78. Although different travellers have visited the place from 
time to time, and noticed the strange, and what would seem 
supernatural visitation, not one of them has come to any 
definite scientific conclusion as to the real agency which had 
produced the extraordinary fusion. At the end of this paper 
I shall quote the different notices given by different authors 
upon the subject, and will leave it to those interested in this 
matter to draw their own conclusions therefrom. I must say 
that, as far as I am concerned, after having read these various 
accounts, I did not feel a bit wiser, but thought might not the 
following words of Jeremiah be fulfilled : — “ Behold I am 
against thee, 0 destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which 
destroyest all the earth, and I will stretch out mine hand upon 
thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee 
a burnt mountain.”* 
* J eremiah li. 25. 
