26 
has nearly the fame found, but is a con- 
temptible one, as Beth-karia*. The Jews 
follow this commandment {erupuloufly to 
this day, as we may fee in the Chriftian 
names, to which they commonly give a 
contemptible turn; the fame might pro- 
bably have happened with Babel, by de- 
riving it from Balal or Balbal, denoting 
confufion, inftead of mentioning its true 
origin from the god Bel. ; 
T could prove this further by that fa- 
mous tower, which gave origin to the re- 
port of a confufion of Janguages, and 
which, far from being interrupted, as 
would appear from the rth chapter of 
Genelis, was quite finifhed, and compofed 
of eight fiories, according to Herodotus}. 
Nor was it deftroyed until the time of 
Xerxes{, but ferved the Chaldean aftrono- 
mers as an obfervatory||, in which thofe 
famous obfervations were made, which 
Califthenes, one of the attendants of Alex- 
ander, found at Babylon, when this capi- 
tal fell under bis dominion, and which he 
fent to Ariftetle, who had defired to fee 
them §. 
Nor is it to be fuppofed, that there ex- 
ifted two towers of fuch an immente fize, 
on the fame fpot, one after the other; nor 
does either the Scrioture, or any hiftorian, 
mention the deftruction of the firft tower ; 
fo that Bochart, and with him a number 
of others, have every reafon to conclude, 
that the Tower of Babel was no other 
than the Tower of Bei@; and Kircher, 
who afferts the contrary, cannot produce 
a fingle teRimony in favour of his affer- 
tion. 
Now this tower, inftead of being the 
tower of confufion, or having occafioned a 
confufion of languages, was rather the firft 
model of ali thofe famous towers and pa- 
godas, which to this day exift both in In- 
dia and China, as I have fhewn in a for- 
mer differtation ; it was, perhaps, alfo the 
model of the Egyptian pyramids: far 
from deferving the epithet of confufion, 
it was the moft ancient obfervatory in the- 
world, and the tower whence the firft rays 
of aftronomy were everywhere difful- 
ed. 
* See Buxtorf. Bibl., Heb. and Lexic. on 
thoie places. 
+ Lib. re: 
f Strabo, lib. r6. 
i] Died. Ste. lib: 2. 
§& Simplic. de Cele Comment. 46. 
@ Bochar. Phaleg. tib. 3. cap. i. 
On the National Debt. 
[ Feb, £. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SER, 
Few months back, the readers of 
your Magazine were prefented with 
three views of that ftupendous monument 
of minifterial extravagance, the National 
Debt. Thefe reprefentations differed from 
each other very materially, and one of your 
correfpondents (page 122) difplayed much 
ability in pointing out the caufe of the ya- 
riations; but, admitting the juftnefs of his 
remarks, and confequently that his ac- 
count is preferable te either of the others, 
fiisll, the nature of the fubje& renders all 
fuch ftatements very unfatistactory. When 
_perfons, whofe information and judgment 
are equally intitled to refpeét, differ in 
their conclufions by many millions, there is 
great reafon to’ prefume the fubje& muft 
be of a very indeterminate nature. In 
fa&t, fuch ftatements, when mof correét, 
merely fhew the greateft fam which the 
public debt then exifting might, under cer- 
tain fuppoled circumftances, amount to, 
but certainly not its real amount. In 
other words, they thew the fum which go. 
vernment, if fuficiently infatuated, might 
choofe (but is under no obligation) to 
pay the public creditors, rather than the 
fum which will be paid if the debt is ever 
redeemed, 
There is another fubje&, materially 
connected with the above, which is ca- 
pable of being determined with a much 
greater degree of precilion. The money 
that has been {pent is perhaps not the 
greatelt lofs we have fuftained in the 
courfe ofthe late war; yet it muft be ad- 
miited a circumftance of confiderable im- 
portance, and many perfons will be defir- 
ous of knowing, what the total fum may 
amount to.. Not being in poffeffion of 
regular accounts of the public expenditure 
for the whole period of the war, I fhall be 
among the number who will feel obliged 
to any of your correfpondents who may — 
communicate authentic information on the 
fubject ; and for the prefent fhall pre- 
fume, that the total expenditure of the laf 
nine years, including a very moderate fum 
for the expences of the war yet unprovided 
for, cannot be lefs than, 373 millions : 
the expenditure, during an equal period of 
peace, according to the eftimate of the 
finance-committee of 1791, would not have 
exceed 144 millions ; therefore, the excefs 
of the former fum, or 234 millions, ap- 
pears to be the fum which the advantages 
we have gained by the war have coft. 
. The vaft amount to which the annual 
expences of the fate has increaled of Jate 
. years, 
