'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in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon.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.' [‎131] (219/474)

ANCIENT BABYLON.
to the brick pile, should have been particularised. A
knowledge of the former is more particularly wanted
to enable us to judge whether the body of the conical
hill be artificial or otherwise.
But, notwithstanding, Mr. Rich has, by his draw
ing and description, put the public in possession of
what is, in its nature and description, a new dis
covery ; for even M. Niebuhr's account of it leaves
us to suppose it to have been no more than a large
ruined tower, rising out of a mass of rubbish.
But whatsoever may be the nature of the Nimroud
Birs, whether natural or artificial, it is so far distant
from the centre of the remains, taken for those of
Ancient Babylon at large, that it may be regarded as
out of the question in respect of its being the Tower
of Belus, which is described to have occupied the
centre, whilst the Birs is seven miles and a half from
the Kasr, eight and a half from the Mujelibe; so
that it could not even be included within the area of
Babylon, according to the above facts and descrip
tions found in Mr. Rich's Memoir.*
* On the sketch I have placed the Birs according to M. Niebuhr s
bearing from Hillah; which is west, 27| degrees southerly. Mr.
Rich reckons it south-west; in which case it would be no less than
94 miles from the Mujelibe.
Mr. Rich has made an observation respecting an appendage to
the Nimroud Birs, which is common also to two other structures in
the same quarter. He says, p. 76, 44 at a trifling distance from the
Birs, and parallel with its eastern face, is a mound not inferior to the
Kasr in elevation, but much longer than it is broad. Al Heimar,
which bears, on a smaller scale, some resemblance to the Biis, and
Akerkouf, a ruin in the quarter of Bagdad, have similar dependent
mounds (p. 79, 80, 81). None is mentioned at the Mujehbe.
K 2