"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎١‎٥‎٧] (٤٧٤/٢٤٥)

ruins of babylon.
157
annual rent. It is crossed by a bridge of one small
arch, and differs in no respect from the multitude
of other canals which traverse this country.
In the foregoing remarks I have taken for
granted, what indeed appears to be now the general
belief, that the ruins at Hillah are those of Babylon.
I have myself no doubt of the fact; but as Major
Rennell has hinted a possibility of there having been
another town here, I think it but fair to state all that
can be urged in favour of such a supposition. The
canals which run along the southern side of the
Mujelibe are called New and Old Neel, the latter of
which it is said to be very ancient. This fact be
comes interesting when we find A1 Neel mentioned
in history as the name of a place or district; but the
notices we have of this place are very few and
meagre. Abulfeda * says 'iU Neel is
between Bagdad and Coufah." In Assemani I find
a bishop of A1 Neel, Nilus, in Babylonia mentioned
in a.d , 1028. He was one of the suffragans in the
patriarch's own province. Amrus, in the " Life of St.
Elias," says there was but one bishop for Naamania,
A1 Neel, and Badraya, a village near Koche; from
which there is some reason to infer that those places
were near each othei-.f The Turkish geographer
mentions A1 Neel in his list of the districts of Bag
dad ; and in the particular description says no more
than " Nil is a district containing several villages, with
* Takweem ul Boldan.
t Assemani, vol. iii. p. 766.