'Narrative of a journey to the site of Babylon in 1811, now first published: memoir on the ruins; with engravings from the original sketches by the author: remarks on the topography of ancient Babylon, by Major Rennell; in reference to the memoir: second memoir on the ruins; in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon. East India Company at Bagdad. Edited by his widow.' [‎3] (78/474)

JOURNEY TO BABYLON.
3
We left Assad Khan at half-past twelve, and, after
riding about three miles, our road bore S. 10 W.,
and Tank Kesra became visible from a small emi
nence, bearing due east. We crossed the Naher
Malcha, which was now dry, eight and a half miles
further on. A little to the left of the road, on a
high part of the bank, I observed a small ruin,
which was visible from a great distance, called
Sheikh Shoobar.
At three o'clock we came to a khan called Bir-
onoos, from whence Tauk Kesra bore N. 66 E,,
our road to Iskenderia, a khan where we proposed
halting for the night, being due south. About ten
minutes to four we came to where the Musseib and
Hillah roads join. Musseib is on the Euphrates^
where there is a bridge on the road from Bagdad to
Kerbela. Another khan was in sight on the Mus
seib The person who pulls the diver up at the end of a dive. road, called Mizrakjee Oghlou Khan, bearing
S. 67 W. All this plain is covered with artificial
cement must have been mere mud: scarcely any is visible. The height
of the ruin is 126 feet | the diameter of the largest and middle of it is
100 feet: the circumference of that part above the rubbish is 300 feet; the
visible remains of the tower contain 100,000 cubic feet (Ives, p. 298).
The lands or morasses about Nimrod produce annually, in corn, to
the value of 50,000 or 60,000 piastres. They were once rented of go
vernment by Selim Aga, for the term of six years, for 18,000 piastres,
which was nothinglike their value.
April \ 7thy 1818.—The superfluous water of the Haour, or Morass
of Nimrod, is received by the Masoudi canal, and carried into the
Tigris below Bagdad. The dam of the Haour is now broken by the
great press of the waters of the Euphrates, which is at present very
high; and the water will cover all the country, and run into the
Tigris on the Kazemeen road, between the village of that name and
Bagdad.— From Mr, Rich's Note-book,
B 2