'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in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon.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.' [‎310] (453/474)

310
APPENDIX.
[NO. IX.
fresh, the whole substance was of a snowy whiteness, and
had a shining appearance, like the finest mineral salts, or
like the fibres of the glass feathers made in England. On
merely touching it lightly with the finger, it came off in a
white powder on the flesh, like the substance left on the
fingers after touching a butterfly's wing; and on at
tempting with a knife to take off the. layer itself, as a whole,
it fell to pieces like the white ashes of a thoroughly-burnt
piece of wood, and, from the extreme lightness of the
particles, was instantly dispersed in the air."
Buckingham's Travels in Assyria, —Quarto edition, p. 438—445.
Sir R. K. Porter thus describes A1 Hheimar :—
November 22nd — f<r Another gigantic object worthy of
note lay pretty far on the eastern side of the Euphrates ; and
again attended by my escort,, I set forth this morning to resume
my researches in that quarter. The pile in view is called
A1 Hymer. Its distance from the western suburb of Hillah
cannot be less than eight miles and a half; and from the
eastern bank of the Euphrates opposite Anana^ in a direct
line^ it may be about seven miles and a half. On clearing
the gardens in the vicinity of Hillalv we bent our course
N. 30 E. for full an hour. The country as usual was
perfectly flat^ except where interrupted by the endless
traversings of old canal beds ; some of which are of prodi
gious width, and of an answering depth and steepness,
often so abrupt as to be exceedingly troublesome to pass.
Those of largest dimensions generally run S. E. and N. W-,
and the lesser, N. and E. * * * *
" Having ridden an hour, we took a direction due E.^
crossing, at different distances, three other canals in a course
from N. to S.; the last of the three was very wide, and not