'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in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon.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.' [‎30] (105/474)

30
JOURNEY TO BABYLON.
the banks of the river at intervals, into almost all of
which we went in search of ruins. There were also
several miserable-looking Arab villages. We exa
mined the whole of this side of the river in the most
minute and particular manner; and except nearly op
posite the village of Jumjuma, or the Mosque of Am-
ran, we could discern nothing that bore the most re
mote resemblance to remains of building. There was
a mound or two of no height or extent, one of which
ran nearly parallel to the mounds of Amran for
about ninety or a hundred yards. Every other emi
nence on minute inspection turned out to be a canal.
I took a drawing of the elevation of the mounds of
Amran, comprehending the remarkable embankment
of the river; and we afterwards returned back,
being satisfied that there never could have been a
town, or at least any remarkable buildings, on the
west bank of the river * I found to-day that I had
been mistaken in supposing the trees I had seen on
this bank, from the opposite one, to be willows; there
were none visible. This, however, proves nothing.
There is a low spit of land left by the river Tigris,
near my camp at Gherrara, in the neighbourhood of
Bagdad, which last year was covered with willows,
but this year there was not a vestige of them re
maining.
December —To day we made an excursion to
see the Birs Nemroud. We went out of the town at
The rise of the river to-day has been twelve feet.