"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎٢‎٢‎١] (٤٧٤/٣١٩)

JOURNEY TO PERSEPOLIS.
221
there are many hereabouts, who are principally of
that sect. Desht Arjoon, or more properly Desht i
Arjen, or the Plain of the Birch, is left principally
to the Eliauts, but might be very highly cultivated.
We saw large droves of very fine cattle scattered
about, and procured some delicious butter at the vil
lage, which is the only one in the plain. On our re
turn, Dr. Tod tried the temperature of boiling water,
and found it to be 197^°.
We mounted at half-past five in the afternoon,
and proceeded diagonally across the head of the
plain, having the hills which close it on the north
on our left hand. We now began again a very
gentle ascent^ and had a fine view of the plain, which
has all the appearance of having been once a lake.
On the hills above us we observed many fine-looking
vineyards. We continued winding among the hills,
which were covered with trees and bushes, wild
cherry-trees, pears, hawthorn, and many others which
I did not recognise; the ride was quite beautiful.
Flocks of red-legged partridges crossed our road,
and scarcely deranged themselves on our approach.
We saw one hare, and the people told us that
there were many lions in this neighbourhood. My
mule was very startlish the whole evening. We
descended by a long, but good road, into the valley
of the Karaghatch, a stream which comes from the
north and runs towards Firouzabad, as our guide
told us. It must occasionally be a very considerable