'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in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon.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.' [‎147] (235/474)

ruins of babylon.
have long been accustomed to observe the changes
in the courses of rivers, from having lived ten years
on the banks of one subject to them in a most
remarkable degree. The Euphrates is by no means
so variable : the lowness of its banks affording a
facility for its discharging the superabundance of
its waters by the means of canals and inundations,
renders it not liable to a complete alteration of its
course. The strong embankment built by the
Babylonian monarchs was intended to prevent the
overflow, not to secure its running in one channel
and ever since the embankment was ruined the
river has expended itself in periodical inundations.
This is the case in many parts of its progress; for
instance, at Felugiah, the inundation from whence
covers the whole face of the country as far as the
walls of Bagdad ; and the river itself has, to the
best of my information, constantly flowed at that
place in the same channel, without any variation.
At Hillah, notwithstanding the numerous canals
drawn from it, when it rises it overilows many
parts of the western desert; and on the east it
insinuates itself into all the hollows and more level
parts of the ruins, converting them into lakes and
morasses. This will sufficiently account foi many
appearances in those ruins which might surprise
those who had not adverted to the circumstance.
The Khezail district at such times is in many parts
completely inundated ; and still further down, since
a dvke which used to be kept up at a considerable
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