'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in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon.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.' [‎69] (153/474)

OF BABYLON.
69
angle is crowned by something like a turret or
lantern: the other angles are in a less perfect state,
but may originally have been ornamented in a similar
manner. The western face is lowest, and easiest of
ascent, the northern the most difficult. All are
worn into furrows by the weather; and in some places,
where several channels of rain have united together,
these furrows are of great depth, and penetrate a
considerable way into the mound. The summit is
covered with heaps of rubbish, in digging into some
of which, layers of broken burnt brick, cemented with
mortar are discovered, and whole bricks with in
scriptions on them are here and there found: the
whole is covered with innumerable fragments of
pottery, brick, bitumen, pebbles, vitrified brick or
scoria, and even shells, bits of glass, and mother-of-
pearl. On asking a Turk how he imagined these
latter substances were brought there, he replied,
without the least hesitation, "By the deluge."
There are many dens of wild beasts in various parts,
in one of which I found the bones of sheep and other
animals, and perceived a strong smell like that of a
lion. I also found quantities of porcupine quills, and
in most of the cavities are numbers of bats and owls.
It is a curious coincidence, that I here first heard the
oriental account of satyrs. I had always imagined
the belief of their existence was confined to the
mythology of the west: but a tchoadar, who was
with me when I examined this ruin, mentioned by
accident, that in this desert an animal is found, re
sembling a man from the head to the waist, but