lint

if

:'- • ; ^

Eet. <s?4

/fAeM7^c^

THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

c
THE

THRONES AND PALACES

BABYLON AND NINEVEH

FROM SEA TO SEA

A THOUSAND MILES ON HORSEBACK

"Look ye ! master traveller, unless ye note something worth the seeing, and come
home wiser than ye went, I would not give a stag's horn for all your travels." Old Play.

By JOHN P. NEWMAN D.D.
MEMBER OF THE LONDON SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS
FRANKLIN SQUARE
1876

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1 875, by
Harper & Brothers,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at 'Washington.
Eel . qif.

Inscription.

TO HER WHO WAS THE CHOICE OF MY YOUTH, WHO IS THE JOY OF MY
MANHOOD, WHO ACCOMPANIED ME IN MY TOUR AROUND THE
WORLD, WHOSE LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL, APPRECIATION
OF THE ANTIQUE, AND ENTHUSIASM IN EXPLO
RATION WERE TO ME A PERPETUAL
INSPIRATION, THIS VOLUME
IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. JOHN P. NEWMAN.
Washington, D. C, October 5, 1875.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Up the Persian Gulf. — Brilliant Anticipations. — Memorable Historic Lands.
- — Preparations for the Journey. — Our Party. — Steamer Burmah. — En
glish Travelers. — Pilgrims to the Shrine of Dwaka. — Kurrachee. — Its
History and Commerce. — Civilizations Compared. — Worshiping Alliga
tors. — Oriental Gamblers. — Looking for a Harbor. — Guadur. — Appear
ance and History of Muscat. — Its King and his Kingdom. — Delicious
Dates. — Ornamented Women. — Reign and Ports of the Portuguese. —
Terrible Massacre. — Sunset at Sea. — Arabian and Persian Mountains.
— Persian Gulf Described. — Bunder Abbas. — Portuguese and Ormuz. —
Fire-worshipers. — Islands in the Persian Gulf. — Kishm and Larrack.
— Lingah. — Pearl-divers of Bahrein. — Pearl-fisheries.— Costly Pearls —
A Sea of Blood. — Bushire. — Tragic Scenes. — England's Lion Share-
Ancient and Modern Persia. — Brilliant Phosphorescent Display. — Slow
ness of the Orientals. — Dreadful Storm. — Farewell to the Persian Gulf.
— Great Shaat-el-Arab. — Beautiful River Scenery. — Sheikh of Mahome-
rah. — First Stage of our Journey Ended. — Commerce of Busrah. — En
chanting Rivulet. — Busrah. — Home of Sindbad the Sailor. — Ancient
Ruins. — Garden of Eden  Page 17
CHAPTER II.
Historic Lands. — Anticipations and Emotions. — Steamer City of London. —
The Three Great Rivers. — Confluence of the Tigris and of the Euphrates.
— Steaming up the Shaat-el-Arab. — The Floods Prevail. — Shepherds and
their Flocks. — The Garden of Eden. — Its Appearance. — Inhabitants and
History. — Sail up the Tigris. — Wild Boars of the Forest. — Daring and
Successful Lion-hunt. — Tomb of the Prophet Ezra. — Scenes on the Banks
of the Tigris. — Grand Mountains. — Arab Villages. — Ruins of Ancient Se-
leucia and Ctesiphon. — First View of Bagdad. — Guests of Captain Hol
land. — Wonders of Bagdad. — The People, Bazaars, Mosques, Churches,
Tombs, Baths, Jews, and Christians of the City of " The Thousand and
One Nights." — Turkish Railroads. — Commerce with the United States. —
American Petroleum the Light of the World  G3

1 2 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER III.

Five Days among the Ruins of Ancient Babylon.— Preparations for the
Journey. — Early Start. — Bridge of Boats. — Crowd of People. — Celebrated
Tombs. — Raising Water. — Luncheon by the Way-side. — First View of the
Ancient Ruins. — The Pilgrim's Khan. — First Night among the Ruins. —
Again in the Saddle. — Ancient Walls. — Arab Villages. — Telegraph Poles.
— The Old Canals. — Remains of Belshazzar's Palace. — The Famous Hang
ing Gardens. — Daniel's Lion's Den. — Harps on the Willows. — Rivers of
Babylon. — The Euphrates. — Immense Palm-groves. — Bridge of Boats. —
Modern Hillah. — Our Khan. — American Petroleum. — Telegraph Station.
— Call upon the Pasha. — Playing with a Lion. — Sail on the Euphrates. —
A Night in Hillah. — Start for the Tower of Babel. — Dangers in the Way.
— Wonderful Ruins. — Ascend the Tower of Babel. — The Fiery Furnace. —
The Glory of Babylon. — Progress of its Decline. — Prophecy Fulfilled. —
The Warriors of the Desert. — Return to Bagdad  Page 122
CHAPTER IV.
Sail on the Tigris. — Perilous Situation. — Shrines of Kathimain. — Modes of
Traveling. — Making a Bargain. — Departure from Bagdad. — First Night's
Experience. — Half-way House. — Delli Abbass. — Adam's Fleas. — Den of
Robbers. — Hills of Hamreen. — Beautiful Flowers. — Karateppeh. — Storks,
and their Habits. — Jebarah Portrayed. — War of Words. — Walking Qual
ities of the Arab. — Town of Kifri. — Turkish Soldiers. — Day of Rest. —
Storm on the Desert. — Crossing the Dreaded Dooz. — Dooz Khurmuttee.
— Changeless East. — Conscripts. — Dandy Officer. — Village of Tavok. —
Singing Dervish. — Robbers. — American Songs. — City of Kerkook. — Trav
eling with the Pasha's Wives. — Excitement in the Hills. — Altoon Kupri.
— Remarkable Bridge. — Ancient Arbela. — Battle between Darius and Al
exander the Great. — Greater Zab. — A Night with the Shepherds. — Hab
its and Customs of the Bedouins. — Eleventh Day Out. — Domes of Mosul,
and Gates of Nineveh. — Crossing the River. — Mine Host. — Mr. Rassam. —
Splendid Residence. — City of Mosul. — Mosques, Churches, and Bazaars. —
Easter-Sunday. — Elegant Ladies  185
CHAPTER V.
Among the Ruins of Ancient Nineveh. — Historical and Scriptural Allusions.
— Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter. — Asshur and his Colony. — Extent and Du
ration of the Assyrian Empire. — Extent and Glory of Nineveh. — Its Walls,
Gates, and Palaces.— Identity of its Ruins. — Jonah's Visit to Nineveh. —
His Mission and his Tomb. — Sail down the Euphrates. — Beautiful Scen
ery. — Selamiyah— Donkey-ride. — Birthplace of Saladin. — Great Image of
Nebuchadnezzar. — Exploring the Ruins. — :Tower of Nimroud. — Ancient

CONTENTS. 13
Temples.— Wonderful Sculptures.— Palace of Asshurizir-pal.— Splendid
Remains. — Palaces of Shalmaneser II., and of Tiglath-pileser II. — The
Marble Obelisk.— Palace of Esar-haddon. — God Nebo. — Horrid Night
with the Arabs.— Return to Mosul.— Grand Palace of Sennacherib, and
its Magnificent Sculpture.— Annals and Will of Sennacherib.— Palace of
Sardanapalus, and its Splendid Bass-reliefs.— Assyrian Wars.— Fall of
Nineveh.— The Last Battle.— Prophecy Fulfilled  Pago 253
CHAPTER VI.
Discovery of the Royal Library of Asshur-bani-pal. — Rawlinson on the Nat
ure and Style of Assyrian Writing.— Eminent Cuneiform Scholars. — Lay-
ard's History of the Process of Deciphering the Cuneiform Characters.
— Triumphant Success.— Specimens of the Translated Tablets..— Prom
issory Note.— Bill for the Sale of Slaves. — Deed of Conveyance. — Relig
ious Views of the Assyrians. — Forms of Prayer.— Death of a Righteous
Man. — Harmony between the Bible and the Assyrian Records. — Daniel
in the Lion's Den, and his Companions in the Fiery Furnace. — Modes of
Punishment. — Chaldean Account of the Creation and of the Deluge by
Berosus. — Original Account of the Flood by the Assyrians, Discovered
by Mr. Smith, and his more recent Translation of the Same. — Copy of the
Record. — Its Agreement and Disagreement with the Bible. — Probable
Future Discoveries, and their Bearing on Biblical Interpretation. — What
the United States should do in the Work of Exploration  321
CHAPTER VII.
Christianity in the East. — Origin of the Nestorians. — Their Great Learning.
— Their Vast Missions. — Letter from Mr. Hormuzd Rassam on the Eastern
Churches. — Syrian Jacobites. — Syrian Catholics. — Chaldean Nestorians. —
Their Chaldean Origin. — Opinions of Ancient and Modern Authors. —
Language of the Chaldeans. — History and Creed of the Nestorians. —
Their Present and Their Future  :  362
CHAPTER VIII.
Departure from Mosul. — Horseback Ride of Six Hundred Miles. — Last
View of Nineveh. — First Day's Ride. — A Night with the Devil-worship
ers. — Hills of Kurdistan. — The Kurds. — Stuck in the Mud. — Xenophon's
Retreat. — Sabbath of Feshapoor. — Crossing the Tigris. — Traveling in
Mesopotamia. — Girls of Uznaoor. — Beautiful Scenery. — Nisibeen and the
Nestorians. — Roman Ruins at Dara. — The True Ararat. — Heights of Mar-
deen. — American Mission. — Jacobite Christians. — Missionary Meeting. —
Dance of the Devil-worshipers. — Attacked by Robbers. — Great Caravan.
—No Water. — Beautiful Orfah.— Abraham's Fishes and Birthplace. — Ur

14 CONTENTS.
of the Chaldees. — Armenian Christians and their Creed. — A Letter to
Christ. — American Church. — Roman Roads and Reservoirs. — Milking
Sheep. — Picturesque Town of Birijik. — Crossing the Euphrates. — Travel
ing in Syria. — American Petroleum. — Three Hundred Camels, and their
Habits. — Aleppo and its People. — A Funeral. — Commerce. — American
Mission. — A Beautiful Lady. — Charming Scenery. — The Flood. — Roman
Roads. — Wild Pass of Beylan. — First View of the Sea. — End of the
Journey  Page 392

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Pagk
the garden op eden  Frontispiece.
MAP OF ROUTE FROM BOMBAY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA  To face 17
idol temple at dwaka  22
feeding the sacred crocodiles  28
city of muscat  33
the pearl-fisher  46
wild boar of the tigris  73
a lion hunt  76
tomb of ezra  79
ancient ctesiphon  90
captain Holland's house  97
market-place of bagdad  105
native christian women  115
THE KHAN  126
ANCIENT BABYLONIAN CANALS  132
BELSHAZZAR'S PALACE  135
HANGING GARDENS  139
DANIEL'S LIONS' DEN  142
THE CHARM-BOWL  143
TOMB OF EZEKTEL  150
TOWER OF BABEL  153
BRICK FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL  154
PLAN OF ANCIENT BABYLON  »  163
FIGHTING PILGRIMS  181
BRIDGE OF BOATS AT BAGDAD  187
TOMBS OF KATHIMAIN  190
TOMB OF ZOBEIDA  191
A KHAJAWAH  196
INTERIOR OF A KHAN  201
TOWN OF KTFRI  "  210
RAFT ON THE TIGRIS  233
SHEPHERD'S TENT  235
ARAB MAN AND WOMAN  239

!(} ILLUSTRATIONS. Pack
CITY OF MOSUL  241
LANDING AT MOSUL  244
INTERIOR OF A HOUSE AT MOSUL  245
JOSEPH ADO  250
ENTRANCE TO A TEMPLE  266
TUNNEL IN THE TOWER OF NIMROUD  267
ENTRANCE TO A TEMPLE  269
STATUE OF A KING  271
ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT HALL OP THE NORTH-WEST PALACE  273
EXCAVATIONS  275
TIGLATH-PILESER IN HIS CHARIOT  279
THE GOD NEBO  283
THE MOUNDS OF KUYUNJIK  287
A WINGED BULL  290
TOMB OF THE PROPHET JONAH, AND THE RIVER KHAUSSER  292
PALACE OP SENNACHERIB RESTORED  294
BASS-RELIEFS  296
SCULPTURES IN RELIEF  298
REMOVAL OF A COLOSSAL LION  301
SENNACHERIB ON HIS THRONE  304
PLACING A HUMAN-HEADED BULL IN POSITION  305
INSCRIBED TABLETS  308
INSCRIPTIONS ON THE WINGED BULLS  309
JEWISH CAPTIVES  313
TORTURING THE CAPTIVES  316
SPECIMEN OF A CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTION  329
THE DELUGE TABLETS  349
CHAMBER WHERE THE TABLETS WERE FOUND  351
nORMUZD RASSAM  366
A TUKHTERAVAN  393
VALLEY OF SHEIKH ADI  398
CHIEF OF THE DEVIL-WORSHIPERS  400
DANCE OF THE DEVIL-WORSHIPERS  '.  401
HIGH-PRIEST OF THE DEVIL- WORSHIPERS  403
YEZIDI WOMEN  404
KURDISH WOMEN  405
CHRISTIAN GIRLS OF UZNAOOR  414
GREEK AND ROMAN REMAINS AT NISIBEEN  417
CITY OF MARDEEN  421
CITY OF ORFAH  429
ABRAHAM'S MOSQUE AND POOL  433
TOWN OP BIRIJIK  439
THE DROMEDARY  446
ARAB CAMELS  447
HALT OF A CARAVAN  449

Bunpooro
VBunder-Abljas

rawan \ f
\ dsiM1^ Was. VG^avV\T
'i^OOCH^TA^
f^' \ t£t;Kedge J^ \*
\ Vj 0Koolaj Beila I \Hyora,aab

MAP OF
ROUTE from BOMBAY
TO THE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
 Scale of miles 

7Q Buiaoll & Strathern

THRONES AND PALACES

OF

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

CHAPTER I.
Up the Persian Gulf. — Brilliant Anticipations. — Memorable Historic Lands.
— Preparations for the Journey. — Our Party. — Steamer Burmah. — En
glish Travelers. — Pilgrims to the Shrine of Dwaka. — Kurrachee. — Its
History and Commerce. — Civilizations Compared. — Worshiping Alliga
tors. — Oriental Gamblers. — Looking for a Harbor. — Guadur. — Appear
ance and History of Muscat. — Its King and his Kingdom. — Delicious
Dates. — Ornamented Women. — Keign and Forts of the Portuguese. —
Terrible Massacre. — Sunset at Sea. — Arabian and Persian Mountains.
— Persian Gulf described.— Bunder Abbas. — Portuguese and Ormuz. —
Fire -worshipers. — Islands in the Persian Gulf. — Kishm and Barrack.
— Lingah. — Pearl-divers of Bahrein. — Pearl-fisheries. — Costly Pearls. —
A Sea of Blood. — Bushire. — Tragic . Scenes. — England's Lion Share. —
Ancient and Modern Persia. — Brilliant Phosphorescent Display. — Slow
ness of the Orientals. — Dreadful Storm. — Farewell to the Persian Gulf.
— Great Shaat-el-Arab. — Beautiful River Scenery. — Sheikh of Mahome-
rah. — First Stage of our Journey Ended. — Commerce of Busrah. — En
chanting Rivulet. — Busrah. — Home of Sindbad the Sailor. — Ancient
Ruins. — Garden of Eden.
The lights along the lengthened bund* burned dimly
as we steamed out of the spacious harbor of Bombay.
The evening star shone over the Caves of Elephanta.
The elegant villas and woodland slopes of Malabar Hill
were on our right when we made our exit to the sea.
We were en route to the most ancient and renowned

* Wharf in India.
2

18 • TBEONES AND PALACES OF
lands known ,to history, whose monumental ruins be
speak a civilization earlier than that of Greece and
Rome, and whose exhumed annals contain the record of
events coeval with our race. The dreams of other years
were soon to be realized, and long-maturing plans were
at the point of consummation. Guided by the studies
of former days, the imagination dwelt with delight upon
the pleasures that awaited us. We were to enjoy the
delicious excitement of
"Moonlight over Oman's sea;"
scent afar the spicy breezes of "Araby the blest;" linger in
the date-groves of Muscat ; gather pearls from the shores
of Bahrein ; behold " Kishm's fair isle ;" roam through the
Garden of Eden ; sail up the Tigris and the Euphrates ;
stand on the Tower of Babel, and explore the ruins of
ancient Babylon ; stroll through the bazaars of Bagdad,
the city of " The Thousand and One Nights ;" examine
the remains of Nineveh, and wander through the palace
of Sennacherib ; traverse the whole length of Mesopota
mia, where Job lived, where Abraham was born, where
Jacob wooed his beautiful Rachel ; pass over the battle
fields of Cyrus, of Alexander, and Trajan ; follow the " Re
treat of Xenophon and the Ten Thousand ;" visit Nisibis
of the Nestorians, Mount Masius of the Romans, and An-
tioch, where " the disciples were first called Christians."
Such was the fascinating; vision that floated before our
imagination, and allured us by its entrancing hopes. It
was not easy, however, to obtain accurate and reliable
information necessary to make the tour. The route is
not frequented by ordinary travelers, and only a few
have made the journey for research and exploration.
Nine-tenths of the persons of whom we made inquiries
discouraged the attempt. We were told that terrific

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 19
storms frequent the Persian Gulf; that robbers* infest
those countries ; that competent guides could not be ob
tained ; that there were no places of entertainment for the
accommodation of the traveler; that numberless streams,
swollen by the melted snows from the Hamreen .and
Taurus Mountains, would prove impassable ; and that a
journey of a thousand miles on horseback must be per
formed. Stories were related of personal hardship, of
robberies and murders, and confirmed by Buckingham,
by Ainsworth, by Layard. But occasionally we had met
some brave, hopeful, intelligent person, whose encour
aging words were an inspiration. And, fortunately, we
were favored with letters of commendation from the
high officials of British India to the English consul at
Bushire, at Busrah, and at Bagdad.
Happily our party was small. If great hardships were
to be endured, there were but few to suffer. If lives
were to be sacrificed, there were only three to die. One
of our companions was a lady whom we had known for
eighteen beautiful years, and could rely upon her cour
age in danger, her endurance in fatigue, her enthusiasm
in exploration. The other compagnon de voyage was a
gentleman who had seen the beauty of sixty summers,
who was quiet, intelligent, and brave.*
Our steamer was the Burmdh, of the British India
Steamship Navigation Company, and was bound for
Busrah, on the Shaat-el-Arab, the end of the first stage
of our journey. Of a thousand tons, the Burmah proved
an admirable steamer. Her saloon was large, tastefully
ornamented, and furnished with mirrors, sofas, and a li
brary. The state-rooms were not inferior in size and
convenience to those on the Atlantic and Pacific steamers.
* Mr. C. B. Collins, of New York.

20 TBBONES AND PALACES OF
The bill of fare was good, the attendance excellent, and
the officers were competent and gentlemanly. Our cap
tain was a thorough seaman, and a thorough English
man. He was" a sailor among his crew, a gentleman,
among his passengers. His vigilance knew no cessa
tion ; and although the first officer was one of the most
efficient seamen I have ever met, yet the captain re
mained on deck from sunset to sunrise. In conversation
he was genial and entertaining. He was familiar with
the ancient and modern history of the Persian Gulf, and
seemed happiest when reciting some legend of the sea.
Although small of stature, he was every whit a man.
Gifted with a merry laugh, he drove dull care away.
Born to command, his stentorian voice rose above the
storm. He had the habit of omitting the A where he
should have put it, and of putting it where it did not
belong. One day when sailing along the Persian coast,
I inquired : " Captain, what peaks are those ?" " Those
hare the Hass's Hears, sir," was his aspirated response.
On board the Burmah was an English party bound
for Bagdad, and consisted of the Hon. E. H. Ellis, his
mother, Lady Howard de Walden, and his sister, the
Hon. Miss Ellis. He was a young gentleman of fortune,
and traveled for pleasure. His previous voyage over
the same route had made him familiar with every island,
peak, and river, and his genial manners rendered him a
delightful companion. He was an amateur photogra
pher, and his proficiency in the art is best evinced by
some of the pictures that illustrate this volume. His
mother and sister kept a pictorial journal of their tour,
and sketched in colors each town and temple and ruined
tower, each quiet bay and beetling crag, each emerald
isle and palm-date grove, with a rapidity and accuracy
that excited our admiration. Stately in her bearing as

Mllllisllllw

^li

iiKp^^P

i

IDOL TEMPLE AT DWAKA.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 23
a queen, the mother was a lady of much culture, and of
extensive reading. The daughter displayed less reserve
of manner, and gave expressions to her wit, which was
as brilliant as it was caustic.
The first night at sea had passed, and the morning
found us on the Indian Ocean, whose waters lave the dis
tant shores of Arabia, and form the western boundary
of British India, a prize coveted oft by earth's greatest
conquerors. The wind blew hard, and the waves ran
high ; but as the day declined and we neared the land,
the sea became calm :
"All hush'd, there's not a breeze in motion,
The shore is silent as the ocean.
If zephyrs come, so light they come,
Nor leaf is stirr'd, nor wave is driven."
At nine o'clock on Sunday morning we dropped anch
or in the harbor of Dwaka, three hundred miles from
Bombay. The small village of Dwaka is on a white
sandy beach, and is the site of one of the richest idol-
temples in India. We had stopped to land two hundred
and fifty Hindoo pilgrims, who had come to offer their
devotions at this most sacred shrine. The occasion was
a mela, which occurs once in twenty-five years, and thith
er these devotees had journeyed to worship and to pay.
On leaving port, they had expressed their superstition
by throwing cocoa-nuts into the sea to insure a pleasant
voyage ; but the gods of the deep had been indifferent to
their offerings, and the sea continued rough. The wom
en were extravagantly ornamented with ivory anklets,
with gold ear-rings, and with silver rings in their noses;
but they were thinly clad, and suffered much in the keen
winds of February. According to report, these Hindoos
save the earnings of a quarter of a century, to present
them at this famous shrine ; and such is the accumulated

24 ' THRONES AND PALACES OF
wealth of the temple, that the eyes of the gods are dia
monds, and the priests live in princely magnificence,
Dwaka is a walled city, and within the walls is a spa
cious arcaded court, adorned with miniature temples.
In the centre of the court stands the great temple, a clus
ter of buildings, crowned with a dome of white marble,
above which is a pinnacle of the same material, magnif
icently gilded. In the sea-front of the tower are a series
of ornamental balconies, and from its peak floated a ban
ner bearing a curious device. To witness their devo
tions, we joined the vast procession of pilgrims, who
pressed, with boisterous excitement, toward the idol-
shrine. All the streets, all parts of the court, the temple
itself, and the tower thereof, were filled with worship
ers, whose offerings to the idol amounted to millions of
rupees. From the temple the idolaters, old and young,
male and female, priest and layman, hastened to the sa
cred tank, and to the streams that issued therefrom, and
plunged tumultuously therein, believing that the waters
were efficacious to wash away their sins. The enthusi
asm of the devotees rose to madness ; and, to prevent
injurious results to life and limb, the soldiers on guard
interfered, but with more violence than discretion.
In the gray of the next morning we sighted the red
bluffs of Kurrachee, and soon thereafter saw the long, low,
sandy beach, with irregularly formed hills beyond, and
vast, gloomy mountains extending far away to the north
east. At noon we approached Manora Point, whereon is
a light-house one hundred and nineteen feet above the
level of the sea, and seen on a clear night a distance of
seventeen miles. From the highest bluff floated the En
glish flagj and within the bay were steamers, men-of-war,
and native boats, quietly at anchor. As the bar across
the mouth of the harbor is ever shifting, dredging-ma-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 25
chines were employed to keep the channel open. From
Manora Point there has been constructed a stone break
water a thousand feet long, and on its extreme point is
an iron lantern, wherein a fire is placed at night. The
view from the deck of our steamer was exceedingly pict
uresque. On our left were the Government buildings,
and near them was a pretty Gothic church ; on our right
was beautiful Clifton ; to the north-east was Kiamari ; and
near us were rocks carved by the waves into fantastic
forms. The most conspicuous object was Trinity Church,
whose square tower is one hundred and fifty feet high,
erected by a seaman to guide the inward-bound mariner.
Situated near the mouth of the ancient Indus, Kur-
rachee has a historical and commercial interest of more
than ordinary significance. It was here that Alexander
the Great, returning from his expedition into India, em
barked to join his fleet on the Persian Gulf, under the
command of Nearchus ; and for a thousand years there
after Kurrachee was the seat of an extensive trade.
Prior to the eighth and ninth centuries of our era, the
Red Sea was the chief channel of trade between India
and Europe ; but after the Mohammedans had seized
Egypt, the merchants of the East sought a new channel
of commerce through the Persian Gulf and the valley of
the Euphrates. Since the decay of the Mohammedan
power, trade has returned to the Red Sea, but not to the
disadvantage of Kurrachee. Under British rule, it is the
sea-port of the rich province of Sinde, and of the whole
valley of the Indus, from Cashmere to the Indian Ocean.
It is the most north-westerly port of British India, and
the coming rival of Bombay for the trade of the great
North-west. A railroad is now in process of construction
along the banks of the Indus, extending from Kurrachee
to Moultan, to Lahore and Peshawar, and, when com-

26 THRONES AND PALACES OF
pleted, will not only connect Kurrachee with all parts
of Northern and Central India, but will bring to its har
bor the products of the Sinde, of the Punjab, of Afghan
istan, and of Cashmere. At present, large quantities of
cotton, wool, wheat, indigo, hides, and horns are brought
here for shipment. In 1878, the imports were valued at
nearly $5,000,000, and the exports exceeded that amount.
During our late war, Kurrachee was the principal port
for the shipment of Indian cotton, which was raised in
the valley of the Indus, and which gave considerable im
portance to the place ; but siuce the return of peace and
the re-appearance of American cotton in European mar
kets, the city has declined, and real estate is now sold
for a song. The present embarrassment, however, is only
temporary, and results from wild financial speculations
rather than from permanent causes. Under the new im
pulse from railroads, trade will rapidly revive. Sooner
or later, the Euphrates valley railroad will be an accom
plished fact ; and when that great work is done, Kurra
chee will be the second commercial emporium in British
India, and trade will be restored to one of the most an
cient channels of commerce known to history.
Here, as in other parts of India, the effete civilization
of the East is gradually succumbing to the better civili
zation of the West. By the liberality of the European
residents, a library of six thousand well - selected vol
umes has been opened to the public. Adjoining the li
brary is a museum, wherein are specimens of native min
erals and petrified wood ; a variety of cereals, of fishes,
of red and white corals ; a large number of stuffed birds,
of deer and wild goats, and a quantity of Sinde pottery,
rich and rare. Near the entrance to the museum are
two pillars, each one resting on the back of an elephant,
and each composed of a series of carved men and women

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 27
in the grotesque costumes of India. Those pillars are
the spoils of war. When the English captured the city
of Beyt, they blew up a famous idol temple therein, and
from the debris thereof carried away the pillars as the
trophies of victory.
Here, as elsewhere in India, the light of a purer faith
is sensibly dissipating the darkness of pagan superstition
and ignorance. Houses of mercy, schools of learning,
temples of piety, open their portals to the 30,000 idola
ters of insular Kiamari, and the results are as beneficent
as they are gratifying. But the darkness that remains
is palpable. In the small adjacent village of Mugga-
poor are performed idolatrous rites debasing to all that
is noble in man. .Thither the people go to worship al
ligators, regarded as sacred animals, and daily fed by
the idol priests. Near a temple, and within a large tank,
are twenty of those hideous creatures, which are treated
with more than human kindness. Pilgrims come from
afar to offer sheep and goats to these horrid monsters.
On the neighboring plains, the priestly shepherds keep
large flocks to supply the pious market at a cost of two
rupees per head. As an act of devotion, the pilgrim
throws the purchased sheep to the alligators, which fight
over the offering in a most ungodlike manner. But
feeding them with sheep is a great improvement com
pared with the horrid custom of the past, when mothers
threw their infants to the monsters that sported in the
Indus and the Ganges.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the Burmdh started
for Guadur, two hundred and eighty miles from Kur
rachee, and nearly eight hundred miles from Bombay.
The air was hazy, filled with a fine sand blown from the
distant shore of Beloochistan. On our right was Ras
Malan, where recently a whale had become entangled

28

THRONES AND PALACES OF

FEEDING THE SACBED CROCODILES.

with the submarine cable, and, failing to extricate him
self, had been completely devoured by the sharks. The
number of our passengers had been increased by an ad
dition of many Turks, Arabs, Persians, Jews, Parsees, and

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 29
Armenians. Whatever their wealth and their style of
living at home, these Orientals never travel as first-class
passengers. Their respect for caste, their religious super
stition, their mode of cooking and eating, their pastime
amusements, and their national self-conceit, render them
exclusive. They prefer to sleep on the deck rather than
in a well-furnished state-room, and to eat on their mat
rather than sit with Christians in an elegant saloon. As
they constitute the majority of travelers on all the steam
ers in the Far East, their wishes are respected, and the
whole deck is accorded to them. They prefer midships,
and the hatchway is their favorite resort. Once in pos
session of this, they will fight for it to the death. Rows
frequently occurred, and blood was shed in the struggle
for this preferable spot. Our hatchway amidships was
held by five Arabs — four men and a boy. They were
of the better class of their race, and their costume was
of the gayest colors. Each one was a walking armory,
and was armed with a Damascus blade, a nicely curved
cimeter, a brace of silver - mounted pistols, and a rifle
ornamented with mother-of-pearl. A Persian rug cov
ered the spot they occupied, on which they ate and
slept, prayed and gambled. At sunrise, at noon, at sun
set, they made long prayers, offered with many genuflec
tions. At sunset — fit emblem of man's dying hour —
they seemed most devout. The coming twilight, the si
lence of all nature sinking to rest, added to the solemnity
of the scene. Nothing diverted their attention. They
appeared unconscious of the eyes that gazed upon them.
How reverential was each act ! how measured each sen
tence of prayer! how exact each prostration before the
Lord and his prophet, Mohammed ! Yet their religion
allowed them to shed blood in defense of trivial and fan
cied rights. They retained possession of the hatchway

30 THRONES AND PALACES OF
even to blows, and threatened death to all intruders.
Theirs is the religion of the sword. " Blood for blood "
is a maxim of every-day life. The hours intervening be
tween their acts of solemn worship were spent in gam
bling. They gambled for gold, for the swords they car
ried, for the jewels they wore. Occasionally, the game
was suspended long enough for prayer, and then resumed
with renewed zest. Their love for a game of chance
was not peculiar to them, for it is a ruling passion in the
East. Gambling is universal in Japan and China, in
Persia and India, in the islands on the equator, in Egypt
and Palestine, in the cities of Asia Minor, in the palaces
of Constantinople, in the Turkish empire from the Per
sian Gulf to the banks of the Danube. Those who cast
lots on Mount Calvary for the seamless garment have
more followers than the prophet Mohammed.
We should have been at Guadur at 5 p.m. on the sec
ond day from Kurrachee ; but the fog was dense, the har
bor difficult to enter, the officers indifferent to the lapse
of time, and fearful to make a bold venture. As night
came on we slowed, and moved at the rate of a mile an
hour till morning. The fog and the darkness passed
simultaneously away. The sun rose clear and bright,
but no one knew where we were. For twenty hours
we steamed up and down the coast, looking for the har
bor. Each man had his opinion, charts were consulted,
landmarks were scanned, and each mountain and inlet
was carefully viewed through the glass. It was appar
ent to every one that we were all at sea. For three
hours we ran along the bold white bluffs of Ras Noo.
All agreed that we were near the place. At length we
sighted the low white sandy beach extending from Ras
Noo to Castle Hill, a bluff five hundred feet high, com
posed of white rock, whose summit the elements had

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 31
wrought into the semblance of a castle, which had given
name to the place. Fancy could discern columns and
galleries and pinnacles, and, when viewed in the moon
light, seemed weird, like the haunted ruin of some for
saken palace.
It was high noon when we anchored in the harbor,
which, though difficult to find, is one of the best on the
coast. As Kurrachee is the most north-westerly port of
British India, so Guadur is the extreme north-western
limit of Beloochistan. It is an insignificant place, but
has long been the disputed ground between Beloochistan
and Persia, and the battle-field of many a struggle for
possession. It has a population of four Europeans and
three hundred natives, whose rags their poverty pro
claimed. Near it is a larger town, wherein is a tele
graph station, the only sign of a better civilization.
Once more afloat, we were now bound for Muscat,
Arabia, one thousand and twenty-five miles from Bom
bay, and located on the Gulf of Oman, which is interme
diate between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
The bold bluffs of Castle Hill and Ras Noo
"O'er the deep their shadows flung,"
as in the evening twilight we turned our prow toward
the Arabian shore. All that night, all the next day, all
the ensuing night, we steamed over a placid sea, not
faster than seven knots per hour. It was a run of two
hundred and forty-five miles, and occupied more than
thirty hours to accomplish. While yet the stars were
bright, we anchored in the outer harbor, and waited for
the dawn. And when the sun rose, the cove, the forts,
the city of Muscat, lay before us. On our right and on
our left were rock islands, the dreary home of fishermen
and pirates. From out the sea appeared rocks, six hun-

32 THRONES AND PALACES OF
dred feet high, and beyond them, and far inland, could be
seen the mountains of Northern Arabia. The increasing
light revealed the deep caves along the shore, that echoed
the roar of the waves ; and far up the rugged rocks ap
peared Arabs in white, climbing the narrow, winding
paths. Oil the boldest peaks were the old forts of the
Portuguese, now the watch-towers of the Arabians. Con
spicuous among the buildings of the town, were the
king's palace, the English residency, and the custom
house. The scene in the harbor was no less pleasing to
contemplate. The beautiful cove is a semicircle, and
therein fifty vessels can safely anchor at the same time.
A mile long and three-fourths of a mile wide, it is safe
and well sheltered. When we arrived, an English gun
boat, a Turkish man-of-war, and many coasting boats,
were at anchor in the quiet waters ol the bay.
Commercially and politically, Muscat has had an event
ful history. Three centuries -ago, Alphonso d' Albuquer
que, of Portugal, conquered all the islands of the Persian
Gulf, and the Portuguese held them till 1707, when the
Muscat Arabs gained the ascendency. On all the high
er rocks commanding the entrance to the harbor the
Portuguese constructed strong forts, that for two centu
ries bade defiance to Turk, to Arab, and Persian. Dur
ing all those years of possession and prosperity the mer
chants of Portugal controlled the commerce of the gulf,
and amassed immense fortunes. Under their prosperous
reign Muscat became a city of wealth and luxury, and
the genius and beauty of Europe adorned society ; and
under those Catholic conquerors, churches and monas
teries were built, and priest and monk held undisputed
sway. In the rocks by the sea are the cells of the an
chorites, while here and there may be seen the prostrate
column of some grand cathedral. But all now is changed.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

33

The Portuguese were expelled by the Arabs. The ca
thedral became a mosque, the monastery became a ha
rem, and from the summit of the rocks the monk and
the nun were cast into the sea. Ten thousand Chris
tians were massacred. The recluse was burned to death
in his cell ; the priest was sabred at the holy altar ; and
the Sister of Mercy, with her helpless orphans, were hurled
from the precipice, and dashed against the rocks below.

CITY OP MUSCAT.

Originally, the kingdom of Oman embraced the south
eastern section of Arabia, from Ras-ool-Hud, on the
south, to Zobara, on the north-eastern coast. It consisted
of two principalities ; the capital of one was Rastag, and
the capital of the other was Julfar. The male portion
of the population was then estimated at eight hundred
thousand, and furnished an army of brave warriors. But
since the expulsion of the Portuguese, frequent quarrels
have occurred between the Arabs and the Persians, re
sulting now in Persian conquest and anon in Arab as-
3

34 THRONES AND PALACES OF
cendency. At present, Muscat is the capital of all that
portion of the former kingdom bounded by the Gulf of
Oman, and contains a population that fluctuates from ten
to thirty thousand. Still retaining somewhat of its for
mer commercial importance, the Banians are the brokers,
the Arabs are the merchants, and the king is the chief
trader. The present imaum, as he is sacredly called, is
an independent sultan, whose will is absolute, and whose
authority is maintained by the force of arms.
On going ashore, we called upon his majesty, who is
now in his forty-fifth year, but in feeble health. On the
left of the royal entrance is a lion's den, wherein was
a young lion, the plaything of the king's domestics.
Adjoining the palace is the sultan's harem, filled with
young and beautiful Arabian women. Opposite the
residence are the royal stables, well supplied with the
best native horses, that were cleaner and fatter than the
men who had them in charge. Near the palace is the
custom-house, which presented a busy scene. Extend
ing along the bund for hundreds of yards were stacks of
wheat, wool, and dates in sacks, ready for shipment to
foreign parts. The chief article of export is the Muscat
date, considered the finest in the world. From four to
six American vessels arrive here annually, and load with
dates for the United States. Those sent to America are
packed in bamboo sacks when fully ripe, by which proc
ess the rich juice is preserved, and hence they are called
" wet dates ;" but they are much inferior in flavor to
the " dried date," sold here in the bazaars, and which
constitute the principal article of food of the natives
when on a journey. Were these dried dates shipped to
America, they would be esteemed a luxury, and would
find a ready market. In 1833, a commercial treaty was
concluded between the United States and the Sultan of

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 35
Muscat that secured to us the advantages of an enlarged
trade ; but, owing to our limited merchant marine, En
gland controls the trade of this port. But England has
no other relations with the sultan than such as are stip
ulated by treaty, which, however, secures to her the su
perior advantage of the right to keep at all times one
gun-boat in the harbor, and by which she has a commer
cial advantage over all other nations.
From the custom-house we wandered through the
town, whose streets are crooked lanes, whose buildings
are hovels, whose bazaars are gloomy and filthy. The
bazaars were well supplied with English goods, with
wet and dried dates, and with native wares. Each
merchant had his gun by his side and a sabre in his
girdle, not only in accordance with universal custom, but
to protect his life and property, as neither is secure un
der the weak and miserable rule of the Mohammedan
sultan. The Arabs, who had come from their farm and
their fold to trade, were armed for battle and ready for
the fray. The Arab sleeps, eats, drinks, trades, works,
travels, marries, prays, and dies with his sabre, match
lock, and pistols on, ready for use at a moment's warning.
In the bazaars, women were winnowing grain, and men
selling their merchandise. Beauty is not an attribute
of the women of Muscat. They had rings in their ears,
rings on their toes, and rings in their npses, but beauty
nowhere. A single robe of blue cotton cloth covered
their person, and the tattered condition of that indicated
the poverty to which they are reduced by a false relig
ion and a despotic government.
From the market-place we ascended the rocks on the
right of the town, and entered the old Portuguese fort.
Over the entrance is the date "1588." Within the
walls are rusty English, Dutch, and Portuguese guns of

36 THRONES AND PALACES OF
large calibre; and on one is the date "1625." From the
parapet of the fort, six hundred feet high, the view of sea
and land was extensive and enchanting. Inland could
be seen the town, with its white buildings and the green
valleys beyond ; seaward, the prospect was grand and
boundless. Around us lay the ruins of former greatness;
and directly opposite was Fort Jilla Forsah, from whose
frowning parapet, and down whose rugged sides, monks
and nuns were hurled by their Mohammedan conquerors.
Amidst the golden splendor of an Arabian sunset, we
left Muscat for Bunder Abbas, two hundred and fifty
miles to the north-east, on the Persian shore. The peaks
of Oman were the last to cherish the fading light of de
parting day. A brief twilight, and the greater and lesser
stars came forth one by one to attend the crescent moon.
There was a calm in the sky; there was a calm on the
sea. On the Burmah, quiet had succeeded the excite
ment of the day. The thunder-tones of the little captain
had given place to notes of softness. Pilgrim, traveler,
and sailor felt the repose of the evening hour.
'"Twas the voice of nature calling
Earth's weary children to repose ;
While, round the couch of nature falling,
Gently the night's soft curtains close.
Soon o'er a world in sleep reclining,
Numberless stars throughout yond dark
Shall look, like eyes of cherubs shining
From out the veil that hides the Ark."
That was the last night of the week. The Christian
Sabbath dawned upon a land where its sanctity is unob
served, and where its benedictions are unknown. Our
Mohammedan passengers prayed and gambled ; the Per
sians ate and slept ; the Jews counted their money ; the
Parsees examined their accounts; the Armenians read

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 37
and sung ; and six Protestants assembled in the saloon
for Divine worship.
Late in the afternoon Ave sighted land — Arabia on the
west, Persia on the east. On either shore the mount
ains were lofty and imposing. On the Persian coast was
Ras Jashk, 1720 feet high ; beyond was Mount Danghir,
whose summit is 3133 feet above the level of the sea;
and rising above them all in glory was Mount Biss, the
height of whose highest peak is 4600 feet. On the
Arabian shore, the mountains were higher and bolder.
Mount Kewa rises 5800 feet above the level of the
Gulf; further on was Fire Peak, whose altitude is 4470
feet ; and higher and grander than all his fellows, was
Sham Peak, whose lofty brow is 6700 feet above the
surrounding plain. The summits of all the higher
mountains were covered with snow, reflecting the rosy
tints of the setting sun. When the day had ended, the
last zephyr ceased to breathe. The sea became as a
plate of glass, and the wake of our steamer through the
phosphorescent light shone like a path of silver. As
each wave rolled on with unbroken crest, it resembled
a silver scroll thricely polished.
During the night, we had passed the imaginary bound
ary of the Sea of Oman ; and when the morning came, we
were on the Persian Gulf, which is six hundred miles
long, from forty to two hundred miles wide, and has an
area of eighty thousand square miles. In outline it de
scribes a curve, and properly it is an arm of the Indian
Ocean. Its entrance is through the Arabian Sea, the
Gulf of Oman, and the Straits of Ormuz. The latter are
less than thirty miles wide. It receives the waters of
the Euphrates, of the Tigris, and of other less celebrated
rivers. If is frequented by terrific storms, destructive
alike to shipping and the towns along the coast. It is

38 THRONES AND PALACES OF
a classic sea, and rich in historic associations. In one of
its harbors Alexander the Great rejoined his fleet, com
manded by Nearchus ; and over its waters the great Mac
edonian general returned to Babylon, to revel in luxury
and to die in shame. During eventful wars, Greek and
Roman, Persian and Parthian, Portuguese and Briton,
have fought thereon for power and glory. On the bot
tom of this little inland sea are strewed the wrecks of the
mighty navies of Europe and Asia, and amidst its corals
are the bones of the gallant dead. For two centuries its
shores were the seat of European commerce and luxury.
One of its cities was the scene of some of the legends in
" The Thousand and One Nights." On one of its islands
lived the Fire- worshipers, described in Moore's famous
" Lalla Rookh." For many years it has been the resort of
pirates, whose bloody deeds are the bloodiest in piratical
annals. The Joassamee pirates have long bidden defiance
to Persia, to Turkey, and to England, and plundered the
merchantman thereon, cargoed with the "wealth of Or
muz and of Ind." Nor is their occupation gone. Not
a month before our arrival, they boarded a companion
steamer of the Burmah, wounded the officers, and stole
the immense treasure on board. And we were in like
danger ; but, happily, we were fully prepared to meet the
pirates. At two o'clock in the afternoon, we dropped anchor in
the harbor of Bunder Abbas. We were now in Persia,
whose warrior-kings fill so large a space in ancient and
modern history. Situated on a sandy plain of crescent
shape, Bunder Abbas is at the base of a lofty range of
mountains. So shallow is the water along the rocky
coast, that even small boats can not land. When with
in a hundred feet of the shore, we were carried to dry
land on the backs of the boatmen. Hundreds of Per-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 39
sians and Arabs crowded to see us, and followed us in
our wanderings through the town. Homely and un
tidy as were the women, they ran at the approach of
the strangers. They were veiled, but not to hide their
beauty, for with this they were not embarrassed. The
dwellings are of mud, without form or comeliness. The
custom-house has some pretensions to shape, and near it
is a round tower, but a poor defense. The village con
tains a post-office and an English residency. In the ba
zaars were luscious oranges, a hundred for a dollar ; and
Persian rugs, the best, twenty dollars each. South of
the town are extensive gardens, where the palm grows in
its beauty. In summer the air is as the blast of a fur
nace, and mortal vapors are exhaled from the earth : the
fields are then dry and black as if scorched with fire,
and the people fly to the mountains to escape the con
suming sirocco. Those mountains are high and grand.
To the south was Shemil, whose altitude is 8500 feet;
to the east was Ginnoch, 7690 feet above the sea; and
far away could be seen Mount Bukun, 11,000 feet above
the adjacent plain.
We were now at the centre of the commercial wealth
and luxury of the Portuguese in the sixteenth and in the
seventeenth century. On our right was "Kishm's fair
isle;" before us was Larrack ; on our left was Ormuz. Less
than twelve miles to the south-west of Bunder Abbas
the celebrated island of Ormuz is thirty miles in circum
ference. Its barren rocks are seven hundred feet high,
and the peaks thereof are covered with a transparent
ice-like incrustation of salt. Some of the soil is yellow
with sulphur, some gray with copper, some red with the
oxide of iron. Toward the south, the rocks rise from the
shore like a vast cyclopean wall. Ormuz is an island of
salt. In former days, the article was placed between the

40 THRONES AND PALACES OF
planks of ships to preserve them from the dry-rot ; and,
in later times, large quantities thereof were exported to
Arabia, and to ports on the Persian coast. It is the dri
est island on the globe. It contains no water, save what
is gathered from the clouds into immense reservoirs, some
of which are centuries old. Its present inhabitants num
ber four hundred, who fish by day and steal by night,
and are among the strictest followers of Mohammed.
But how changed the face of this once fair island !
Here lived in wealth and splendor forty thousand people.
The merchants of Portugal made it the emporium of
trade between Europe and India. Here were sold the
jewels of Bokhara, the blades of Damascus, the carpets
of Persia, the shawls of Cashmere, the spices of Ceylon,
and the fabrics of Europe. It was the most splendid
city in the East, the centre of fashion, and the seat of
learning. From all parts of the globe, merchants were
allured hither by the gains of trade, the splendor of the
entertainments, and the polish of its citizens. The streets
were covered with carpets ; linen awnings were suspend
ed from the tops of the houses, to afford shade and cool
ness ; the dwellings were adorned with gilded vases filled
with flowering shrubs and aromatic plants ; wines from
Persia, perfumes, and richest delicacies, tempted the ap
petite and intoxicated the senses ; the citizens ate from
plates of gold ; they were banqueted with the music of
the East, then in its highest perfection ; and beauty and
genius combined their charms to complete the circle of
delights. Camels laden with water were stationed in
the public squares for the use of the citizens and the ac
commodation of the traveler. In a word, extensive com
merce, universal opulence, refined luxury, politeness in
women, and gallantry in men, united to make the city
the seat of pleasure.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 41
Near the sea stood the palace of the captain -general,
whose extraordinary splendor was the burden of many a
song. From out the waters rose the castle, defended by
the bravest troops, and contiguous thereto was the lofty
column whose light, seen from afar, guided mariner and
merchant to this metropolis of wealth and luxury. It
was of this renowned city, in its palmy days, Milton sings :
" High on a throne of royal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormuz and of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand
Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted sat."
The last line is more than poetry — it is descriptive of
a historic fact, confirmed by the dissipations of the peo
ple, and the terrible wars which occurred.
Unable to conquer the Portuguese without the assist
ance of a foreign ally, the Persians formed an alliance
with the English, and the island was taken by storm in
1622. Nothing now remains of the former magnificence
of Ormuz but a fragment of the old fort rising out of the
sea, a portion of the conspicuous light-house that stood
between the fort and the higher rocks, and a few of the
large reservoirs designed for the accommodation of the
public. It was not destined, however, to pass into ob
livion, but rather to have other and better claims on the
attention of mankind. It has been the asylum of the
oppressed, and a city of refuge for the persecuted. When
the disciples of Zoroaster, resident in Persia, were perse
cuted beyond measure by their Mohammedan masters,
they fled to the caves of Ormuz for refuge, and, watching
their opportunity, they migrated to Bombay, where their
descendants are now known as the Parsees, who are dis
tinguished no less for their wealth than for their intelli
gence.

42 THRONES AND PALACES OF
At noon the next day we started for Lingah, one hun
dred and five miles up the Persian coast. We came in
between Ormuz and Larrack, and went out between Lar-
rack and Kishm. Larrack is the Icarus of Arrian, once
famous for its pearl-fisheries. Its rocks are five hundred
feet high, and are picturesque when viewed from the sea.
Its ruined churches and warehouses proclaim its for
mer prosperity ; for it was here, in 1748, that the Dutch
established themselves, and founded a flourishing com
mercial city, but from which they were driven, in 1765,
by the Arabs, led on by the brutal corsair Miramhana.
To the north-east was Kishm, the largest island in the
Persian Gulf. Fifty-four miles long and twenty miles
wide, its form has some resemblance to that of a fish.
Between it and the main, the channel is from three to
thirteen miles wide, and is studded with pretty islets.
On the plains are table-hills from two feet to four hun
dred feet high. Circular in form, they are broader at the
top than at the base. Having been exposed to the ac
tion of the elements through countless ages, their sid^s
have crumbled away, leaving many grotesque figures,
which, when seen by moonlight, appeared to pleasing
effect, and recalled a canto in " The Lady of the Lake :"
" Their rocky summits, split and- rent,
Form'd turret, dome, and battlement,
Or seem'd fantastically set
With cupola and minaret;
Wild crests as ever pagod deck'd,
Or mosque of Eastern architect."
In the centre of the island is a barren rock, three hun
dred feet high, and steep on every side. Its summit is
reached from within, through an aperture like a chimney,
and is crowned with unknown ruins.
In the happier days of commercial prosperity, the isl-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 43
and was inhabited by twenty thousand people, and on
it were seventy towns. Most of the inhabitants were
weavers, who produced a tapestry that equaled that of
Persia. The chief cities were Kishm, Luft, and Bassa-
dore. The latter has a good harbor, a small bazaar, and
a limited population. It is now a coaling station for the
English navy; and one of her majesty's gun-boats was in
port for coal when we passed the place. The prosperity
of this beautiful island continued under the Portuguese
down to the incursions of the Joassamees pirates, who
laid waste the fields, destroyed the villages, and mur
dered the citizens, without regard to sex or age. The
ruins that remain bespeak the folly and the crime of the
Mohammedan outlaws.
Our progress among these islands was slow, as our lit
tle captain obeyed instructions to place a higher value
on coal than on time ; but this rate of speed was better
adapted to careful observation. During our cruise, we
ran close to the Great Tomb, an islet three miles long by
two and a half miles wide, and on it were a few young
trees. Near it is the Little Tomb, barren and without
an occupant.
In the early dawn, we anchored in the fine harbor of
Lingah, which, seen from the deck of our steamer, pre
sented a pleasant appearance. The white-colored build
ings stood amidst palm-groves; and fr,om the residence
of the sheikh floated the Persian flag. We landed near
a new caravansary, erected for the accommodation of pil
grims and travelers, and sat down in the shade of the
palms to enjoy the delicious dates. Each tree was vig
orous, and annually yielded fruit to the value of five dol
lars. The population is estimated at ten thousand, com
posed of Arabs, Kurds, Persians, Jews, and Armenians,
whose costumes bespoke their nationality, and for the

44 THRONES AND PALACES OF
support of his creed each was ready to fight. The ba
zaars are inferior, but contained a supply of Manchester
goods. In the rear of the town are mountains high and
rugged. Not far from, the shore is Mount Bustaneh,
whose height is estimated at two thousand feet. East
ward is West Peak, two thousand feet higher. Beyond
is Grubbs Notch, three thousand feet above the plain ;
and further on is Lingah Peak, a thousand feet above
the Notch.
Within a few years past, Lingah has had an extensive
trade in pearls found along the coast, and which have
commanded a high price. But the principal pearl-fish
eries in these Persian waters are around the island of
Bahrein, three hundred miles diagonally across the Gulf,
and on the Arabian side. Thirty miles long and ten
miles wide, Bahrein is ninety miles in circumference.
One fourth of its area is exceedingly rich, and abounds
in date and orange groves. Everywhere are visible the
ruins of the forts, the aqueducts, the reservoirs and pal
aces of the Persians, who formerly possessed this favored
island, and under whose prosperous sway three hundred
and sixty towns were built. It was known to the an
cients as Tylos, and is mentioned by Arrian. It has had
a checkered and bloody history. The Arabs were driv
en out by the Persians, the Persians by the Portuguese,
the Portuguese by the Persians, and the Persians by the
Arabs, who now possess it. Under the miserable rule
of the latter, decay has gained the mastery. Of the
three hundred and sixty populous villages, a few only re
main. Bahrein is the principal town, and has a popu
lation of fifty thousand, composed of many nationalities.
As there is no sweet water on the island, the people are
compelled to resort to a remarkable spring in the sea.
Divers attach a bottle to their girdle, descend to within a

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 45
few feet of the bottom, fill and cork the vessel, pull a sig
nal cord, and are raised by their companions to the surface
again. About nine miles in the. direction of Katiff is
another and larger spring, where the sea is three fathoms
deep. A dip-pump is inserted in the bottom of a tub,
the tub is placed over the spring, and held in its place
by weights. To the pump is connected a' hose, through
which the sweet water is conducted to the surface, where
boats are prepared to receive it.
But the chief interest attached to Bahrein is the pearl
trade, which is so extensive that ten thousand persons
are engaged therein. Some of the methods adopted to
obtain the pearls were practiced by the Romans; but
the details of these methods differ with different divers.
The pearl-oyster is found in beds like the common oyster,
and often in great quantities in certain localities. The
most valuable pearls are found in water from six to eight
fathoms deep. The diving season usually lasts from
June to October. The beds are surveyed, and divided
into four parts, and only one part is worked in any one
year. This method insures a rest of three years after
each fishing season, and has been discovered necessary to
the full growth and development of the animal.
When the fishing -time has come, a boat is anchored
over a chosen spot, and in it are ten men — five divers
and five pullers. The latter remain in the boat, to haul
up the divers and receive the oysters ; the former strip
naked, and dive to the bottom of the sea. The ears of
the divers are stuffed with bees-wax, and their nostrils
are compressed with a piece of elastic horn; to their
waist is fastened a small basket to contain the oysters.
When all is ready, they place their foot upon a stone at
tached to a rope, inhale a long breath, raise their right
arm as a signal to pay out the rope, and descend with

46

THRONES AND PALACES OF

the stone, holding fast to the rope with the left hand.
Having collected as many oysters as he can, the diver
pulls the signal cord, and his comrades haul him to the
surface again. Some hardy divers can remain under wa
ter eighty seconds, and one could remain six minutes;
but ordinarily the time is from forty to fifty seconds.
They make from twelve to fifteen descents a day, and
bring up a hundred oysters each time. Where the wa
ter is less deep, a pole is driven into the bottom of the
sea, and the divers descend head-first along the pole.

THE PEARL-FISHER.

Having previously filled their mouth with oil, they spirt
out the oil as soon as they reach the bottom, which clar
ifies the shallow water, and enables them to see the oys
ters. Loaded with the treasures of the sea, they re-ap
pear on its surface. But so exhausting are their labors,
that divers are short-lived. They rarely attain the prime
of life, and in appearance are thin and languid. They
are frequently compelled to defend themselves against

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 47
the monsters of the deep. They seem not to fear the
shark, but they dread the saw-fish, which has been known
to cut a diver completely in two. Although their labors
are so exhausting, and at times so perilous, yet they are
poorly paid. The proportions of the gains are two to
the diver and four to the master ; but the needy fisher
man is forced in winter to borrow from his banker, and
pay thirty per cent, on the loan ; so that at the end of the
fishing season he is as poor as he was at the beginning.
But be he ever so poor, he is in possession of one pearl
with which he will not part. It is an old and universal
custom in the family of the pearl-divers of Lingah and
Bahrein, to bore a pearl on their wedding-day, and to
this they cling as to a sacred charm.
From immemorial time, the pearl has been ranked
among the precious gems, and highly esteemed as one
of woman's chief ornaments. It is the inspired simile of
Divine truth. It is the chosen emblem of good fortune
by poets and romancers. It is numbered among the jew
els of royalty. Yet Linnaeus has shown that the beau
tiful pearl is but -a slimy excretion developed for the
purpose of covering a grain of sand or some other for
eign substance which has accidentally entered between
the delicate mantle and the shell, and, if not thus covered,
would cause irritation to the former. He proved by ex
periment that, by perforating a living pearl-oyster and
introducing a grain of sand, a nucleus is formed for the
development of a pearl ; or, in other words, the natural
accretion of the substance of pearls is always due to some
injury the animal has sustained ; and for demonstrating
this fact, Linnaeus was knighted. The Chinese are known
to cause the formation of pearls by skillfully introducing
into the shells small beads of mother-of-pearl, which
soon collect an incrustation of calcareous matter; and

48 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the monks in China have imposed on the credulity of
the people by securing by this process pearl-coated im
ages of saints and of the Virgin Mary, and exhibiting
them as a miracle to confirm their religion. The same
animal that yields the precious pearl also produces the
mother-of-pearl shells, which are so beautifully carved by
the monks of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, illustrative of
the holy places.
There are two methods by which the pearl is extract
ed. In one case the oysters are strewed on the beach, and
exposed to the rays of the sun until the animal is dead,
and the shells open by relaxation. In the other case an
iron instrument is inserted, and the shell of the bivalve
is forced open, the gem extracted, and the animal, robbed
of its jewel, is thrown into the sea. Many of the oysters
brought up by the divers contain no pearls; but frequent
ly in a single shell are found from eight to twelve, and
sometimes twenty pearls. Not a few of them are small,
and such are called " seed-pearls ;" but occasionally one
is found so large that it is a fortune in itself. The two
famous pearls that Cleopatra proposed to dissolve in
vinegar in honor of Mark Antony, at the luxurious ban
quet to which she had invited him, were valued at
$390,000. Napoleon III. possessed an enormous pear-
shaped pearl, which he exhibited at the Paris Exposi
tion kr 1855. What is known in England as the " Hope
pearl" weighs three ounces, and measures four and a
half inches in circumference. And while in Russia, I
saw among the crown jewels and on the imperial crown
thirty-eight vast and perfect pearls, each one a fortune
to its possessor.
The annual yield of the pearl-fisheries of Lingah and
Bahrein is estimated in value at $2,000,000. And al
though these Persian pearls are not so white as those of

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 49
Ceylon and Japan, yet they are larger than those of the
former, and more regular in shape than those of the lat
ter. They are of a yellowish hue, and long retain their
golden color; whereas the whiter pearls lose much of
their lustre by lapse of time. The uneven specimens are
sent to Constantinople for embroidering and head-orna
ments ; but the perfect and magnificent pearls are sent to
India, to Europe, and to America, where they add a fan
cied grace to the natural charms of woman.
It was midday, and we were again afloat. We were
bound for Bushire, on the Persian coast, three hundred
and fifteen miles to the north-east. All that afternoon,
and till late in the evening, the sea ran with blood. The
surface of the deep was of a scarlet color for many miles
around us. It was a strange phenomenon, and filled the
soul with a sense of horror. "What can it be ?" was the
spontaneous question of each beholder. Had the fish,
small and great, been slain by some unknown power, and
their blood come to the surface of the gulf? It seemed
the realization of the vision John saw : "And the sea
shall be turned into blood." Viewed in the moonlight,
and when the phosphorescent waters were disturbed,
the spectacle was even more ghastly. Hour after hour
we steamed through those reddened waters, and contem
plated this wonder of the deep. Some suggested that it
was the spawn on which whales feed. Others thought
it a mass of young dead fish. But it proved to be a
vast quantity of luminous blubber, the mollusca of the
medusa species. Its color was intense, and at night it
moved in waves of reddened light. It is evidently a
characteristic of these waters, as the same had been ob
served by former travelers.
During the night we passed the large island of Frur,
barren and unoccupied. All the next day we ran along
4

50 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the Persian coast, with the high mountains of Persia full
in view. Conspicuous among them were Bluff Hill, three
thousand six hundred feet high ; Barn Hill, a thousand
feet higher ; and Astuh Notch, the highest of the range.
Farther on was the Fall, so called from a sudden depres
sion between two prominent peaks. The pleasure of the
prospect was heightened by the many-colored rocks, and
the shadows of the clouds on land and sea.
Another night on the gulf had passed. The sun had
risen on the towers of Bushire. It was the morning of
the third day from Lingah. We were now in the chief
sea-port of Persia, in N. lat. 29°, and in E. long. 50° 51'.
An English steamer and a few native boats were at anch
or in the bay. As the water in the harbor is shallow,
we dropped anchor two miles from the shore. The city
of Bushire is well located. The mountains around it are
picturesque. Bu Reyyal, or the Asses' Ears, is two thou
sand five hundred feet high. The height of Kuh Khormuj
is six thousand five hundred feet. The summit of Round-
top Mountain is ten thousand two hundred feet above
the level of the sea. The buildings of the town are con
structed of mud and stone, and most of them have three
stories. On the roof of each is a tower so arranged as
to catch each passing breeze to which there is an allusion
in " Lalla Rookh :" "
" The wind-tower on the Emir's dome.
Can hardly win a breath from heaven."
The streets are narrow, crooked, and unclean. Thirty
thousand Persians, Arabs, and Armenians reside within
the contracted limits of the place. Neither language can
describe, nor can pencil portray, the uncleanliness of the
Persian. He is despised by the Arab, who is a cleaner
and a nobler animal. When in Peking, I thought it the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 51
most foul city I had seen, but Bushire is fouler. At the
custom-house sat the Persian officials, who wore high fur
hats, carried long swords, and smoked longer pipes.
We were the guests of Mr. Demetrius, an Armenian
merchant, engaged in the opium trade. In going to his
residence, we found the streets filled with women robed
in black, and weeping bitterly. Our landing had oc
curred on the anniversary of the murder of Hassan and
Hassein, sons of Ali, and whose memories are held in
veneration next to that of Mohammed. The Persians
are their adherents, and are called Slieeahs, and differ from
the Arabs, who are designated as Stmnis. The differ
ence between them relates to the question of succession
to the rank and authority of Mohammed the prophet.
The Arabs recognize Aboobeker, Omar, and Ottoman as
the first three and true successors of the Prophet of
Mecca; but the Persians reject these as usurpers, and
claim that Ali Hassein and his two sons are the legiti
mate successors of Mohammed. It was in defense of
their asserted rights to the succession that Ali and his
sons were slain, and the strife is maintained by their re
spective followers, and often culminates in violence and
death. The anniversary of that sad day is solemnly ob
served by the Persians. All business is suspended. The
mosques are thronged from morning till night. The
Mollahs recite the dreadful story of the murder, and
with such pathos as to excite the faithful to madness.
On that day, and in memory of the martyrs, the women
clothe themselves in black, and the " mourners go about
the streets." They gather around their mosques, sit
upon the ground, smite their breast, and weepingly ex
claim, " Why did they die ?" From the mosques the
faithful march in procession through the streets, with
every demonstration of grief. In the afternoon they

52 THRONES AND PALACES OF
dramatize the murder scene, and with such effect that
the representation seems to them a reality. In a moment
of frenzy, they rush upon the men who personate Yezid
and Moawziah, the assassins, and beat them in a shock
ing manner. At such times the fanaticism of the Sheeahs
is limited by no restraint, and it is dangerous for Sunnis
and foreigners to appear, in the streets.
As the sea-port town of Persia, Bushire has an exten
sive trade in wool, wheat, opium, and Manchester goods.
The articles of export are brought from the interior on
the backs of camels, and the imports are conveyed by
these beasts of burden, on their return journey, to the in
land towns and to the imperial city of the empire. The
largest and most elegant dwelling in the city is occupied
by the English resident, who is clothed with almost em-
bassadorial power, and is attended by a numerous staff
of subordinate officers. A gun -boat awaits his com
mands, not merely for personal protection, but to enforce
the commercial claims of England.
In the beginning of the seventeenth century, Shah Ab
bas, the Persian emperor, sought an alliance with Great
Britain, to expel from the gulf the Europeans then en
joying a lucrative trade at the several ports. As an in
ducement, he promised to give the English free trade on
these waters, and a moiety of the customs collected. The
alliance was formed, the other European powers were
expelled, and lucky England obtained the lion's share.
Her gun-boats are in every port ; her consuls exercise a
controlling influence on Persian commerce and politics;
and her manufactured goods are for sale in every inland
village. By degrees, Persia has lost her supremacy, and her
glory has departed. She was once the seat of civiliza
tion and political power in the East. For two centuries

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 53
she was the leading power in the world. Her area was
more than four millions of square miles. Her population
numbered hundreds of millions. Her victorious arms
had carried her mighty sceptre into Media, Babylonia,
Assyria, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Northern
Africa, and from the banks of the Indus to the palaces
of imperial Delhi. Turning to Europe, she measured
arms with the Greeks on the plains of Marathon and on
the waters of Salamis. But the mighty have fallen. The
modern Persians can boast the possession of the tomb of
Cyrus the Great, but, like that tomb, their empire is the
sepulchre of buried greatness. The fate of Persia was
decided on the plains of Naharand in a.d. 641, when one
hundred thousand were slain in battle ; and when the
Arabs compelled the Persians to accept the Moslem faith
at the point of the sword, Zoroaster was exchauged for
Mohammed, and a great people were forced to abandon
a pure and simple religion, and embrace an imposture
that has cursed with fanaticism, with bribery, and polit
ical decay every nation subject to its power.
With Russia on the north, with Afghanistan and Bel
oochistan on the east, with Turkey on the west, and
bounded on the south and south-west by the gulf, the
once vast empire is now but a thousand miles long, six
hundred miles wide, and has an area of less than five
hundred thousand square miles, and a population of less
than ten millions. Ruins, degradation, and misery every
where abound. The natural resources of Persia are con
siderable, but, neglected by an ignorant, superstitious, and
despotic government, her commerce is insignificant. A
majority of her inhabitants are wandering tribes, a little
removed from the condition of Mexican Indians. The
arts are neglected, the standard of education is low, and
the great improvements of modern civilization are treated

54 THRONES AND PALACES OF
with contempt. Bribery is prevalent, and poverty is uni
versal. Justice is unknown in the courts, and judicial
decisions are purchased by the highest bidder. The Mol
lahs, or Moslem priests, who administer the local laws,
are notoriously corrupt, and to "cheat like a Mollah" is
a proverb among the people. Such is Persia of to-day.
The only bright spot in all her dominions is where the
American missionary is the teacher of childhood and the
preacher of a divine religion.
That night the bay of Bushire was brilliant with
phosphorescent light. A thick substance floated on the
water, and, when disturbed, emitted an emerald light of
great brilliancy. An orange thrown into the bay pro
duced a series of the most beautiful illuminated circles.
When fish leaped above the surface, they shone resplen
dent. When eels darted by us, the effect was magical.
We dipped up the water, and the light remained. For
a rupee the sailors launched a boat, and when it touched
the surface of the bay, its sides resembled polished sil
ver. Each lifted oar dripped with glory. The spray
that covered the boatmen transformed them into angels
of light ; and the wake of the boat was a succession of
resplendent undulations.
Three days were sufficient for our observations at Bu
shire. Indeed, the captain and his passengers desired to
leave a day earlier than we did ; and, had we done so,
we should have escaped the most terrific storm we have
ever experienced. But time is of the least possible value
in the estimation of an Oriental. A day and a thousand
years are the same to him. No entreaties can quicken
his speed. Money is the only incentive that can induce
him to increase his locomotion, and even this is transient
in its effects. The traveler from the West, where energy
characterizes every movement, and where time is money,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. ¦ 55
is often sorely vexed by the slowness of the people of the
East ; but he soon learns to suppress his temper, hold his
tongue, and permit the Oriental snail to move on apace.
The Bushire merchants, both Persians and Europeans,
had been preparing their mail, and had been indifferent
to our wishes to depart.
It was four o'clock p.m. when the mail-boat came
alongside, and in a few minutes thereafter the Burmali
steamed out of port. Nature had displayed all her
storm-signals. The very air felt tempestuous. The wind
blew hard, the sea was rough, and at midnight the storm
burst upon us in all its fury. Winds howled ; rain fell
in torrents; lightning flashed and darted through the
darkened air; thunder answered thunder; waves broke
in madness over us ; the Burmah rolled fearfully ; every
thing that had not been made fast dashed with violence
against the sides of the steamer; the gloom increased,
and the darkness became palpable. It was an awful
moment. We were at the mercy of the elements. Our
helplessness was apparent. God only could save us.
The hours passed wearily. It was now past midnight,
and the storm raged with unabated force. The dumb
animals gave signs of fear. The poor pilgrims were
thoroughly drenched. Every officer was at his post.
All hands were called on deck. The stern voice of
command resounded through the ship. Our little cap
tain, in his helmet-cap and long coat, was on the bridge
thundering out his orders, and enforcing the same by the
application of his boot. He was equal to the emergency.
The wind came in squalls, sure sign that it had spent
its strength. The rain ceased ; the thunder died away ;
the clouds broke; the stars came out: the storm had
passed, and we were safe.
The scenes of the night were the subject of conversa-

56 THRONES AND PALACES OF
tion the next day. All denied having experienced a sen
sation of fear. Some claimed to have slept through all
that dreadful storm, " Rocked in the cradle of the deep,"
lulled by the howling winds, and soothed by the deafen
ing thunder. Happy sleepers! Yet their questions as
to what had occurred proved that they had been dreain-
ing about a storm. We are ashamed of our fears when
the danger is over; we are bold when courage has ceased
to be a virtue.
But farewell to the Persian Gulf! Early the next
morning we were at the mouth of the Shaat-el-Arab,
which, in breadth, depth, current, and color, is not unlike
the Mississippi. Its chief tributaries are the Euphrates
and the Tigris, that have their confluence at Kurnah,the
traditional Garden of Eden. At the head of the Persian
Gulf and at the mouth of the Shaat-el-Arab is Fao, a
telegraph station, and whereat is located a post-office for
the accommodation of the few European and Arabian
inhabitants. The first indication of our near approach
was the yellow color of the water on our starboard side.
It was so thick with alluvial matter, and so distinct from
the light-green color of the gulf, that, viewed at a distance,
it resembled a peninsula of yellow sand. Nor was the
illusion dissipated till within a mile of the confluence of
the gulf and the river. Our difficulty now was to find
the channel. The recent storm had swept away the
"Mark" — an immense buoy that had been anchored
near the spot. After a fruitless search of four hours, we
ventured to enter, and, fortunately, found the channel.
Leaving the mail at Fao, we entered the mouth of the
Shaat-el-Arab, and steamed against the eight -knot cur
rent. At the point of entrance the river is five miles

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 57
wide, and on either side are low, narrow, alluvial banks,
dotted with clumps of bushes. As we ascended, we had
Arabia on the west and Persia on the east, not five miles
apart. On the Arabian side were tombs and temples;
on the Persian shore were beautiful palm-groves. Be
cause the current was so strong we anchored at 6 p.m.,
and had moonlight on the Shaat-el-Arab.
At an early hour the next morning we resumed our
voyage up the noble river. The sun shone with un
clouded splendor. The landscape presented a scene of
unsurpassed loveliness. On the Persian side were fields
of rice and wheat and extensive date-palm groves. From
boat and hut the smoke from the fire that cooked the
morning meal was floating gently away. On our left
and in mid-river was the large island of Mayabieh, in
whose groves the birds were singing sweetly. On the
Arabian side the palms were more numerous, and in the
shade of those noble trees were many arcaded buildings.
Along the high banks, the people wandered, clad in robes
of many colors. In rapid succession we passed village
after village, whose happy children shouted us a welcome.
Near the margin of a Persian river stood a large town
where native boats were at anchor, and beyond it was
a smaller hamlet, around which was a cemetery wherein
the white tombstones marked the resting-place of prince
and peasant.
Eighty miles from Fao is Mahomerah, containing eight
hundred houses, the homes of six thousand people. Far
from the interior flows the River Karun, and near it is
the Dorak Canal. The Kartin separates Turkey from
Persia. The sheikh of Mahomerah is a Turk to-day and
a Persian to-morrow. When the Turkish tax-collector
comes, the sheikh crosses the river, and claims to be a
Persian; when the Persian tax-gatherer arrives, the wily

58 THRONES AND PALACES OF
sheikh returns to the other side of the stream, and de
clares himself a Turk. He maintains an indepehdent
sovereignty. His flag is red and white. In front of the
palace was his gun-boat, which fired a salute when we
dipped our colors, and again when we hoisted them.
His palace is ornamented with a pretty colonnade, and
surrounded with forts. Adjoining the palace is his ha
rem, wherein is a French lady of much culture, and once
of regal beauty. She saw him and loved him; and,
dreaming of the splendor and pleasures portrayed in " The
Arabian Nights," she entered his Earem. Through the
latticed window of her cell, she watched us as we passed.
Not far from Mahomerah is the island of Mahasif, and
beyond is the crescent-shaped isle of Salihiyah, covered
with palms. Boats filled with veiled women glided
down the current. Hour after hour we ran along green
banks, where the peach, the almond, and the apricot were
in blossom. Within the beautiful grove stood an Arab
robed in white, and on his brow was a turban of brilliant
colors. Here and there, native boats were loaded with
elates for a foreign market.
Soon the minarets of Busrah were in sight. We had
come a hundred miles from Fao, and nineteen hundred
and fifty miles from Bombay. The first stage of our jour
ney was ended. Busrah is the head of navigation for
ocean steamers. Four Turkish gun -boats, a transport
filled with troops, two or three merchantmen, and many
bughalows were at anchor in the harbor. Our coming
had been announced by telegraph, and the boatmen, in
their small bellems and larger bughalows, clamored for
our baggage and for the steamer's freight. They made
fast to the Burmah, but the powerful current swept them
away amidst their loud cursings and bitter complaints.
On going ashore we were welcomed by Dr. Dillion, an

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 59
English gentleman of ripe scholarship, and now acting as
quarantine physician under the Turkish Government. In
his yard was a wild boar of the forest, which was a pet
even with the Moslems. The only buildings of note at
the landing are the custom-house, the English residency,
and the quarters of Dr. Dillion, all located near the jetty
for the convenience of commerce. Busrah is the chief
distributing port for all the cities, towns, and Arab en
campments on the Tigris and the Euphrates, and for a
thousand miles inland. To this port are brought, for
transshipment to foreign markets, the grain, the wool,
and dates raised in the interior; and here the cargoes of
the ocean steamers and sailing-vessels are transferred to
native boats engaged in the inland trade. For many
years the English had the monopoly of this vast trade,
but now the French and Germans are competing for com
mercial supremacy. American vessels occasionally come
to Busrah, and load with dates for the United States.
Dates are the principal article of export, and it is esti
mated that not less than ten thousand tons are export
ed annually. This statement was not difficult to credit
after having seen the thriving groves of the date-palm,
that extend for a hundred miles on either side of the
Shaat-el-Arab. Entering a bellem, we were rowed up a beautifully
embowered stream to the city of Busrah proper. The
distance is less than three miles, and the scenery is most
enchanting. Along the banks were groves of palms that
cast their cooling shadow upon the smooth waters of the
rivulet. The air was perfumed with the blossom of the
orange, the lemon, the peach, and the apricot. So dense
was the foliage in places, as completely to intercept the
sun's intense rays. As we ascended, some new object
claimed our attention, and only to please. On our left

60 THRONES AND PALACES OF
was a garden inclosed, and in the secluded angle of the
high walls thereof stood a young man in prayer. Be
yond was a tomb shaded by the pomegranate in blos
som. Further on, a bughalow was being loaded with
henna, wherewith the women of the East color their fin
ger-nails. Down the stream came an ornamented bel
lem of some opulent Turk. It was pulled by twelve
Zanzibar slaves, who sung merrily as they rowed swift
ly. Next came a boat filled with beautiful Armenian
ladies, richly attired and thinly veiled.
Soon the high walls of the city were in sight, which
are eight miles in circumference. The streets are narrow,
irregular, and by no means pleasant to the smell. The
more pretentious buildings are constructed of brick, and
the humbler ones of mud. The bazaars presented a busy
scene ; horses, camels, donkeys, men, and women jostled
each other in the crowded thoroughfares. By the way
side sat a letter-writer, ready to pen a billet-doux for a
maiden or a business document for a merchant. Candies,
sweetmeats, perfumes, and drugs were displayed for sale.
Piece goods from England, silks from France, muslins
from Germany, were in the market. Crossing a bridge,
we stopped at a Turkish coffee-house. Around the walls
were benches of brick-work, three feet high, and covered
with matting. On a table were the polished brass coffee
pots and thimble-like cups, together with pipes of every
description. On the mats lounged the Arab, the Turk,
and the Persian, sipping the delicious Mocha aud whiff
ing the bubble-bubble. In our stroll through the town
we passed the post-office, where the Arabs clamored for
their mail with the haste and noise characteristic of more
civilized people. Further on is the residence of the gov
ernor, who, for a Turk, is a person of more than ordinary
force of character. Over the imposing portal was the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 61
crescent and star, and at the entrance stood the military
guard to defend the palace and the harem. Near the
residence of his excellency is the office of the British In
dia Steamship Navigation Company. Here we feasted
on dates of the most delicious flavor ; and here we saw a
cheetah,* which has the skin of a leopard, the paws of a
dog, and the mouth of a tiger. It is trained to hunt the
deer, whose jugular vein it cuts with its razor-like teeth,
and sucks its victim's blood. The owner had it for a
plaything, but its playfulness is that of the tiger-kitten ;
for, having teased it above measure, it sprung upon him
with glaring eyes, and displayed its terrible teeth.
The population of Busrah is composed of twenty
Europeans, and twelve thousand Arabs, Turks, and Per
sians. Those from Europe are chiefly young men, whose
love of adventure or prospects of a speedy fortune in
duced them to leave Christian homes, and reside in a com
munity destitute of the refinements and happier associa
tions of the West. They are a community within a com
munity. They have nothing in common with the Arabs.
Their pastime sports, their literature, their religion, are
European. As to morals, the odds are against them, and
to practice the better teachings of childhood is a difficult
task. The natives of Busrah are Moslems, with a small body
of Armenians. Whatever may be the standard of morals
among the latter, they tenaciously adhere to the doctrines
of their creed and to the ceremonies of their religion.
They are a light-hearted people, and their weddings are
celebrated with much pomp and sumptuous entertain
ments. But modern Busrah is far inferior in size and elegance
* Felis julata, the hunting leopard.

62 THRONES AND PALACES OF
compared with the ancient city. The latter was located
about eight miles inland, where are extensive ruins and
the remains of once splendid buildings. The prostrate
column, the broken arch, the ruined colonnade, are the
memorials of a superior architecture. It is the opinion
of some that those remains mark the site of the residence
of the wealthy Barmecides mentioned in the "Arabian
Nights," and the home of Sindbad the Sailor. There is
still standing a handsome arch with a lengthened inscrip
tion thereon, designating, as some suppose, the tomb of
Ali Barmecide. Not far from it is the mausoleum of Zo-
beir, an Arab chief, one of the earliest followers of Moham
med, and who was slain at the " Battle of the Camel," in
a.d. 655, which was fought by the Mohammedans for the
attainment of civil power. It is a sacred shrine to the
Moslems, who revere the memory of the martyr with un
diminished admiration. There are, however, other the
ories touching the antiquity and historic significance of
these ruins. They are supposed by not a few to be the
remains of a city occupied by Chaldean astronomers and
mathematicians of great repute. And there are others
who maintain that there was located the ancient Bus-
sorah, founded by the Emperor Trajan, and rebuilt by
the Caliph Omar in the fourteenth year of the Hegira.
Returning to our bellem, we glided down the embow
ered rivulet, and, waving an adieu to the captain and of
ficers of the Burmah, we took passage on the City of
London for the Garden of Eden.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 63

CHAPTER II.
Historic Lands. — Anticipations and Emotions. — Steamer City of London. —
The Three Great Rivers. — Confluence of the Tigris and of the Euphrates.
— Steaming up the Shaat-el-Arab. — The Floods Prevail. — Shepherds and
their Flocks. — The Garden of Eden. — Its Appearance. — Inhabitants and
History. — Sail up the Tigris. — Wild Boars of the Forest. — Daring and
Successful Lion-hunt. — Tomb of the Prophet Ezra. — Scenes on the Banks
of the Tigris. — Grand Mountains. — Arab Villages. — Ruins of Ancient Se-
leucia and Ctesiphon. — First View of Bagdad. — Guests of Captain Hol
land. — Wonders of Bagdad. — The People, Bazaars, Mosques, Churches,
Tombs, Baths, Jews, and Christians of the City of " The Thousand and
One Nights." — Turkish Railroads. — Commerce with the United States. —
American Petroleum the Light of the World.
Staxding upon the threshold of the most ancient and
celebrated lands known to mankind, it was with no ordi
nary interest we commenced the second part of our mem
orable journey. We were within fifty miles of the Gar
den of Eden, whose bowers of delight invited our pres
ence; whose very name recalled the grandest, saddest
memories of our race. Near us flowed the historic Ti
gris and Euphrates, "whose banks are empires." On our
left were the vast ruins of Babylon, the " Golden City,"
wherein have lived in glory, wherein have died in shame,
the greatest of kings and warriors. On our right were
the Tomb of Ezra, the Prophet of the 'Highest; the re
mains of Seleucia and Ctesiphon, of Greek and Parthian
memory ; the City of the Caliphs, the "Abode of Peace,"
the scene of the fascinating legends in " The Thousand
and One Nights."
With memories and emotions awakened by such a
prospect, we left Busrah amidst the unrivaled splendor
of an Arabian sunset. The full-orbed moon rose as the

64 THRONES AND PALACES OF
sun declined, and the stars shone with unwonted brill
iancy. The evening breeze came softly through the feath
ery palms, perfumed with the breath of flowery spring.
All nature seemed in accord with the sublimity of the
thoughts that came trooping through our minds, and of
the emotions that animated our souls.
We were passengers on board the City of London, a
large name for a small steamer ; but the Turks, like the
French, are pleased with high-sounding titles. A hun
dred and ninety feet long, twenty- six feet wide, our
steamer drew less than four feet of water. Her register
ed tonnage was ninety and the capacity of her engine was
seventy-five horse-power. The main saloon was aft, and
therein we ate, and whiled away the hours in useful read
ing and pleasant conversation. Our state-room was on
the port-side, and measured eight by eight. The furni
ture was neither abundant nor luxuriant. On two sides
were wooden bunks. In one corner was a very plain wash-
stand, and over it a small looking-glass. The balance of
the furniture consisted of a rickety table and two well-
worn mattresses. According to Oriental custom, we
were required to provide ourselves with pillows and
blankets ; for a native of the East never travels without
his bedding, and each morning " takes up his bed and
walks." It was such a rarity to have seven cabin-pas
sengers on the City of London, and three of them ladies,
that there was a mutual agreement between passengers
and officers to accept the situation, and be agreeable un
der difficulties. And never was agreement more agree
ably kept: the ladies smiled at inconveniences that could
not be avoided, and the gentlemen illustrated by their
moderation that " man needs but little, and not that lit
tle long." Fortunately for our comfort, Captain Cowley
proved himself a gentleman whose kindness and polite-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 65
ness knew no cessation ; whose intelligent conversation
on the history and legends of the Tigris contributed to
our entertainment. He had happily married the charm
ing daughter of Captain Holland, who for forty years
had sailed between Busrah and Bagdad, and who is
called " The Wise Man of the Tigris." In addition to the
seven foreigners on board, there were hundreds of Ori
entals, who occupied every available space on the upper
deck, where they spread their beds, cooked and ate, sung
and swore, prayed and gambled. Some were merchants
from India, some were Banian bankers from Muscat, some
were Persian pilgrims from Bushire ; and conspicuous
among them all was a venerable Jew, bound for the tomb
of Ezra the Prophet.
Our progress during the night had been slow, as the
current is strong and rapid. The morning light revealed
a picturesque but sorry sight. The warm spring rains
had melted the snow on the mountains to the east and
north, causing the Tigris and the Euphrates to overflow
their banks, and the Shaat-el-Arab to flood the country.
The scene recalled those plaintive words of the inspired
bard : " The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods
have lifted up their voice ; the floods lift up their waves."
On either side, the palm-groves were dense, and in their
branches the doves had taken refuge. On the summit
of a mound above the water stood a,, solitary Arab, and
near him sat the serious pelican. The shepherds had
been driven from their folds, and had led their flocks to
the higher ground. On our left was a submerged tomb,
shaded by three young trees, and near it a deserted vil
lage, whose inhabitants had fled to the distant hills.
The accumulated waters rushed by with accelerated
speed, and against the united force of three rivers we
ascended slowly to man's primeval abode.
5

66 THRONES AND PALACES OF
It was eight o'clock in the morning when we saw for
the first time the Garden of Eden. Flowing toward us
on our left was the Euphrates, clear and rapid ; flowing
toward us on our right was the Tigris, muddy and swift.
Directly in front of us was the peninsula of Chaldea, at
the terminus of which is the confluence of these two his
toric rivers. On the extreme point of this tongue of
land is the Turkish town of Kurnah, with mosque and
minaret, with arcaded buildings and huts of the poor,
with tall flag-staff and the white tents of the soldiers of
the sultan. As we approached, the Euphrates opened
wide to our view, while yet the Tigris remained hidden ;
but in a few minutes the latter was as fully seen. It
was, indeed, a grand and never-to-be-forgotten view.
The sun shone clear and warm as we neared the Tigris
side. Turkish soldiers in blue, and in red fez caps, lined
the margin of the river; Arab men in white and Arab
women in black gave variety to the scene, and welcomed
our approach.
We landed in Eden, and stood upon its sacred soil.
Walking to the utmost point of the peninsula, so nar
row and dry, I stretched my right hand over the Eu
phrates and my left hand over the Tigris, while at my
feet flowed the Shaat-el-Arab, whose course is to the sea.
Returning, we wandered through the palm-groves, crossed
the brooklets that flow through the garden, watched the
doves as they flew from tree to tree, listened to the birds
of paradise carol the melody of their song, read the sec
ond chapter of Genesis, and sung the old doxology in the
palmy groves of Eden. Ascending to the balcony of an
ancient minaret fifty feet high, we looked out on fields
green with grass and beautiful with, flowers, over an area
of many miles whereon are the date-palm and feathery
bamboo, and on the four great rivers — the Euphrates,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 67
the Tigris, the Jaab, and the Shaat-el-Arab. Oh, what
a spot is this for paradise, at the junction of these mighty
rivers, in this delightful climate, in this centre of empire !
It is a place of unsurpassed loveliness, where our first
parents dwelt in the innocency of their new creation.
Its identity has been preserved through the lapse of the
centuries, and is the only spot on earth that bears the'
name of Eden ; other places have been designated, but
without corresponding proof. Men have sought for the
Garden of Eden from China to the Canary Isles, from the
Mountains of the Moon to the snows of Northern Rus
sia, Origen and Ambrosius placed it in the third heav
ens ; Moses Bar Cepha, in midair between earth and sky,
Reland and Rosenmiiller, in Armenia, near the sources
of the Euphrates and the Tigris. Some have placed it
within the orbit of the moon, others in the moon itself;
some on the earth, others under the earth, and others
within the earth ; some have fixed it at the North Pole,
others at the South Pole ; some in Tartary, some in China,
some on the banks of the Ganges, some in the island of
Ceylon ; some in Mesopotamia, others in Persia, Babylo
nia, Assyria, Palestine, and in Arabia ; some in Syria,
others in Africa, under the equator ; some in Scandinavia,
others on the shores of the Baltic* Some, to be doubly
sure, have, assumed that the whole earth was an Eden,
and "eastward was the Garden, forty, miles in circumfer
ence." Not a few have denied it a terrestrial existence,
and asserted that the Biblical account is not historical,
but spiritual. Moses, however, is too definite and cir
cumstantial to be understood as dealing in allegory.
But, by common consent, all the theories are reduced
to two ; and the advocates of both aoree that the Gar-

* Clark.

68 THRONES AND PALACES OF
den of Eden was somewhere in the valley of the Euphra
tes, either at the source or at the mouth of that historic
river. The distance between the two points is less than
two thousand miles. All are in accord that this great
valley was the cradle of humanity. Somewhere within
its boundaries the primeval man rose at the divine com
mand. Herein was the abode of Noah and his sons, an
tecedent and subsequent to the Deluge. Herein were
the hunting-grounds of Nimrod, whose name is a house
hold word throughout this memorable valley. Herein
lived Job and Terah and Abraham, and thence their de
scendants spread out over all the earth. All the more
recent excavations at Babylon and Nineveh confirm this
fact. All the cuneiform inscriptions thus far deciphered
establish this general belief. All the local traditions of
the people, whether Jew, Moslem, or Christian, are in ac
cord with this conclusion.
Those who suppose that Eden was near the sources of
the Tigris and the Euphrates hold that the ancient Pison
is the modern Phasis, a river of Colchis, which empties
into the Euxine Sea, and that the Gihon is the Araxes,
which flows into the Caspian Sea. Those who maintain
that Eden was at the mouth of the Euphrates have the
advantage of a "local habitation and a name," and the
greater advantage in the certainty that the ancient Hid-
dekel is the modern Tigris, and that the Euphrates of
the Bible is the Phrat of the Arabs. And some have
gone so far as to claim that the River Jaab, which emp
ties into the Tigris near Kurnah, is the Pison of Script
ure, and that the Shaat-el-Arab is the Gihon mentioned
by Moses. And with the lights we now have, it does
no violence to the sacred text to suppose that Eden is
descriptive of a vast section of country; that eastward
within that section was planted the Garden of Delights,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 69
and that through that section flowed a river which parted
in its course and formed four rivers.
At present the evidence preponderates in favor of the
southern location. Discoveries made within the last dec
ade tend to confirm the supposition that the primeval
abode of man was near the confluence of the Euphrates
and the Tigris ; and it is not too much to anticipate the
exhuming of inscribed tablets which will fully establish
this belief. And, although after the lapse of so many
centuries, exact correspondence in topography is not to
be expected, yet, guided by the general features of the
scene rather than by the minuter ones, the present tradi
tional Garden of Eden may be accepted until another
has been discovered, and its identity more clearly proved.
Fully believing in this, I left Eden, singing in mournful
numbers, with Mother Eve,
" Must I leave thee, paradise ? thus leave
Thee, native soil— these happy walks and shades,
Fit haunt of gods ? where I had hoped to spend,
Quiet though sad, the respite of that day,
That must be mortal to us both. O flow'rs,
That never will in other climate grow,
My early visitation, and my last
At ev'n, which I bred up with tender hand,
From the first op'ning bud, and gave ye names,
Who now shall rear ye to the sun, or rank
Tour tribes, and water from th' ambrosial fount ?
Thee lastly, nuptial bow'r, by me adorn'd
With what to sight or smell was ST^eet; from thee
How shall I part, and whither wander down
Into a lower world, to this obscure
And wild? how shall we breathe in other air
Less pure, accustom'd to immortal fruits ?"*
A spot so delightful as this, a site so favorable for a
city, did not fail to attract the attention of the royal con-
* " Paradise Lost," book ix.

70 THRONES AND PALACES OF
querors of earlier days and allure them to its bowers.
On this beautiful peninsula, laved by two majestic rivers,
Seleucus Nicator, successor to Alexander the Great, built
a city in honor of his queen, and in the ancient annals
the city is called Aspamea. And from the days of the
Macedonian queen, the place has never been uninhab
ited. It is now called Kurnah, and is not only a large
military station held by the Turks, but is the home of
two thousand people who represent many nations. And,
as a link connecting the present with the past, the tele
graph-wires are here stretched across the Euphrates; and
from the Garden of Eden I could send a telegram to
any part of Christendom.
At no other point in their long and. winding course
can the two great rivers that meet here be viewed to
better advantage. Having; their source in the same
mountainous region, they flow southward through a val
ley densely populated, rich in natural productions, and
grand in historic associations. With its source in the
mountains of Armenia near Ezroom, aud not far from the
shores of the Euxine, the Euphrates unites three impor
tant seas, which, without it, would have no water com
munication. Seventeen hundred and eighty miles long,
its breadth varies from ninety to four hundred yards.
In some places it spreads out into a noble lake, but in
the Lemhin marshes it is not eighty yards wide. Ordi
narily the current is three and a half miles an hour, but
in the flood the velocity is increased to six. It abounds
in fish, and is so pleasant to the taste that the people
fondly call it "The Water of Desire." Boats have as
cended ten hundred and thirty miles above its mouth.
It is now navigable to Baulus, and the Turks have found
it profitable to place thereon a line of steamers. Were
it the possession of a Christian nation, it would soon be-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 71
come the channel of an immense trade. Its banks are
dotted with towns, among the most important of which
is Hillah, in the south, and Birijik, in the north.
The two principal sources of the Tigris are in the
southern slopes of the Anti-Taurus range in Northern
Armenia. Eleven hundred and forty-six miles in length,
its average breadth is six hundred feet, and its aver
age velocity is four and a half miles per hour. It is
sometimes navigable for rafts from Diarbekir to Mo
sul, a distance of two hundred and ninety-six miles, and
at all seasons of the year from Mosul to the sea. In the
flood -time the distance is made in four days, and the
people have christened it "The Cheap Camelier." Ves
sels drawing from three to four feet of water can ascend
as far as Tekrit, and boats properly constructed might
reach Mosul, opposite ancient Nineveh. Two lines of
steamers are now running from Busrah to Bagdad, a dis
tance of five hundred miles, and connect at the former
place with steamers from British India. Chief among
its many tributaries are the Jaab, below Kurnah ; the
Adhuen, above Bagdad ; and the Great and Little Zab,
near Mosul, all of which are the channels of a large in
land trade. The Turkish Government, which neglects
every thing but the collection of taxes, has so far neg
lected to keep the banks in repair that the river has be
gun to desert its bed, and is now forming vast swamps
over the low country, which was formerly rescued by
the Babylonians by the construction of immense lakes.
Resuming our voyage, we were now on the Tigris, and
had the current of one river less against which to con
tend. We were bound for Bagdad, the "City of the
Caliphs," five hundred miles to the north-east. For two
miles we had still in view the groves and tents of Kur
nah; but at the end of that distance there is a canal sep-

72 THRONES AND PALACES OF
arating Eden from the rest of the peninsula, and uniting
the waters of the Tigris with those of the Euphrates.
The land north of the canal is a trackless desert of many
miles in extent, alluded to by the Prophet Joel: "The
land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind
them a desolate wilderness."*
During the morning we passed vast sections of land
covered with water, wherein the cattle stood knee-deep,
and from which the shepherds had taken refuge to some
high, green knolls. Beyond and on our right were vil
lages surrounded with rice -fields, and rich pastures in
which the herds were browsing. On our left was the
mud tomb of Abu Khalkhal, shaded by a few palms, and
which is a shrine to which the Moslems make an annual
pilgrimage. At noon we steamed along a dreary region,
dotted with sand-hills, with here and there clumps of
thick bushes. Hundreds of jackals were running in
every direction, frightened by the whistle of our steamer.
Their color is that of the fox ; their form is that of the
dog. Over and around us flew flocks of crows, with
white bodies and black wings. Wild boars were now
seen in large numbers — five, six, and ten in a herd — run
ning pell-mell to all points of the compass. Their move
ment was exceedingly violent, and their motion a tumult
uous leap. Armed with rifles, we shot two of one herd
— one was shot through the hind-quarters, and sunk down
at once; the other was shot through the shoulder, and
turned a somersault. The latter rose and ran for a pond
of water, on the margin of which he defiantly stood for
a few seconds, and then gradually sunk down. A boat
was sent ashore to secure the game ; but as our men ap
proached the latter, he rose and offered battle, for a
*Joelii., 3.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 73
wounded boar is a desperate antagonist, and will fight
to the death. But another shot ended his career, and
both were brought on board the steamer. They were
enormous creatures ; in form like our swine, but larger,
stronger, and with coarser bristles of an iron gray. The
head of each was elongated, the snout was pointed, the
tusks were large, and were a deadly weapon : " The boar
out of the wood doth waste it."* That night we had

WILD BOAR OF THE TIGRIS.

boar flesh for dinner, and the roasted spare-ribs were
excellent, though the odor was a little strong. As my
share of the spoils of the hunt, I claimed the jaws with
their enormous tusks, to illustrate the above Psalm, and
to adorn my cabinet of Oriental curiosities.
As we advanced, there was on either side a boundless
view over rich prairie-lands, whereon were numberless

* Psalm lxxxviii., 13.

74 THRONES AND PALACES OF
flocks of sheep, and goats, and black buffaloes, and many
reed tents, the dwelling-place of the shepherds. This is
one of the richest sections of all the East, abounding in
wild and domestic animals, and in a variety of birds.
Swans, ducks, geese, snipes, pigeons, bitterns, and birds
of the ortolan species, were seen in abundance, while
a sight of the flying-fox, of gazelles, of boars, tigers, and
lions, was a common occurrence.
Not far from the Tomb of Ezra occurred one of the
most daring and successful lion -hunts that have ever
taken place on the banks of the Tigris. In the dim twi
light of the morning, three full-grown lions were discov
ered on the eastern bank of the river, and about a mile
ahead of the steamer. The alarm was given, and in a mo
ment intense excitement prevailed op board. The captain
was notified, the speed of the steamer was lessened, guns
and rifles were instantly loaded for the coming encounter.
Attracted by the approach of the steamer, the lions had
stopped, and one, more daring than the others, with a
bound leaped into the river, and attempted to reach
the vessel. The sight paralyzed with fear many of the
natives on board, but a rifle-shot, fired by the super
cargo, proved mortal to the courageous beast, and the
launch was immediately sent to secure the carcass.
Frightened by the report of the rifle, the other lions ,
turned and ran along the margin of the river. Under
a full head of steam, the City of London soon came up
abreast with the fugitives, who halted, and boldly stood
their ground, ready to receive their pursuers. But a shot
fired by the captain killed one instantly, and a second
shot wounded the other in the leg. With a thundering
roar that shook the earth, the wounded beast sprung
over the dead body of her companion, and, with open
mouth, turned her head toward the boat, and challenged

A LION HUNT.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 77
another onset; but a well-directed shot discharged by
the supercargo proved fatal to the proud and defiant
creature, who fell near her dead companion. The steam
er now ran along the bank, and the prey was brought
on board. They were three lionesses, and in one were
found four cubs. -But the excitement was not to end so
suddenly. All agreed that the male lion must be near.
Every eye was on the watch. Each inlet and islet was
carefully scanned. The glass was brought to bear on
each moving object. Nor was the search in vain, for
within a mile from the scene of the first encounter, an
enormous male lion was seen a thousand yards ahead
and two hundred yards inland. He was on a small
island, crouching among the bushes. At first he was
taken to be a dog, as an Arab encampment was near the
spot ; but the glass revealed the fact that he was an im
mense male lion, whose three companions had been slain
in his absence. His mane was long and thick, and, when
discovered, he was leisurely wagging his bushy tail. A
shot aroused him ; a second ball, falling near him, made
him furious ; and, with a thundering roar and a mighty
bound, he charged at the ship, and proudly stood at the
edge of the islet, as if defying any one to land. His ap
pearance was frightful to behold. A ball struck him
on the fore-leg, which caused him to retreat ; but on be
ing hit on the hind-quarter by a second shot, he instantly-
returned to the edge of the bank, and presented an aspect
of the utmost rage. There was something grand and ter
rible in his attitude. He was the impersonation of fury.
His eyes glared like balls of fire. He shook his mane
in terror, and with his tail he lashed his sides in anger.
Frantic from pain, his roar was terrible, and sent a sense
of horror to the soul. Though severely wounded, he re
mained undaunted, and seemed to challenge his pursuers

78 THRONES AND PALACES OF
to a closer combat. Had not the water intervened be
tween him and them, some one of their number would
have fallen a victim to his infuriated power. As he
stood there, he presented a grand sight ; but one soon
to end. A third ball penetrated his back. It was his
death - wound. For a few seconds he maintained his
proud and defiant position, as if thinking whether to
yield in the unequal contest, or longer resist his foes.
But death soon relieved him of pain, and his pursuers of
a gallant foe. Sinking slowly to the ground, he uttered
one more groan, deep and muffled, and the lion-king of
the Tigris was dead.
The captain and his men landed, but, half suspicious
that he was not dead, they cautiously approached to as
certain the effect of their well-directed shots. It re
quired five stalwart men to drag the dead lion down to
the margin of the river. He weighed four hundred and
twenty pounds. His height was three feet and ten
inches, and he measured six feet and seven inches in
length. His mane was five inches long, and the length
of his tail was nearly three feet. He and his compan
ions resembled in color the African lion, and their ap
pearance on the banks of the Tigris is not easy to ex
plain. It is supposed, however, that their lair had been
reached by the floods, and having been driven therefrom
by the water, they had sought refuge on the higher
ground. Had they not been discovered and killed by
Captain Cowley and his men, they would have swum the
river under cover of the night, and attacked the neigh
boring shepherds and their flocks.
Having passed a large town of reed huts, where the
natives were repairing the levee to prevent an incursion
of the waters, we came to the Tomb of Ezra, the Prophet
of the Highest. This time-honored mausoleum is an im-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

79

mense structure, crowned with a beautiful dome, which
is incased with green porcelain tiles, and surmounted
with a gilded circle representing the sun. It is con
structed of yellow bricks, and ornamented with arched
entrances and balconies, from which the Hebrew chil
dren greeted us as we landed. Five noble palms shade
the final resting-place of the learned scribe. Over the
door-way are two tablets of black marble, whereon are
inscriptions in Hebrew. Within and beneath the dome
is a carved cenotaph, covered with rich green cloth
fringed with gold. On it are white and green banners ;

TOMB OP EZRA.

at each corner is a carved urn, emblem of the dead; and
near it is a lamp that ever burns. Beneath the ceno
taph is the tomb containing the ashes of the holy
prophet, and on it are slips of white paper, whereon are
written the prayers of Jewish pilgrims. The floor of
the mausoleum is paved with blocks of white, black, and
green marble. The walls are inlaid with porcelain of
many colors, arranged in the form of stars. On the edge
of the panels are stars embossed, composed of small mir
rors, and high up in the centre of the dome is an im
mense star similarly made. Here and there on the in
terior walls are quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures.

80 ' THRONES AND PALACES OF
In the wall and facing the east is a closet wherein is
kept a copy of the Law, and over this Holy of Holies is
a representation of the seven-branched gold candlestick
of the sanctuary.
It was with no ordinary interest that I stood by the
dust of one so deservedly renowned in sacred history.
Next to Moses, Ezra is held in the highest esteem by
the Hebrew people. In learning he was the equal of
the great Jewish Lawgiver, and second only to him in
his influence over the religious thought of their nation.
To him is ascribed the authorship of the books of the
Chronicles, of Ezra, of Nehemiah, and of Esther. He was
"a ready scribe of the law of Moses," and rewrote the
Old Testament from memory. He restored, corrected,
arranged, and settled the canon of the Old Testament
Scriptures, and edited the sacred volume, and then wrote
the whole in the Chaldaic character, for the use of those
of his brethren who refused to return with him from
Babylon to Jerusalem. To him belongs the honor of
establishing synagogue worship in every town in Jewry,
and of introducing the practice of reading therein the
Law and the Prophets. And such was his influence
with King Artaxerxes Longimanus, that he was per
mitted to go to Jerusalem with great wealth and power
to restore the worship of the true God, and to prepare
for the return of his captive countrymen. His first jour
ney occupied four months, and he was everywhere re
ceived with the distinction due a royal messenger. After
his return to Babylon, he received permission to make a
second journey to his beloved Jerusalem, and it was on
his return from this second tour that he died at Zamzu-
mu, on the west bank of the Tigris, where his tomb now
is. The fact of his burial here is confirmed by the Tal
mud, and by Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, who visited his
sepulchre in a.d. 1173.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 81
The custodians of the mausoleum are Jews, the de
scendants of those carried captive into Babylon. In
dress and thrift they appeared superior to their Arab
neighbors. The Hebrew women are extremely beauti
ful. There was one whose features were worthy the
pencil of Raphael the divine. Hers was a Jewish face,
exquisite in outline, lovely in expression, and beaming
with intelligence. Hither the Jews make an annual pil
grimage to offer their prayers, and fondly kiss the tomb
that contains the dust of him whom they revere. A
venerable Jew of three-score years and ten had come
with us from Bombay, and approached the shrine with
uncovered head and tenderly kissed the cenotaph. Ad
joining the tomb is a large caravansary for the accom
modation of the Hebrew pilgrims who come from afar.
To the north of the mausoleum is a Turkish fort, and
the governor in command extorts large sums from the
pilgrims who come to worship at the sepulchre of their
prophet. The air grew chilly as the night approached. The
Arabs had kindled blazing fires in their encampments,
around which they stood in groups. They are nomads,
who wander from place to place in quest of pasture.
They are poor, and lead a miserable life ; yet here their
fathers roamed in the centuries by-gone, and here they
themselves dwell in the shepherd's rude tent. Their
tents are constructed of a large coarse reed, mixed with
the tenacious clay of the valley, and covered with the
black hides of their native buffalo, or a coarse brown
cloth made of camel's hair. Their flocks of sheep, goats,
and buffaloes are kept for the milk they yield, and out
of it large quantities of butter and cheese are produced.
They exchange the produce of their flocks for cloth and
other necessary articles, which are brought to their en-
6

82 THRONES AND PALACES OF
campments by native merchants who trade along the
coast. A cold rain began to fall, and a stiff north-west wind
commenced to blow as the light of day faded from our
view. As neither moon nor stars were visible, which are
necessary guides to safe navigation on the tortuous Ti
gris, we were compelled to anchor for the night. Our
anchorage was at the " Devil's Elbow," the most difficult
• and dangerous curve in the river. All felt the chilly air,
and the native women and children on the upper deck
suffered much during the dreary night. The cold rain
continued the next day, and the vast treeless prairies
looked desolate enough. Throughout the morning we
passed a succession of Bedouin encampments, where were
immense herds of horses and yellow cattle, and groups
of naked children, who shouted their glee at our ap
proach. At noon we were driven ashore by a powerful
current, and so damaged our starboard wheel as to delay
us for an hour to make repairs. As we ascended, the
Tigris became more tortuous. There were points where
we turned at right angles to our course, and at times the
curvature was even greater than that. As the crow flies,
the distance between Kurnah and Bagdad is less than
three hundred miles, but by the sinuous Tigris the dis
tance is nearly doubled. We stopped for an hour at
Abu Sijreh, where is a cottage in the midst of a large
palm-grove, and where the boys hailed us with merry
shouts of laughter. The men of the place were armed
with long spears, to defend themselves and their flocks
against the wild beasts of the jungle. Later in the day,
the Tigris was even with its green banks, while beyond,
and as far as the eye could reach, appeared one vast,
dreary, watery waste.
Toward evening we anchored opposite the town of

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 83
Hud, which is at the junction of the Hud and the Ti
gris. The scene was exceedingly novel. Naked chil
dren rushed to the shore and shouted their merriment.
Native women came to the, margin of the river, and sat
motionless as statues. Native men, poorly clad, but
armed to the teeth, watched us as they would an ap
proaching foe. Not far from the river were large date-
groves inclosed within high mud-walls. The buildings
of the village are composed of mud and stone, and are
the homes of two thousand people. The palace of the
sheikh is high and imposing. The minaret of the old
mosque is inlaid with green, black, and white tiles. The
Hud is a large military station, and a place of consid
erable trade. Along the shore were many burghalows,
and two European dredging - machines. The latter,
however, are fast going to ruin for lack of knowledge to
use them properly. When it became known that the
steamer had arrived, a noisy scene followed. Soldiers
and civilians lined the shore. Veiled women stood upon
the balconies, and others peered through the latticed
windows. Some were in black, some in green, some in
white. All manifested their curiosity to see the ladies
of our party.
Experience had taught the captain to anchor far out
in the stream, and not make fast to the shore, as the vil
lagers were accustomed to rush on board in such num
bers as to ground his steamer. They would come osten
sibly for letters, but rather to pillage. For two hours
there were a constant coming and going of boats filled
with people. These little .boats are more novel than a
Yankee notion. They are constructed of a coarse reed,
and smeared with naphtha within and without. They
resemble in form an acorn-cup, and are called Tcooffahs.
Some of them hold a dozen persons. Their motion in

84 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the water is that of a spinning-top, and they are pro
pelled by a single paddle, with alternate strokes, first on
one side and then on the other; and thus propelled, they
go whirling through the water. Many of our native pas
sengers went on shore to purchase food, and their return
was the signal of intense excitement. Boats collided,
women screamed, men grew pale, and boatmen swore.
And such profanity ! They swore by their mother ; by
the wife and sister of the one they cursed. They called
each other the " devil's friend."
We were glad when the signal - whistle sounded our
departure. Amidst a shout from the shore and a shout
from our steamer, we left the Hud, and resumed our voy
age. On either side were rich pasture -fields adorned
with yellow daisies. Here and there were the pine, the
palm, and the bamboo. Far away, grand and gloomy,
were the Luristan Mountains. The agricultural wealth
of this valley is beyond computation. Forty years ago,
when Captain Holland first came up the Tigris, all these
river lands were in a high state of cultivation ; but the
excessive taxes collected by the Turks discouraged the
farmers, who abandoned their fields to the wandering
Bedouin. The Turk is a consumer, and has never been
a producer. Such was the darkness of the night, that we were com
pelled to anchor at seven o'clock. In three hours and
a half we started again, but in less than an hour we
were forced to stop for the night. The morning dawned
with brighter prospects. As we advanced, vegetation
increased. The grass was thicker and more abundant.
Men, in companies of six and twelve, were at work re
pairing the levees to prevent an overflow. • They seemed
happy in their work, and shouted to their friends on the
steamer. Horsemen appeared along the bank, with sad-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 85
die-bags filled with produce, and Avomen were seen car
rying on their heads baskets of food.
In the afternoon we saw the old and now abandoned
fort of Kullah Sultan, which is three hundred feet square
and has a round tower at each angle. Beyond the fort
the west bank is high and bold, and inland is a young
forest. The day declined, and the night air was intense
ly cold. The extreme cold was doubtless due, in part
to the snow-water that came down from the mountains
The next day the Tigris appeared like thin, yellow mud
through which we slowly steamed hour after hour. The
quantity of alluvial soil thus carried southward is im
mense. It is deposited at the mouth of the Shaat-el
Arab, where islands are formed, and whereon cities will
be built. We were now in the broadest portion of the
Tigris, where the river resembles a lake, and where the
current is eight knots an hour.
Happily for our comfort, the morning was glorious.
The heavens were clear, and the sun was bright. The
air was balmy, and the natural scenery was grand. For
ty miles to the east were the Luristan Mountains, whose
summits are ten thousand feet above the level of the sea.
The higher range was one immense bank of snow, and
one head-land peak, boldest of the group, reflected the
glories of the rising sun. From the river to the base of
the hills, the meadows were clothed with grass and en
ameled with white daisies. On either side, the banks
were high and the soil was rich — a remnant of the bet
ter past. It is Pliny who described this section of the
valley as the richest portion of the East ; and, even now,
no one could desire a richer empire than the great penin
sula between the Tigris and the Euphrates, and extend
ing from Bagdad to the Garden of -Eden.
The pleasures of the day were heightened by the

86 THRONES AND PALACES OF
mountain scenery, ever in view, yet ever changing. The
lower range was barren and brown; the higher peaks
were white with snow. How grand the view ! How
pure and calm the vision ! At sunset our enjoyment
was intensified. The snow-peaks reflected the rosy tints
of the declining sun ; and when the orb of day had sunk
beneath the horizon, the snowy range was colored with
a deep, rich blue, that gradually faded into intense black
ness. But as the stars came forth, the beautiful snow
was visible again. The pointers of Ursa Major, the clus
tered Pleiades, and the Sword of Orion shone in glory
above, and were reflected in the waters beneath.
At seven o'clock that night we were at El-Henna, the
"Half-way House," between Busrah and Bagdad; and
in six hours thereafter we reached Kut-el-Amarah, a
Turkish garrison of fifty men. At this point the river
Hye cuts the peninsula, and flows into the Euphrates
through six lesser channels. Amarah is the chief coal
ing station on the Tigris, to which the coal is brought
in native boats from Busrah, for the supply of the river
steamers. In the early light of the next morning, we saw two
wolves near the shore. They were large, and nearly
white. A well-meant shot failed to reach them, and
with a bound they were out of sight. An hour later
we passed the Turkish steamer Mosul, loaded with
troops and produce for Busrah. Flags were hoisted in
friendly salutation as we passed each other.
At dawn the next day we were at the ruins of Huma-
niah, and opposite is an old canal cut to avoid a loug
curve in the river. We could see the river at the other
end of the ditch, but there was not water enough therein
to float our steamer. The canal is not more than a mile
in length, but we were three hours in passing around

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 87
from one end to the other. Having doubled the cape,
we were opposite ancient Babylon, not forty miles to the
westward. Beyond, we passed the military station Az-
zaziah, where there is a well-constructed fort, with cen
tral gate- way and four strong bastions. All day long
the river continued to be a broad lake, and its rapid
current bore southward many native boats loaded with
produce. We had left the low country and were now
passing through a section of the valley where the river-
banks are sixty feet high. The inland plains were cov
ered with grass and bushes. Splendid Arab horses were
feeding in the rich pastures. Late in the afternoon we
came to Baghdadieh, whereat is a fort, and near which
was a large encampment. The half- naked Arabs ran
after us and begged for coffee. It was a cruel decep
tion, but one of our native passengers filled a bottle
with ashes, and threw it into the river. Quick as
thought, an Arab threw off his aba, plunged into the
cold stream, clutched the coveted prize, that was to him
an Apple of Sodom.
The seventh and last day of our voyage had dawned.
Around us were the mighty ruins of the power and
glory of Greek and Roman, of Persian and Parthian.
Before us lay the battle-field whereon the Roman Seve-
rus, the apostate Julian, the Persian Chosroes, and Omar
the Saracen had fought for empire. Here the Macedo
nians had lived in republican freedom; here the Persians
had reveled in Oriental splendor ; here the Parthian
kings had pitched their royal tents, and dwelt therein
in pastoral simplicity. On our left Were the remains
of Seleucia ; on our right were the ruins of Ctesiphon,
around which cluster the memories of two millenniums.
Seleucia was a republic in the heart of Assyria. Its
founder was Seleucus Nicator, the immediate successor

88 THRONES AND PALACES OF
of Alexander the Great in the East. To preserve his
memory from oblivion, he called it Seleucia. While he
survived, it was the imperial city of the Macedonian em
pire in Upper Asia; and after his death, and long after
his empire had ceased to exist, it remained a Grecian col
ony. Its founder had bestowed upon it the rights and
privileges of an independent government. It had a sen
ate of three hundred nobles, a population of six hundred
thousand citizens, and a free constitution. It was re
nowned for its arts, its military power, its love of free
dom. v Its prosperity continued through centuries, and
the fame of its wealth excited the cupidity of the most
renowned conquerors of the Christian era. Being less
than fifty miles to the north-east, its contiguity .and fame
had the effect to depopulate ancient Babylon, which ver
ified the predictions of the prophets. When in its glory,
the walls of the city resembled an eagle spreading his
wings, to illustrate the freedom of its citizens ; and such
was the strength of its defensive works as to resist an
assault of the most powerful enginery of ancient warfare.
The city, however, was surrendered to the Romans under
the Emperor Trajan, in the year a.d. 116; but after his
departure, the citizens revolted and re-asserted their in
dependence. For half a century, Seleucia was free, and
was the noblest city on the banks of the Tigris. But
its wealth and luxury allured the Emperor Severus to
its gates, who sacked and burned the beautiful metrop
olis, and massacred three hundred thousand of its best
citizens. From that day its decline was rapid and cer
tain. In its fall was illustrated the saying, " Measure for
measure," for in subsequent years Seleucia suffered from
the Parthian kings the same fate she had inflicted on
Babylon, as the seat of empire was transferred to the
opposite bank of the river, and Ctesiphon became the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 89
imperial city ; and all that now remains of the Greek
colony are fragments of porcelain, pieces of pottery, and
immense shapeless mounds of broken bricks. Out of the
ruins the Arabs have built a square fort, with a round
tower at each angle. Near the fortress were a few tents,
and along the shore a few native boats were at anchor.
On the eastern bank of the Tigris are the more definite
and more imposing remains of Ctesiphon, whose history
is written in blood. At first the capital of the kings of
Parthia, it became the winter residence of the Persian
monarchs, who, having enjoyed the cool breezes of the
mountains of Media at Ecbatana during the summer
months, came hither in winter to enjoy the milder cli
mate of Ctesiphon. In subsequent centuries, it contained
the " white palace of Chosroes," the most wonderful and
magnificent structure in the valley of the Euphrates.
Around its walls were fought the most bloody battles
known to history. In thirty-three years after its capture
by Trajan, it had recovered its former greatness ; but, in
the middle of the second century, it was captured by the
Emperor Severus, whose soldiers carried away immense
treasures of gold and silver, and who led forth a hun
dred thousand captives to grace the conqueror's triumph.
Yet it survived the plunder of its palaces, and the cap
tivity of so many of its noblest citizens, and for two hun
dred years was the seat of Persian royalty. It was in
the year a.d. 363 that Julian the Apostate, with sixty
thousand Roman soldiers, demanded its unconditional
surrender. He had marched down the peninsula, and
fixed his camp on the west bank of the Tigris amidst the
ruins of Seleucia. To bring his fleet of twelve hundred
boats from the Euphrates to the Tigris, he re-opened the
old canal that Trajan had made, and which now remains
a little to the north. Crossing the Tigris at dead of

90

THRONES AND PALACES OF

night, Julian opened the battle at early dawn, and which
lasted for twelve consecutive hours. The Romans were
victorious on the plains, but the Persians were victorious
in the city. The proud walls of Ctesiphon bade defi
ance to the assaults of the Roman legions. Unable to
take the city, Julian burned eleven hundred of his boats,
the brilliant conflagration of which transformed night
into day ; and, marching northward and inland east of

W^S^

iiiBi
|lfllll||s UH||

I m

IPIilill"

Mi'li!¦I

ANCIENT CTESIPHON.
the river, he was overtaken by the Persians ; and in the
battle of Samara, not far from Bagdad, Julian was slain
by a javelin that penetrated his liver.
Ctesiphon remained the seat of Persian luxury and
power down to the seventh century, when it was sacked
and destroyed by the Saracens. And when the victors
entered the gates and beheld the palace, they shouted,
" This is the white palace of Chosroes ; this is the prom
ise of the apostle of God." The spoils of the victors

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 91
were immense. It required a mule to carry away the
tiara and cuirass, the belt and bracelets, of Chosroes.
This gorgeous trophy was presented to Omar, the com
mander of the faithful ; and the gravest of his compan
ions condescended to smile when they beheld the white
beard, the hairy arms, and uncouth figure of the veteran
who appeared before them wearing the royal ornaments
of the great king. But of all the trophies, the most mag
nificent was a carpet of silk, ninety feet in length and as
many in breadth, which decorated one of the apartments
of the palace. It was a piece of tapestry of the most ex
traordinary workmanship. A paradise, or garden, was
depictured on the ground ; the flowers, fruits, and shrubs
were imitated by the figures of the gold embroidery and
the colors of the precious stones ; and the ample square
was encircled by a variegated and- verdant border. The
Arabian general persuaded the soldiers to relinquish
their claim, in the reasonable hope that the eye of the
caliph would be delighted with the splendid workman
ship of native industry. But, regardless of the merit of
art and the pomp of royalty, the rigid Omar divided the
prize among his brethren of Medina. The picture was
destroyed; but such was the intrinsic value of the ma
terials, that the share of Ali alone was sold for twenty
thousand drachmas *
The sack of Ctesiphon by the Saracens was followed
by its gradual decay and final desertion. Covering an
area of many miles are mounds of moderate height, of a
light color, and strewed with fragments of pottery and
porcelain. They extend eastward in a semicircular range,
and their continued line and form indicate the circuit of
the city walls. But the most conspicuous and interest-
* Gibbon.

92 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ing object is the ruin of the " white palace of Chosroes."
We had seen it from earliest dawn, and by the higher
refracting atmosphere of the East it towered in all its
grand proportions. When viewed from our steamer, it
reminded me of Westminster Abbey. It is less than
half a mile from the margin of the river. It is composed
of two wings, and a central hall that extends the whole
length of the palace. It is constructed of fine burned
bricks, each twelve inches square and three inches thick,
covered with a superior cement. Its eastern front is
three hundred feet in length, and in the centre is a noble
arch, one hundred and twenty-eight feet high, and with
a span of ninety feet. The walls are sixteen feet thick.
The face of the front is ornamented with four rows of
arched recesses, each one the miniature of the great arch,
and all of the most delicate and exquisite workmanship.
The wings have their front divided into two stories, the
lower one of which has large arched niches and an arched
door-way, each separated from the other by convex pi
lasters, going up half way the height of the building.
In the second story there is a succession of concave
arched recesses, divided from each other by semi -col
umns, and diminishing in proportion to the top of the
remaining portion of the front wall. In its ruins the
great structure is grand to contemplate, but when per
fect its appearance must have been superb. The mag
nificent banqueting -hall extends a hundred and sixty
feet east and west. At the eastern end is a wall where
in is a door-way twelve feet wide and twenty-four feet
high. The imagination can scarcely realize the grandeur
of this apartment, resplendent with Oriental ornamenta
tion, and brilliant with the gorgeous display of Persian
royalty. Near the eastern bank of the Tigris, and opposite the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 93
two cities, are the remains of a brick bridge that once
spanned the river. The portion that we saw just above
the water is seventeen feet wide and sixty feet long;
and the height of the most perfect remaining pier is
ei°;ht feet.
Not far from the palace is the tomb of Suliman the
Pure, who was Mohammed's barber, and Avho became a
convert under the persuasive eloquence of the prophet
himself. Hither the barbers of Bagdad come in annual
procession, in the month of April, to do homage to the
memory of a fellow-craftsman. The tomb consists of a
domed sanctuary, a vaulted piazza, and to it is attached
a caravansary for the accommodation of the pilgrim bar
bers. Over the sepulchre are three tall palms, and hence
it is sometimes called the "Tomb of the Three Palms."
Near it are the urned ashes of another of even greater
distinction. They are the dust of Hadhaifah, who was
secretary to the prophet. And in a third tomb are the
remains of the Caliph Moostasem Billah, Avho Avas slain
by Heslakoo, grandson of the famous Genghis Khan, the
founder of the Mogul dynasty in Persia.
Once more afloat, Ave soon came to the river Dialah,
Avhich runs inland many miles, and which is the chan
nel of an extensive trade with the encampments and vil
lages that line its banks. A solitary tree marks the
spot where it pours its clear, sweet waters into the Ti
gris. It is half the breadth of the latter stream, and its
current does not exceed two miles an hour. On the
northern bank were a few grass huts, whose occupants
earn a living by transporting travelers across the stream,
and near them were a few tents of Arab shepherds.
This Dialah is mentioned by Xenophon, and somewhere
on its banks, and near the Tigris, stood the populous
and flourishing city of Sitace ; and not far from it was a

94 THRONES AND PALACES OF
bridge of thirty-seven boats. But town and bridge have
long since ceased to exist, and there is to-day no trace of
their existence. The river is now famous for an enor
mous fish, so large as to form a good load for a don
key. These large fish are taken to Bagdad, where they
are sold at a moderate price to the poorer classes.
It Avas midday when we had our first view of Bagdad,
the renowned " City of the Caliphs." So sudden was the
view, and so brief withal, that it seemed like an en
chanted vision. Dome and minaret, tower and mauso
leum, rose above the dense groves of the royal palm.
Away to the north-west were the golden pinnacles of
Kathimain and the unique monument to the beautiful
Zobeida; Avhile on our right were the green -tiled and
swelling domes, the graceful minarets, towering above
the pine and cypress, and the massive walls of the " City
of Peace." But the gorgeous vision lasted only for a mo
ment, and then disappeared for an hour, while we fol
lowed the sinuous channel of the Tipris. All around us
were the unmistakable signs that we were near a great
city. Village succeeded village ; plantation touched
plantation ; men in white, women closely veiled, and
children innocent of a rag, Avere chatting, laughing, and
wondering how we could steam against wind and cur
rent. Soon the vision re-appeared, enlarged, diversified, and
rendered more beautiful by a thousand new objects,
thrilling us with delight, dimpling with smiles the
cheeks of our fair ones, and provoking heartier laughter
from those made of sterner stuff.
A voyage of twenty-five hundred miles is ended. All
is well. We now pass the English residency, Avith its
high walls, and orange -groves, and lofty flag-staff, bear
ing on high Briton's proud banner. Saluting the En-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 95
glish gun-boat Comet as we pass, Ave dropped anchor in
front of the Turkish custom-house, whose officials rushed
on board to examine baggage and passports. Soon the
river was covered with kooffahs, those acorn -shaped
boats, Avhose OAvners screamed and clamored in frantic
tones to induce us to employ them. The excitement
was no less intense on shore, for the arrival of the City
of London was a great event to the people of Bagdad.
Merchants expected their goods from Manchester and
Bombay; bankers were anxious to receive remittances,
Avhile all anticipated the coming of the mail from Eu
rope, from India, from the shores of Persia and Arabia.
Colonel C. Herbert, her Britannic majesty's political
resident and consul-general, sent his boat, with a polite
invitation for us to be his guests ; but Captain Cowley's
invitation had been accepted, and we were to be the
guests of Captain Holland, whose amiable daughter Mr.
Cowley had married. It required some skill and no lit
tle care to jump into a kooffah, for, like a Avooden bowl
on the water, it bobbed and dipped where the weight
happened to be greatest ; and the only position of safety
was to sit down like a Turk on the bottom of the boat.
All in, seven in number, and away we went twirling
through the water like a boy's top, laughing at our fears,
and more at our novel navigation. We landed in the
mud, but were soon on the high terrace, and, passing
through a vaulted passage-way, we entered a spacious
court, where we were received with generous hospitality.
We had to regret the absence of Captain Holland,
whom we left at Busrah. Forty years ago, he made an
expedition up the Tigris, and since then he has been a
resident of Bagdad. In all respects a worthy represent
ative of Great Britain, he is esteemed for his intelli
gence, his moral worth, and his high social character.

96 THRONES AND PALACES OF
He loved and married a native Christian lady, who is
the mother of his thirteen children, and who is still in
the freshness of her womanhood. Queenly in her ap
pearance, womanly in her address, generous in her hos
pitality, entertaining in conversation, she is gifted with
a mind quick to perceive, nice to discriminate, impartial
to judge, and candid to decide. Her home is the abode
of peace. Love reigns in the household. Her children
and children's children are happiest when in each oth
er's society. Her daughters are amiable and engaging;
her son, educated in England, is a noble specimen of ma
turing manhood.
The Holland mansion is on the bank of the river, built
of brick, two stories high, and within is a large court
yard, wherein palms are growing. On the ground-floor
are the cool apartments occupied by the family in the
day-time, during the intense heat of midsummer; while
on the house-top are the spacious platforms whereon the
family sleep in the hot nights of summer. The apart
ments assigned us were all that we could wish for com
fort and for pleasure. The sumptuous Oriental dinners,
the well-stored library, the drawing-room entertainments,
the evening devotions, united to complete the circle of
our daily delights. For more than a week we were the
welcome guests of this happy family, whose kindness an
ticipated every want, whose pleasure was supreme Avhen
their guests were happiest. To them were we indebt
ed for practical suggestions as to traveling in the East.
They thought it no annoyance to aid us to employ serv
ants, to make contracts, to purchase our necessary outfit
for our long inland journey. And when the " elect lady "
of our party was ill, each one was a ministering angel
unto her. All this Avas the realization of our dream of
Oriental hospitality. It was more ; for the boasted hos-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 99
pitality of the Turk is a hospitality of equivalents. The
guest is expected to return in kind equal to what he has
received. It is gift for gift ; dollar for dollar. To be
well thought of among the Turks, the traveler's dona
tions should be princely. They estimate him not by
what he is, but by what he gives. But not so at Cap
tain Holland's. That queenly Avife and mother would
not allow child or domestic to receive the gifts in gold
which Ave felt it a privilege to offer ; and even the serv
ants Avho had received presents were required by their
mistress to return the same. She thought such gifts de
moralizing to those who received them. She Avould have
her children unselfish in their entertainment of strangers,
and her servants unselfish in their attention to her guests.
Such hospitality is so rare in the East, especially outside
of Christian society, that I mention it here with no ordi
nary pleasure.
The enchanting stories of " The Thousand and One
Nights " had excited our expectation as to the Oriental
magnificence of Bagdad, but the reality was not a real
ization of our fondly cherished dreams. The changes
wrought by time, and by the rise and fall of dynasties,
are more apparent in the " City of the Caliphs " than in
Cairo or Damascus. But the past is not to be inferred
from the present. Six centuries ago, Bagdad was the
proud capital of the caliphs, whose empire extended from
the Pillars of Hercules to the Wall of China, and from
the Indian Ocean to the Frozen Sea. It was then an
emporium of wealth and magnificence. It was the royal
abode of the Abbassides, chief of the family of the proph
et, and was held in veneration by all the kings of the
desert Arabs as the seat of power and glory. The great
palace was three miles iu circumference, and embowered
in a forest of fruit-trees. Within the inclosure was a

100 THRONES AND PALACES OF
lake, formed by the waters of the Tigris ; and within the
spacious park were kept a multitude of birds and ani
mals, so that hunting and fishing could be enjoyed as
constant diversions. The space inclosed was equal in
extent to that occupied by the castellated palace and
hanging gardens of ancient Babylon* The founder of
the city was Al Mansour, second caliph of the Abbasside
dynasty, who called it the "Abode of Peace," a title still
used in official documents from the Sublime Porte. Its
history dates from the year 762 of our era. With the
resources of a vast and rich' empire at his command, its
founder lavished his wealth and displayed his taste to
make it a city of extraordinary magnificence. And such
was his wealth at the time of his death, that he left to
his successor $150,000,000 in gold. His son Al Manioun
excelled his father in the splendor and luxury of his
reign. On his bridal-day, he showered on the head of
his beautiful bride a thousand pearls of the largest size
and of the most exquisite hue. His palace was adorned
Avith thirty-eight thousand pieces of tapestry, twelve
thousand of which were of silk embroidered with gold.
In the royal gardens were gold and silver trees, each
Avith eighteen branches, and in them were birds of gold,
who warbled their melody by the action of ingenious
machinery. In his hunting-grounds, a hundred lions
were kept for his sport. Superb barges, elegant as the
gondolas of Venice, floated on the Tigris. The high offi
cers of his court, and the eunuchs who held the keys of
his harem, were gorgeously attired ; their buttons were
of gold and costly gems. Nor Avas he unmindful of learn
ing and culture. The college of Bagdad cost two hun
dred thousand pieces of gold, and could boast of more
* Benjamin of Tudela.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 101
than six thousand disciples. A hundred thousand man
uscripts, beautifully translated and elegantly bound,
adorned the library. It was the seat of Arabian learn
ing. Astronomy Avas studied Avith assiduity and success.
The first arc of the meridian was measured in the " Col
lege of the Learned," and water-clocks Avere there suc
cessfully invented. Such was the extent of a physician's
library, that he informed the Sultan of Bokhara that
it Avould require four hundred camels to transport his
books. Some idea of the vastness of the population may
be formed from the statements of historians, that eighty
thousand men, sixty thousand women, and twenty thou
sand slaves formed the funeral procession of Ibn Han-
bal, a distinguished Moslem sage.*
Bagdad attained the height of its power in a.d. 786,
under the reign of Haroun-al-Raschid, and his charming
Scheherzade of "The Thousand and One Nights." He
earned his victorious banners to the gates of Byzantium
when Irene was on the throne, with the infant Constan-
tine in her arms ; and, returning to the "Abode of Peace,"
he ruled his empire with prudence, and treated his ene
mies with contempt. In the height of his glory, he in
scribed a letter to the Emperor Nicephorus, calling him
a " Roman dog."
His name recalls those charming entertainments so
vividly depicted in "The Arabian Nights," and of which
his capital was so largely the scene of the stories therein
told. Whoever was their author, those stories have an
immortality. The time and place of their composition,
and Avhether the characters therein delineated are real
or fancied, are disputed points; yet their influence is
Avorld-wide, and the pleasure they afford is immense.
* Gibbon.

102 THRONES AND PALACES OF
The best of the " Entertainments " may have come from
India, the cradle of story and fable; the most tender
and sentimental love-tales may be of Persian inspiration,
but the life-like pictures and witty anecdotes are purely
Arabian. The passion for adventure, for love and re
venge; the craft and successful plots of womankind; the
hypocrisy of priests; the corruptibility of judges; the
gilded palaces, the charming women, the lovely gardens,
the exquisite repasts, are no less true now of town-life in
the Mohammedan East than centuries ago. These same
stories, which captivate and transport even Christian
minds by the splendor of their pageantry, the variety
and boldness of incident, and the feiwid expression of
natural desires, are the familiar stories nightly related in
the coffee-houses and harems of Bagdad. The story of
Zobeida and her two Sisters, and the petrified city of the
Indes, of Sindbad the Sailor, of The Three Calenders, Sons
of Sultans, and the Five Ladies of Bagdad, are now the
entertaining tales of every-day life. And whether from
the educational effect of these " Entertainments " on the
common mind of the East, or from a natural genius in
herited, the love of story-telling is universal in the Ori
ent, and a master in the art is a favorite with all.
A city like Bagdad, so celebrated for its Avealth and
splendor, was a tempting prize to ambitious conquerors.
The Tartar hordes sought its treasures in a.d. 1251 ; and
their leader, Hulaku Khan, put to a cruel death Mosta-
zem, the last of the caliphs, and massacred three hun
dred thousand of its citizens. One hundred and fifty
years thereafter, it Avas besieged and captured by Tamer
lane, the Mogul ; and the place is pointed out on the
western bank of the" Tigris where he caused to be
erected two pyramids, composed of ninety thousand
skulls of the most influential citizens, whom he had

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 103
cruelly slain. Since then the city has gradually de
creased in Avealth, poAver, and population. The Turks
came in a.d. 1638, Avho are now masters of the situation.
Since their advent, it has been a place of contention be
tween them and the Persians. Within the last half cen
tury, its population has been reduced from one hundred
and ten thousand to less than seventy thousand. The
great empire of the caliphs has been divided and subdi
vided, to augment the revenues demanded by the Sub
lime Porte. Thirty-five years ago, the pashalic of Bag
dad was one of the most important and wealthy in the
Turkish empire, and was the first in rank. Its jurisdic
tion then extended from the shores of the Persian Gulf
up the Euphrates to Anah, where the Aleppo District
commenced ; thence across Mesopotamia to the Hamreen
Hills and the great plains of Kerkha ; and thence to the
junction of the Shaat-el-Arab and the Mahomerah, with
Kurdistan on the north ; but to-day the authority of its
pasha is limited to the districts surrounding the city, in
clusive of the Arab tribes that encamp in the neighbor
hood, while Busrah and Diarbekir are placed under inde-
pepdent pashas.
Yet Bagdad is still beautiful for situation, though not
the joy of the whole earth. It is divided by the Tigris
into two parts, the smaller quarter being a suburb on
the western bank. The two portions are connected by
a bridge of boats a thousand feet long, but such a bridge
as only Turks Avould suffer to remain a day. Its pres
ent condition indicates their disregard for the safety of
human life, and is one of the many proofs that they have
the least public spirit of any people on the globe. Situ
ated on a plain, the principal part of the city is on the
eastern bank of the Tigris, and the buildings along the
river abut the water's edge. The high walls of the

104 THRONES AND PALACES OF
town are both old and new, constructed of bricks of
different kinds, chiefly gathered from the once stately
structures of ancient Babylon. The older sections of the
wall indicate superior workmanship, while the modern
portions are in keeping with the dilapidated , condition
of the Turkish empire. At the principal angles of the
wall are large round towers, on which are mounted bat
teries to salute the pasha and frighten the Arabs. Two
of the larger and older towers are grand and gloomy.
They were constructed by the caliph Nasr, in a.d. 1221,
as announced by an inscription thereon, executed in the
best style of the old Arabic sculpture. The three gates
of the city are massive and imposing. They are the
gathering- places of merchants who trade in cotton; of
venders of things new and old; of magicians perform
ing magic tricks; of story-tellers convulsing with laugh
ter the listening crowd ; of Jewish money-changers, ever
willing to turn an honest penny ; of mule-owners, always
anxious to transport the traveler; of soldiers strutting
in their little brief authority ; of beggars, whose persist
ent importunities, if directed to the right place, would
open the pearly gates of paradise.
Nearly half the space included within the walls is
covered with the ruins of better days ; and in the other
half are gardens, wherein are the orange, the fig, the pom
egranate, the apricot, and the palm. The streets are nar
row, crooked, unpaved, and, on rainy days, impassable for
pedestrians. No people in the world bathe half so often
as the Turks, yet no people are half so indifferent to of
fensive odors. Whatever is within, the outside of the
platter is never clean. They are passionately fond of
perfumes, and are partial to the oil of roses ; yet there
is not a street in Bagdad that is not a sink of deadly
vapors.

3

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 107
The gloom of the principal thoroughfares is increased
by the construction and the materials of the buildings.
Most of the houses are composed of a pale-yellow brick,
and on either side of the street are blank walls, pene
trated by a low, narrow door-way, Avith here and there
a small latticed Avindow. The entrance is secured by a
heavy door of planks, fastened by strong iron clamps,
and, Avhen closed, is an effectual barrier to all intruders.
This Ioav portal leads to a spacious court- yard, opening
into which are ranges of apartments furnished and orna
mented according to the Avealth and taste of the occu
pants. Connected with all the better class of private
residences in Bagdad are subterranean rooms, called ser-
daubs, which are a cool retreat in- the day-time from the
intense heat of summer. The flat roofs of the dwellings
are so many unroofed chambers, wherein the family take
the evening meal and sleep during the heated season.
And, as may be readily imagined, the early daAvn pre
sents to the traveler a novel sight, Avhen, on a thousand
housetops, the sleepers awake from their dreams and be
gin to shake dull slumber from their souls.
The public buildings of Bagdad have the enchantment
that distance lends to the view. The palace of the pasha
is more noticeable for its extent than for its mao-nificence.
Viewed from an eminence, the SAvelling domes and lofty
minarets of a hundred mosques, rising above the palm
and orange groves, present to the eye of the beholder a
pleasing landscape. Some of the mosques are old and
grand. That of the vizier, which abuts the Tigris, and
is near the bridge, has a noble dome and a graceful mina
ret, but is less attractive than the one near the Maidan,
Avhose rich arabesque - work, imposing entrance, lofty
pointed arch, sculptured bands, and beautifully wrought
inscription, are not altogether unworthy the " City of the

108 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Caliphs." The mosque of the pasha is distinguished by
the lamps on its exterior gallery that burn throughout
the night, but is not so large and grand as that of Abbas-
el-Kaddr. Most of these mosques are surmounted with
Persian domes, whose height is greater than their diam
eter. The exterior of the dome and minaret is incased
with glazed tiles of green and white, and the body of the
mosque is streaked Avith vermilion.
On a sunny day, the streets of Bagdad presented a
picturesque and lively scene. Richly caparisoned horses,
and white asses fantastically marked Avith henna, each
led by a turbaned groom on foot, bore some " prince of
the blood " or high official from palace to palace ; Turks
in flowing robes and broad white turbans ; Persians in
high black caps and closely -fitting tunics; the Bokhara
pilgrim in white head-dress and AvayAvorn garments ; the
Bedouin chief in his tasseled keffieh and striped aba;
Bagdad ladies in white and scarlet draperies, fretted with
threads of gold, and black horse -hair veils concealing
wanton eyes; Persian women wrapped in shapeless gar
ments, and Arab girls wearing a single blue skirt, min
gled in one motley throng in the merry bazaars.
The creed, the nationality, the trade, the station in life,
are indicated by the dress worn in the street. The JeAv
and Christian are known by their dark robes and tur
bans, formed of blue muslin or Cashmere shawls. The
Persian is recognized by his tight tunic and rimless hat.
The desert Arab is distinguished by his silk head-dress,
his woolen cloak, and curved dagger. The Moslem pro
claims his faith by his clean white turban, and the Mo
hammedan mollah by his turban of green. And the
Government official, whether civil or military, is known
by his European costume and red fez.
Such is the cosmopolitan character of the population

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 109
of this city, that St. Peter could have an audience rep
resenting all nations to hear another pentecostal sermon.
Khoords, Persians, and Arabs, Turks, Hindoos, and Afri
cans, French, Germans, and English, Spaniards and Ital
ians, JeAvs and Christians, dwell within the city walls.
Of the sixty- eight thousand inhabitants, fifty-five thou
sand are Moslems, ten thousand are Jews, two thousand
are native Christians, and the balance are from all na
tions under heaven, except America.
¦ The JeAvs are by far the most interesting portion of
the population. They claim to be the descendants of the
captives carried into Babylon. Some boast of a pedigree
from King David, and recite the melodies once sung in
the Temple at Jerusalem. Among the most distinguished
of their number was Eliezer Ben Isamah, known as the
President of the Fifth Class, who traced his descent from
the prophet Samuel, and who performed on the harp in
the exact manner that Avas in use in the days of the roy
al David. But one greater than he Avas called Daniel,
the son of Hasdai, and " Conductor of the Captivity," who
had preserved a book of his genealogy in direct descent
from David. His brethren recognized him as their lead
er, nor was the caliph slow to accord to him the honor.
By order of the Government, all classes of the citizens
were commanded to show him due respect. When he
Avent on a visit to the caliph, he Avas attended by horse
men, and preceded by a crier, who proclaimed, " Prepare
ye the way of the Lord ; make his paths straight." He
was another Daniel in the realm. He was attired in
robes of silk ornamented with Phrygian embroidery.
He wore a splendid tiara, encircled with a Avhite veil,
held in its place by a chain of gold, and he rode in the
second chariot of the kingdom.*
* Benjamin of Tudela.

110 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Bagdad is now the head-quarters of the Hebrews for
all parts of the valley of the Euphrates, from Hillah to
Mosul. The ancestors of some of them settled here two
hundred and fifty years ago, having come from Anah, on
the Euphrates, where the captives were colonized after
the destruction of Jerusalem. At present the Jews have
fourteen synagogues, and ten schools for the education
of their children. Here the Hebrews assemble annual
ly from all -the neighboring cities, to keep the Passover.
Hither all letters are directed and thence remailed to
their owners. As a class, the Hebrews are rich and in
telligent. Some are bankers, some are merchants, some
are goldsmiths. The latter are the jewelers of Bagdad,
and their bazaar is the most interesting portion of the
city. True to their religious faith, they intermarry, and
are a nation Avithin a nation. The chief rabbi is in the
prime of life, and of rare attainments. I sought an inter
view, and he complied with my request. He expects the
restoration of his people to the Promised Land, and is
living in daily expectation of the Messiah's advent.
On the Jewish Sabbath I visited five of their syna
gogues. All are inferior structures. The largest and
best is a court fifty feet square; and on each side are al
coves, wherein are seats covered with Persian carpets.
In the east side is the Holy of Holies. In the centre is
a square canopy supported by twelve pillars, and from
the roof lamps depend. On the platform beneath the
canopy stood the officiating priests, who chanted the
Psalms of David and selections from the Law and the
Prophets. Near the entrance to the court is a minia
ture temple, whereon is an inscription in Hebrew, Avhich
the people fondly kissed as they departed from the sa
cred place. Above the lateral alcoves are the latticed
apartments for the Avomen. Some of the Hebrew ladies

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. HI
were extremely beautiful, and their appearance indicated
that they loved their ornaments as did their mothers in
the days of Isaiah. All were well and some were rich
ly attired, indicating their thrift and worldly prosperity.
While I Avas in the city the Avhole Jewish community
was greatly excited. One of their merchants had sworn
on the Holy Book that he Avas Avorth less than his assets
justified, and this he had done to avoid a financial obli
gation. A neAv disease had broken out among the Jews,
and seemed incurable. The priests regarded it as a judg
ment from the Lord to punish this act of perjury ; and,
to appease the Almighty's wrath and check the disease,
they declared that the perjurer must confess, or be ex
communicated. On a beautiful Sabbath morning I visited the several
Christian churches of the city, and witnessed their form
of worship. The Christian community, of two thousand
souls, is composed of five distinct sects. In accordance
with an old usage and mutual consent, the members of
four of these denominations intermarry. In the mar
riage-contract it is stipulated that the wife may choose
her own church, but the children must be baptized in
the church of the father. The Monophysite Armenians,
however, are averse to this arrangement, and decline to
marry those not of their communion.
The Christians of Bagdad are natives, and form part
of the great Eastern Church, as distinguished from the
Church of the West. The Armenians are divided into
two branches, the Papists and the Monophysites. The
church of the Papal Armenians is a small and inferior
building. On the high altar is the picture of the As
sumption of the Virgin, and before it the native priest
was celebrating mass, for the benefit of the few females
who compose his flock. The church of the Monophysitic

112 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Armenians is a low, plain edifice. A robed priest and
two deacons were officiating at the high altar. The
services consisted in intoning selections from the Psalms
and the Gospels, and a sermon on repentance, which was
more brief than pointed. A silk curtain extends across
the chancel, behind which the venerable priest retired,
as into the Holy of Holies, and responded to the chant
by the deacons. At the close of the service, bread was
blessed, and all the people partook. During the cere
mony, one of the deacons incensed each worshiper, except
the women. According to custom, the men sat on the
floor, and in front ; while the women sat in the rear, and
behind a latticed frame. As each worshiper entered the
sacred edifice, and also when he retired, he made the
sign of the cross thrice, and thrice he bowed his head
to the floor. While the Armenian ladies adhere to the
Eastern style of dress, the gentlemen have donned the
costume of the West, except the hat, in place of Avhich
they wear the red fez.
From the Armenian I wended my way through
crooked lanes to the Syrian church, which is a more
pretentious structure. The Syrian Christians are papal
in creed and in ritual, but not subject to the jurisdiction
of the pope. On the walls of their church are some ex
cellent pictures illustrative of Scriptural scenes and of
pious legends. Clad in elegant robes, the bishop offi
ciated; and, at the conclusion of the mass, he blessed a
crucifix, which he presented to be touched by the lay
man nearest the altar. Having touched the sacred em
blem, he extended his hand to the person sitting next to
him, and thus the blessing was communicated to all the
people. An old man insisted on giving me the bless
ing, but I thought it had become too diluted to possess
any virtue. I subsequently had an interview Avith the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 113
bishop in his episcopal residence. He Avas robed in pur
ple, and from a heavy gold' chain depended a jeAveled
crucifix. In the course of our conversation, he expressed
the opinion that it would be difficult to convert the
Moslems to the Christian faith. He recognized the pope
as head of the Church, but declared himself independent
of the jurisdiction of the Holy See. The interview was
interrupted by the incoming of the bishop's sister, who
seemed more interested in shoAving me the elegant robes
she had embroidered for the priests than in conversing
on the state of the Church.
The Chaldean Catholics have a larger community.
The walls of their spacious church are adorned with pict
ures, and over the altar is one representing the Trinity.
Not less than two hundred persons were present at the
service. Having left their shoes at the door, the men
sat on the carpeted floor in front, and the women sat
behind a screen in the rear. Two priests were confess
ing those who approached them for that purpose.
The French Roman Catholic church is a new and
handsome structure. The altar-piece is a noble picture
representing Mary standing beneath the Cross. A hun
dred persons were present at mass, and among the num
ber were several Europeans. Here the Avomen were in
front, sitting on Persian rugs, and the men sat on benches
in the rear of the spacious auditorium-
Although these several churches differ in creed and
polity, yet in their ritual they are not unlike. Robed
priests celebrated mass ; clouds of incense perfumed the
air; the confessional was conspicuous in each ; and Mary
was prominent in all. Priests and people are the repre
sentatives of a perverted Christianity.
In my wanderings among the churches I had the op
portunity to see the Christians of Bagdad, observe their
8

114 THRONES AND PALACES OF
manners, and note their style of dress. As in more civ
ilized countries, the ladies appear at church attired in
their richest and most showy apparel. Only a few of
the Christian women wear the veil ; but, as a custom and
an ornament, they envelop themselves in the elegant silk
izar, which is held together at the chin by the thumb
and forefinger of the right hand, so as quite to cover the
face. Their fondness for jewelry is displayed in the ex
cess of their ornaments, which are numerous and showy.
But in nothing more are the Christian women distin
guished from their sisters of the Moslem faith than in
their dress and ornaments. The street attire of Mos
lem women is extremely plain, and never attractive.
The veil is universal with them, and constantly worn
when in public. Those of the poorer class wear the yas-
mah, made of stiff black horse- hair, which imparts an
air of poverty and gloom. And so completely are the
rich and the poor disguised by the veil, that a husband
can not recognize his Wife on the street. Those who are
allied to the Arab race, whether by blood or habits of
long intercourse, have a passion for adorning their per
sons with blue stains, that are not only indelible, but
most forbidding in appearance. They stain their lower
lip Avith the deadly hue, their ankles with anklets, their
wrists with bracelets, their breasts with wreaths of flow
ers, and their necks with a zone, in imitation of some
beautiful necklace. And this work of decorating the
female form in the latest approved style is performed by
professional artists in Bagdad.
But there is one ornament worn by both men and
Avomen of which none are proud. It is to them what the
"Aleppo button" and the " Delhi boil" are to the people
of those more distant cities. It is a frightful ulcer that
appears on the lip, on the nose, on the chin, or on the

NATIVE CHRISTIAN WOMEN.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. H7
forehead, and the scar left is carried through life. I did
not see a native man or woman of Bagdad who had not
this ornamental mark. It appears on every child born
in the city some time between the sixth and twelfth
month after birth, and lasts for one year. It is general
ly superficial, but sometimes it sloughs to the bone. The
natives divide it into the "male," which is superficial,
and into the "female," which is the sloughing ulcer.
There is no known remedy, either to prevent or to cure.
The Jews tried inoculation, but without success. For
eigners and strangers are subject to it, and have it on
the ankle, the wrist, or the nose ; and it has made its ap
pearance on them long after they have left the city. Nor
is the brute exempt from the malady, as it attacks dogs,
and terminates frequently in their death. Dr. Colville,
the learned and distinguished English surgeon and phy
sician of the city, has given the subject long and careful
study, and to him I am indebted for the above facts.*
During my sojourn of ten days in Bagdad, I frequent
ly strolled through the bazaars, which never failed to
excite my curiosity and afford me the pleasure of nov
elty. Some of these bazaars are long, straight, and wide,
vaulted with brick, with circular openings in the ceiling
for air and light ; while others are covered with a roof
of reed-mats, supported by a wooden frame-work. The
shops are stalls arranged on either side, and therein are
displayed for sale the luscious fruits of the East, rich
confectioneries, the clothing worn by all classes and both
sexes, the swords, daggers, guns, and pistols carried by
the Bedouins, the gay trappings for the Arab horse, the
tapestry from Persia, silks from Aleppo, pearls from
Bahrein, merchandise from England, and petroleum from
America. Commercially and politically, Bagdad is the most im-

118 THRONES AND PALACES OF
portant city in the Turkish empire east of the Euphra
tes. The pasha is usually a high dignitary, and his pow
er is correspondingly great. It is a large military sta
tion, and in connection therewith are extensive and well-
constructed barracks and a flourishing military school.
It is the residence' of an English, French, German, and
Russian consul, who vie with each other in their vigi
lance in behalf of their respective governments. The
English political resident and consul-general has a juris
diction to Mosul, three hundred miles to the north-west,
and is supported in a princely manner. A gun -boat is
at anchor before his residence, and awaits his commands.
The present incumbent is a gentleman of culture and re
finement. In the absence of a clergyman of the English
Church, Colonel Herbert performs the ritualistic service
in the residency on each Sabbath morning, for the relig
ious benefit of his family and those of the European pop
ulation who wish to attend. But, unlike his most gra
cious sovereign, Queen Victoria, who esteems it a priv
ilege to commune in a Dissenters' chapel ; unlike the
Archbishop of Canterbury, who sends his dean to the
meeting of the Evangelical Alliance, largely composed
of Dissenters ; unlike Dean Stanley, whose Christian lib
erality prompted him to invite a Dissenting clergyman
to preach in Westminster Abbey, Colonel Herbert could
not so far overcome his sectarian prejudice as to invite
to officiate in the residency a Dissenting minister who
might by chance spend a Sabbath in Bagdad.
The banking capital of Bagdad is in the hands of the
Jews ; the foreign trade of the city is controlled by Eu
ropeans. The custom-house is the most extensive build
ing of the kind north-east of Bombay. But the extent
and value of the trade can not be easily ascertained. All
parties regard secrecy as essential to success. The cus-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. H9
tom-house officials decline to furnish the consuls with
trade statistics; and the agents of the steamship com
panies refuse to communicate the value of the exports
and imports carried in their vessels, lest such informa
tion might lead to the organization of rival companiea
But the large number of revenue, officials employed by
the Government, the number of steam and sailing vessels
that are entered and cleared at the port, and the Avealth
of the steamship companies engaged in the trade, sug
gest an approximate estimate of the business done. In
1873, ten thousand tons of wheat were shipped from this
port to India, and the present trade of the city is ten
times larger than it was five years ago. Caravans are
daily arriving from Persia, from Damascus, and from the
Mediterranean, via Aleppo and Mosul, loaded with goods
for the Bagdad market ; and, on .their return, are loaded
with goods brought from India and the Persian Gulf, to
be distributed in all the intermediate inland towns.
And Bagdad is rapidly becoming a railroad centre.
A road is now in operation on the Avest bank of the Ti
gris, extending from the city to Kathimain, a distance of
six miles, and the dividends of which are ten per cent.
per annum. At present there is but a single track, but
with frequent cut-offs. The cars are of English manufact
ure, constructed with seats within and on the top, and
are now drawn by horse-power. Three cars leave simul
taneously from each end of the road, at regular intervals
of fifteen minutes, and meet midway, Avhere there is a
long cut-off. There is a conductor on each car, and the
fare is six cents. The road was built by the Turkish
Government ; but the officials stole so much that it was
sold to a company of natives and foreigners, and now
pays ten per cent. There are three brick depots for the
accommodation of passengers who travel on business, for

120 THRONES AND PALACES OF
pleasure, or to worship at the sacred shrines of Kathi
main. And a route is now being surveyed for a road to
extend from Kermanshah, on the Persian frontier, through
Bagdad to Kerbulle, near Khan-el-Haswa, within a day's
ride of the Tower of Babel. And the day is in the near
future when the Euphrates Valley Railroad will be an
accomplished fact, connecting, as it will, the Mediterra
nean Avith the Persian Gulf; and the child is noAv in
its cradle who will hear the conductor shout, " Change
cars for Babylon !" "All aboard for the Garden of Eden !"
The only article imported from the United States and
sold in the bazaars of Bagdad is American petroleum.
It is entered at the port of Alexandretta, on the Mediter
ranean, and transported a thousand miles on the back of
camels. It is one of the marvels of this marvelous age,
that our petroleum is everyAvhere to be found in the Le
vant and the Orient. It lights the dwellings, the tem
ples, and mosques amidst the ruins of ancient Babylon
and Nineveh. It is the light of Bagdad, the City of the
Thousand and One Nights ; of Orfah, the birthplace of
Abraham ; of Mardeen, the Macius of the Romans ; and
of Damascus, the " Gem of the Orient." It burns in the
Grotto of the Nativity at Bethlehem, in the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, amidst the pyramids
of Egypt, on the Acropolis of Athens, on the Plains of
Troy, and in cottage and palace on the banks of the Bos-
phorus and the Golden Horn.
It is the opinion of good judges that a lucrative trade
might be established between the United States and the
port of Bagdad vid the Persian Gulf. Were the price
lessened by a cheaper transportation, American petrole
um Avould find a ready market in the towns on the Per
sian frontier, and Avould be thence carried to the villages
and cities in the interior of the empire ; it would be in

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 121
general demand in the toAvns on the Tigris and Euphra
tes ; and the quantity consumed in Bagdad and the ad
jacent country Avould be incalculably increased. And,
were the proper measures adopted, American agricultur
al implements might be introduced to supersede the rude
implements that have been in use since the days of Adam.
The valleys of the Euphrates and of the Tigris are among
the richest and most magnificent grain and pasture lands
in the world, and the produce thereof might be indefi
nitely increased by the introduction of improved imple
ments of tillage. Other products of the creative genius
of our country have found a market in the East.
The American sewing-machine is used by the natives
in Beirut, in Damascus, in Jerusalem, and would com
mand a high price in the valley of the Euphrates ; and
the return trade in dates, in wool, in Persian carpets, in
Aleppo silks, would be correspondingly large. The rich
est dates grow here. The largest flocks of sheep and
goats are to be found in this section of Turkey, and the
quantity of wool produced is immense. A better qual
ity, and at lower prices, can be obtained here than that
which is now shipped to the United States from ports
on the Mediterranean. The Persian carpets would not
only be an ornament, but a serviceable article, and
would be in demand were they largely introduced into
the American market ; and the natwe silks, especially
those embroidered with gold and silver thread, and
made up into divan-covers, opera-cloaks, sacks, and jack
ets, would be exceedingly pleasing to our American
ladies.

122 THRONES AND PALACES' OF

CHAPTER III.
Five Days among the Ruins of Ancient Babylon. — Preparations for the
Journey. — Early Start. — Bridge of Boats. — Crowd of People. — Celebrated
Tombs. — Raising Water. — Luncheon by the Way-side. — First View of the
Ancient Ruins. — The Pilgrim's Khan. — First Night among the Ruins. —
Again in the Saddle. — Ancient Walls. — Arab Villages. — Telegraph Poles.
— The Old Canals. — Remains of Belshazzar's Palace. — The Famous Hang
ing Gardens. — Daniel's Lion's Den. — Harps on the Willows. — Rivers of,
Babylon. — The Euphrates. — Immense Palm-groves. — Bridge of Boats. —
Modern Hillah. — Our Khan. — American Petroleum. — Telegraph Station.
— Call upon the Pasha. — Playing with a Lion. — Sail on the Euphrates. —
A Night in Hillah. — Start for the Tower of Babel. — Dangers in the Way.
— Wonderful Ruins. — Ascend the Tower of Babel. — The Fiery Furnace. —
The Glory of Babylon. — Progress of its Decline. — Prophecy Fulfilled. —
The Warriors of the Desert. — Return to Bagdad.
The central ruins of ancient Babylon are sixty miles
to the south-west from Bagdad. The renowned city oc
cupied a portion of the peninsula formed by the Tigris
and the Euphrates. The length of that peninsula from
Bagdad to the Garden of Eden is three hundred miles,
and its average breadth is less than thirty miles. It
is narrowest opposite Seleucia and Ctesiphon, and broad
est south of Babylon, between Al-Khuidr and El-Shib.
Upon this " narrow neck of land " are those mighty ruins
which we were now to explore, and thereon occurred
those great events that have made the name of Baby
lon imperishable in the annals of time, and the scene of
which we were noAV to visit.
The road thither Avas rough, the fatigue Avas excessive,
and the dangers were great, but the compensation out
weighed them all. The mode of traveling is by horse,
or camel, or mule, or Tchajawah, or tuhhteravan, or on

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 123
foot, as Avealth may permit or taste incline. We chose
horses, Avhich are kept for hire at Bagdad for something
more than a dollar per day. Through the kindness of
Captain Cowley, Ave had secured a servant Avho could
speak enough English to be a medium of communica
tion, but Avho had such extravagant notions of an Amer
ican's Avealth as to demand three dollars a day. The
British consul-general had commissioned his cawass,
Ashur, to accompany us as guide and for military pro
tection. To him Avas intrusted an order from the Pasha
of Bagdad to the Governor of Hillah, informing the lat
ter that we Avere American travelers to the ruins of Bab
ylon ; that we were peaceable and honorable persons ;
and that he should receive us with all proper attention,
and protect us to the extent of his power. We were
to mount horses that Avere small, tough, and swift. We
were to lodge in khans, more remarkable for their size
than they are for their cleanness ; and we were to eat
the food of the Arabs, more luscious to the taste than
pleasing to the sight.
At seven in the morning, all were ready. Mounting
our horses, we rode slowly through the narrow streets
of the city to the great gate that opens to the bridge of
boats which spans the Tigris. The roar of the current,
the dilapidated condition of the bridge, the multitude
of persons and animals thereon, causqd our horses to shy
and caper, no little to our annoyance. Only Turks
would tolerate such a bridge, and collect toll for the
danger of crossing thereon. Safely over, Ave entered the
bazaars on the western bank, filled with people purchas
ing food for the morning meal. Ashur led the caravan,
and the people opened ranks sufficiently to allow us to
pass single file. Our " elect lady " was the absorbing
object of attraction to men and women, who laughed

124 THRONES AND PALACES OF
and chatted as she passed in review before them; and,
had she been a visitant from the moon, she could not
have excited greater wonder. After passing through
noble palm-groves, we were on a vast plain dotted with
tombs, huts, and statelier structures. Near us and on
our right was the tomb of the beautiful Zobeida, the
favorite wife of Haroun-al-Raschid, celebrated in "The
Arabian Nights;" and beyond were the golden domes
and lofty minarets of Kathimain, where sleep in death
the descendants of the ill-fated Hosien-Ali. As we ad
vanced, we passed caravans of camels, trains of don
keys, and processions of pilgrims to some Mohammedan
shrine. In one hour we reached the Tigris, which bends
to the westward in a long and sweeping curve, where
many native boats were at anchor awaiting a favorable
wind to waft them against the powerful current. Near
the curve were a few Arab huts, where fruit and other
refreshments were for sale. Around the village were
pretty gardens and fields of grain, which men were irri
gating in the following novel manner. A semicircular
recess tAventy feet in diameter had been made in the
bank of the river; over this a frame-work had been
erected, composed of the trunks of the date-tree, and con
sisting of tAVO upright posts and a transverse bar. On
the transverse bar were rollers, and over the rollers trav
ersed a rope. To one end of the rope Avas attached a
large leather bucket, which descended to the river by its
own weight and soon filled; the other end of the rope
was fastened to an ox, which was driven over a steep ar
tificial slope at an angle of forty-five degrees, and, thus
uniting its weight with its strength, raised the heavy
bucket. The water was then poured into a small con
duit, and conveyed to the gardens and fields through lit
tle canals that ran in every direction. It was altogether

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 125
a primitive and clumsy method of irrigation, and indi
cated the absence of mechanical skill among the Arab
farmers. We Avere noAv on the great plain of Chaldea, bleak and
barren as a desert. The mirage Avas frequent and illu
sive as ever. Out of the apparent water rose the tall
palm-trees, too tempting to weary travelers. In tAvo
hours Ave Avere at Khan Cheqwah, where were mounds
of buried ruins. The great plain was covered with a
perfect net-work of ancient canals and Avater-courses ; but
a " drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried
up."* Their lofty embankments, stretching far away in
long lines till lost in the hazy distance, or magnified by
the mirage into mountains, still defy the hand of time,
and seem rather the work of nature than of man. For
two hours we rode through a scene of solitude and deso
lation to Khan Azaad, where we were only too glad to
dismount from our hard Arab saddle, and .refresh our
selves Avith lebben, or sour milk, and eat the coarse bread
of the desert. Here the Arab men and women gathered
around us in wild wonderment, examined our cloths, and
made remarks which we Avere fortunate enough not to
understand. The Arab's sense of the ludicrous is quick
and keen, and what to us is the most fashionable is to
him the most ridiculous. He can be as grave as a grave
stone, and as merry as a clown. Their criticisms on our
dress, on our mode of eating, on our intonations, excited
roars of laughter among the admiring croAvd.
Again in the saddle, we passed Khan Mahmoodieh in
two hours, and an hour later Ave were opposite the unoc
cupied Khan-el-Beer. We all felt the fatigue of the ride,
but there was no help for us. No traveler accustomed
* Jeremiah 1., 38.

126 THRONES AND PALACES OF
to the roomy, elegant saddle of the West should attempt
to use the narroAv saddle of the Arab ; if he does, he will
pay a penalty of indescribable pain. Onward Ave rode
for two and a half hours, which seemed as many days.
Owing to the illusive atmosphere of Chaldea, the great
Khan-el-Haswah seemed " near, yet so far." It was now
five o'clock. We had come just half-way, or a distance
• of twenty-seven miles. The sun was declining; the air
was growing chilly, and safety required us to halt for
the night. Reining our jaded horses up to the great
khan, Ave gladly dismounted, and prepared for a night's
lodgings with the " beasts of the stall."

THE KHAN.

But what a place to sleep in, especially for a lady !
As the pencil is more effective than the pen in conveying
an idea of a khan, the accompanying sketch, from a pho
tograph taken on the spot, Avill enable you to conceive
the more readily the appearance of a hotel on the desert
plains of Chaldea. The Khan-el-HasAvah is an immense
inclosure, with a Avail eighty feet square and twenty feet
high, and built of ancient bricks dug up from the ruins
of nobler structures. Its corners are truncated. The en
trance is a high, semi-cupola ; along the front Avail is a
brick terrace four feet high and as many Avide, for trav
elers to rest on during the day. Within the entrance is

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 127
an alcove at each of the four corners, Avith a brick plat
form four feet high, and sufficiently spacious for three
persons to sleep thereon. From these alcoves there ex
tends a covered arched passage-way around the four sides
of the building, with recesses on the inner side ten feet
high, Avith a platform three feet from the ground, and six
by six in area. On the outside of this covered passage,
and fronting the interior court, are similar chambers, open
to the air, yet sufficiently sheltered from the sun in all
his points of bearing during all the hours of the day.
There are twelve of these recesses on each side of the
square ; and in the centre of the interior court are raised
platforms of brick-work, for travelers to sleep on during
the summer, Avhen the heat is so intense. ToAvering high
above the Avail is the minaret, from whose balcony the
Moslem traveler is called to prayers. These great khans
are about six miles apart, extending the whole distance
betAveen Bagdad and Babylon. They were built by
Persian kings, or wealthy and pious men of the same
nation, for the accommodation of pilgrims to the sacred
shrines. But they are more generally used as a place of
safety from the midnight depredations of thieving Arabs,
Avho roam OArer these Chaldean plains in quest of plun
der, and from the wild beasts of the desert, Avho seek their
prey under cover of the night. Pilgrim and traveler so
time their journey as to reach one of these caravansaries
ere the sun sets, and hither the shepherd leads his flock
of sheep and goats for shelter and protection. When all
are in, and while yet the twilight lingers, the great doors
are shut and bolted, nor are they opened again till the
morning light appears. These caravansaries are free to
all, without money and without price, and are the cheap
est and filthiest hotels knoAvn to mankind. We occupied
a series of alcoves north of the main entrance. The floor

128 THRONES AND PALACES OF
was covered with fine straw, dust, and fleas. In all the
adjoining recesses were Arabs — some smoking, some eat
ing, some sleeping. From the women of the village we
bought eggs, milk, bread, and pomegranates, and, after
our frugal repast, we spread our rugs and blankets on
the brick platform, and lay down to pleasant slumber.
But sleep was impossible ; for at our feet horses neighed,
sheep bleated, donkeys brayed; and to these harmonies
the Moslem added his humdrum chant, and the shepherd
the rude music of his cracked flute. It was a free con
cert. And when beast and shepherd grew weary of
their OAvn familiar tones, then we were assailed front and
rear, right and left, feet .and head, by the "fleaing* artil
lery," whose thirst for blood was insatiable. And so
passed our first night among the ruins of Babylon.
At five the next morning the great doors of Khan-el-
Haswah were opened, and we gladly resumed our jour
ney. Weary of my Arab saddle, I joined a procession
of pilgrims, and walked two miles. But the constant
danger of being surprised by marauding Bedouins com
pelled me to mount. On our right, and near the Eu
phrates, was the great khan of Hadjee Suliman, Avhere
the pilgrims stop en route for the tomb of the Prophet
Ezekiel, Avhich is beyond the river. We soon came to
an extensive circular ridge, that may be part of an old
wall, or the embankment of an ancient canal, against the
sides of which the sands of the desert had been driven
by the winds. Over all that plain, as far as the eye
could reach, are ancient mounds, remains of old canals,
fragments of furnace -baked bricks, of fine red pottery
glazed in red and green and blue colors, and heaps of
the ruins of once proud structures. In four hours we
reached the Khan Mohaweel, where we lunched on eggs,
cubis, lebben, dates, oranges, and wheat-cakes a foot in di-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 129
ameter. These refreshments Avere bought from the wom
en of the desert, Avhose lower lips Avere colored with a
blue stain, Avhose faces Avere otherwise tattooed with blue
and red colors, the palms of whose hands were stained
with the yellow henna, who had rings on their toes, and
huo-e rinses in their noses. Around the khan are a feAV
mud-huts, constructed in the form of a bee -hive, in the
top of Avhich is an aperture for the smoke to go out and
for the light to enter. A few paces to the south of the
village is the largest canal Ave had yet seen, and filled
with water from the Euphrates. On measuring it, I
found it to be forty feet from bank to bank, and fifteen
feet from the top of the bridge to the surface of the wa
ter. The bridge is sixty feet long, constructed of ancient
bricks, and at its south end are tAvo rough conical brick
pillars. The water is four feet deep, and men were at
work dipping it up and pouring it into small canals for
irrigation. Women and girls descended the steep bank
of the main canal, filled their large earthen jars with the
water for household uses, and, like the Jewish maidens,
placed the jar upon the shoulder, and gracefully bore it
to their homes. The women are the water-carriers in
the East, and in every village and encampment I visited
I saw them at the spring or well or river filling their
pitchers, as of old. Not far from the bridge was a grain-
field of twenty acres, and on it was a cluster of date-
palms, which looked beautiful in contrast with the arid
desert around me. This oasis owed its life and beauty
to the neighboring canal, whose waters came from the
Euphrates, which was ten miles to the eastward. In
deed, water is the chief requisite to make the "desert
rejoice, and blossom as the rose."* The fertility of the
* Isaiah xxxv., 1.
9

130 THRONES AND PALACES OF
plains of Chaldea would be restored were its numerous
canals once more in existence. There is now on these
great plains what the Arab calls a "jungle," consisting
of a bush afoot high, and hither the shepherds lead their
flocks during the day, but return with them to the khan
at night, to escape the robbers and the beasts of prey.
The flocks were in good condition ; the fleece was long
and thick. As we advanced, we saw herds of camels
feeding in the jungle, and by them stood their keepers,
armed to the teeth, and prepared to protect their herds
from the clutch of the thief or the jaws of the wild
beast. All around us were mounds of ruins, the sad remains
of Babylon's departed greatness. I wandered on pur
pose from the party, and sought solitude. Thoughts of
the mighty past filled my mind. I dismounted, and
walked over the great plains of Chaldea, and recalled
the historic past, when Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnez
zar, Belshazzar and Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes, Alexander
and his generals, were the mighty actors on this great
stage of the world's history; when Daniel and his breth
ren were captives by its classic Avaters ; when Greek met
Assyrian, and Roman met Persian in the battle array, to
fight for empire and renown ; when palace and castle,
toAver and temple, massive Avails and brazen gates, stood
in their glory, where now their remains are strewed ; when
gardens bloomed, and fountains played, and millions of
people lived in pride and luxury. But, alas ! how un
like the past is the present ! The Lord of hosts hath
spoken : "And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-
place for dragons, an astonishment, and a hissing."* The
renoAvned king and mighty Avarrior are no more ; the
* Jeremiah li., 37.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 131
great empire has ceased to be ; palaces and toAvers are
heaps of ruins.
But the sadness of such reflections was relieved by a
sublime fact. The telegraph extends from Bagdad to
Babylon, and all along our Aveary path it had been to
me the promise of a better future. The poles are of iron,
to prevent injury from beast or Bedouin, and are con
structed, like a telescope, for easy transportation. There
are two Avires, and the sighing of the winds thereon Avas
like the mournful music of the winds on the Hebrew
harps that hung upon the willows. As I wandered over
the dreary plains, I placed my right hand on one of the
poles, and felt that I grasped one of the pillars of our
modern civilization.
Not far from the large canal of Mohaweel was a long
line of earthen ramparts, which doubtless were a part
of the great wall of Babylon, and which now mark the
northern remains of the ancient city. Ascending their
summit, we obtained a view of the boundless plain,
through which, and on our right, flowed the Euphrates,
with its dark belt of evergreen palms. Around us were
low mounds, covered in part by the drifted sands, and
beneath which are the walls and foundations of former
buildings. As we rode onward, it Avas not difficult to
trace the lines of the ancient streets, and the once beauti
ful squares of the city. On every hand were the proofs
that the Babylonians did not neglect the advantages be
stowed upon them by nature. By a system of naviga
ble canals, that may well excite the admiration of even
the modern engineer, they connected the Tigris and the
Euphrates, those great arteries of commerce. With a
skill showing no common knoAvledge of the art of sur
veying, and of the principles of hydraulics, they took ad
vantage of the different levels in the plains, and of the

132

THRONES AND PALACES OF

periodical overfloAV of the two rivers, to complete the
water communication between all parts of the province,
and to fertilize, by artificial irrigation, the otherwise bar
ren and unproductive soil. So thoroughly impressed
was Alexander the Great with the importance of these
works, that he ordered the canals cleansed and repaired,
and superintended the work in person, steering his boat
Avith his own hand through the channels* During our

ANCIENT BABYLONIAN CANALS.

morning ride we crossed five of the larger of these ca
nals, two of which were dry. At one place the natives
were at work digging a canal to irrigate their gardens
and grain-fields. But it was apparent that they worked
on a different plan from that adopted by the Babylo
nians. The bottom of the ancient canals Avas on a level

* Layard.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 133
Avith the ground, and the material for the embankments
was brought to the spot; but the modern canal is dug,
and its banks consist of the dirt thrown up.
At eleven o'clock Ave gained our first view of Mujelibe,
where stood the magnificent palace of Nebuchadnezzar,
The sight Avas an inspiration, and onward we rode. In
a direct line it seemed not far, but between us and it
there was a deep canal hidden from our view. So ex
citing Avas the prospect that I rode directly for the great
mound, but found the canal impassable. It required an
hour to reach the bridge, on whose southern end Avere
two conical brick columns. When on the bridge, we
Avere to the south of the mound. But, turning abruptly,
and following the south bank of the canal, Ave were soon
on the ruins of the palace of Babylon's great king.
Called by the Arabs Mujelibe — "the overturned" —
and identified by Rich, by Buckingham, by Layard, as
the remains of the great palace of Nebuchadnezzar, the
mound is an oblong square, whose sides face the four car
dinal points, whose circumference is twenty-one hundred
and eleven feet, and whose highest point is one hundred
and forty feet above the surrounding plain. The western
face presents the appearance of a building, and near the
summit are the remains of a low wall, composed of un-
burned bricks, cemented with clay-mortar of great thick
ness. On the south-west corner of the summit are the
ruins of one of the four towers which ornamented the
once grand structure. Over alt its sides and summit
were fragments of pottery, vitrified bricks, glass vessels
and ornaments of mother-of-pearl. In the northern side
I entered a recess, high enough to stand in, and on two
sides are brick walls of superior construction, and from
the recess ran a passage to the right, entering the Arery
heart of the mound. Near this passage-way a quantity

134 THRONES AND PALACES OF
of marble had been discovered, and, subsequently, a cof
fin of mulberry-wood, containing a human body, inclosed
in a light wrapper, and partially covered with bitumen,
which crumbled into dust when exposed to the air. And
in another narrow passage nearly ten feet high, and orig
inally lined with finely burned brick, on which were in
scriptions, a second Avooden coffin was found, containing
a skeleton in a good state of preservation. Under the
head of the coffin was a round stone, and attached to the
outside of the coffin was a brass bird, and inside was an
ornament of the same material, which had been suspended
to some part of the skeleton. Near this was also found
the skeleton of a child. The brass ornaments indicated
a high antiquity, but whose are the remains it was impos
sible to tell. These excavated recesses are now the dens
of wild beasts, as in them are the bones of sheep and of
other animals, together with a large quantity of porcu
pine quills, and from them came a smell like that of a
lion. In all those cavities are owls and bats, foretold by
Isaiah : " Wild beasts of the desert shall be there ; their
houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall
dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there."*
As we wandered over this great mound, penetrating
its recesses, threading its narroAv, winding ravines, clam
bering its steep, rugged sides, we were convinced that it is
composed of the remains of many different edifices, such
as belonged to a great palace. Not a hundred and fifty
feet from its base, on the northern and western sides, are
low mounds, the traces of the triple walls which once in
closed the royal palace of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Baby
lon. The view from the summit of the mound was ex
ceedingly impressive, and filled the mind Avith thoughts

Rich.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

135

of the mighty past. On our right, and not far a:vay, the
Euphrates flowed majestically through verdant banks,
until lost to sight amidst the palm -groves of Hillah,
Avhose mosques and minarets Avere seen five miles to the
southward ; Avhile six miles beyond appeared the Tower
of Babel, now a fragment of one of the greatest struct
ures reared by the hand of man. A mile to the south
of us Avere the remains of the once beautiful Hanging
Gardens, constructed to please the Median queen, and

BELSHAZZAK'S PALACE.

justly considered one of the Seven Wonders of the
World. Before us, stretching far away to the northAvard
and to the southAvard, were lofty banks of ancient ca
nals that fret the country like natural ridges ; and here,
there, and everywhere were shapeless mounds, covered
with fragments of glass, marble, pottery, and inscribed
bricks, mingled Avith a white nitrous soil, Avhose blanched
appearance completed the picture of desolation.
We were standing on the platform, on which stood
the superb palace of Nebuchadnezzar, the magnificence of

136 THRONES AND PALACES OF
which excited the admiration of all who beheld it. At
once a castle and a palace, it was surrounded by a triple
wall, whose inner gates were made of the brass taken
from Jerusalem, and once composed the sacred vessels in
the Temple of Solomon* The outer wall was high and
stately, six miles in circumference, and constructed of
well -burned bricks. Within the third Avas the second
wall, four miles in circuit, upon which were portrayed
all kinds of living animals, and Avrought in curious col
ors. Within the second, and immediately surrounding
the palace, was the first wall, whose circuit was over
three miles, whose height and thickness were greater
than either of the others, and on Avhose interior face were
delineations of hunting -scenes, representing the queen
on horseback striking a leopard through with a dart;
and near her the king, in close fight with a lion, pier
cing him with a lance. Within the triple inclosure, and
on this platform, rose the palace, which far excelled in
magnificence any other in the empire, and wherein the
walls were varnished; the wood -work was gilded and
silvered, and the saloons and halls and chambers were
ornamented with representations of the sun, moon, and
stars, of birds and beasts, of kings aud queens in the re
splendent robes of royalty, the work of artists who un
derstood the use of color, and who displayed such a taste
in its combination in ornamental designs as to greatly
excite the admiration of the strangers who came to Bab-
ylon.f The walls of the banqueting -hall were coated
with mortar and plaster of the finest quality, and upon
the plaster of the wall of the king's palace the fingers of
a man's hand came forth and wrote, " Mene, mene, tekel
uphabsin." X Here Belshazzar gave that memorable feast
* 2 Kings xxv., 13. t Layard. J Daniel v., 25.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 137
to a thousand of his lords, whereat he and his princes, his
Avives and his concubines, drank wine from the golden
and silver vessels Avhich Nebuchadnezzar had taken out
of the temple at Jerusalem, and which feast was termi
nated so abruptly by a ghastly apparition, and so dis
astrously, by the murder of the king and royal guard.
Here Daniel, an eye-Avitness to both, reproved kings, de
fended his captive brethren, and displayed a devotion
to his God which power could not intimidate, nor royal
favors corrupt.
Descending from the summit of the mound, and re
mounting our horses, we rode for a mile across a valley
covered with rank grass, and crossed by a line of low
ridges composed of brick and mortar. We were now on
the margin of the river, and found it delightful to wan
der along its palm-grove banks, and perhaps near where
the Hebrew captives hung their harps upon the willows
and wept when they remembered Zion. A little to the
south, and near the river, were what seemed to be the re
mains of an embankment, which was about twenty-two
hundred feet long, nine hundred feet broad at its base,
and forty feet perpendicular in its greatest elevation.
This, doubtless, was in part the ruins of the quay which
the king built to prevent the overflowing of the river,
and which was eighty feet thick and fifteen miles long,
the distance from the north to the south wall of the city.
From this embankment steps descended to the edge of
the water, and at the bottom of each flight of steps were
brass gates, which were opened during the day and
closed at night. On the bottom of the river, near the
spot where we stood, are a quantity of bricks, that are,
no doubt, the remains of the beautiful quays, from which
extended a bridge that here spanned the Euphrates, and
which connected the two parts of the city. The bridge

138 THRONES AND PALACES OF
was constructed by much labor and at a prodigious ex
pense. To accomplish this, it was necessary to divert the
river from its accustomed channel. To effect this, a reser
voir was dug on the western bank, thirty feet deep, and
one hundred and forty miles in circumference, into AArhich
the Avaters of the Euphrates were conducted through
large canals. Stone piers were then built on the bot
tom of the river, and planks of wood were extended from
pier to pier, which formed a pathway. When all was
finished, the waters were restored to their ancient chan
nel, but the great lake remained full for the use of the
western section of the city. Some of the old writers re
fer to a tunnel, constructed of brick, which was twelve
feet high from the springing of the arch, and five hun
dred feet long, and at either end of which was a gate of
brass. Through that tunnel the queen was wont to pass
from her palace on the east bank to the one which stood
on the west. And they also mention an obelisk five feet
square and one hundred and twenty-five feet high, cut
in the mountains of Armenia, and erected here to com
memorate the completion of the tunnel and the bridge.
But all these monuments of the past have been swept
away, and not a vestige remains to honor the king or im
mortalize the builder.
Our presence had attracted the Arabs, who had left
their miserable huts to watch our movements, to gratify
their curiosity in looking at the strangers, and to obtain,
if possible, a backsheesh, which their modesty Avill never
allow them to decline. Yet their coming; was an advan-
tage rather than an annoyance. From childhood they
had been familiar with these ancient mounds, and knew
every spot of special interest. Taking the most intelli
gent one as a guide, we crossed the lower slopes of the
embankment, and were soon among the ruins of the fa-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

139

HANGING GABDENS.

mous Hanging Gardens. These gardens covered three
and a half acres, and were the work of Nebuchadnezzar,
to delight his queen, Amytis, a native of Ecbatana, in
the mountain regions of Persia, and who, weary of the
monotonous plains of Babylonia, longed for the mount
ain scenery of her native land. To realize her wishes,
he caused to be built a structure of brick -work four
hundred feet high, which, when finished, resembled a
mountain covered with trees and adorned with floAvers.
The Avhole consisted of a series of terraces, rising in
graceful gradations from the margin of the river to the
summit of the artificial mountain. The outer wall was

140 THRONES AND PALACES OF
twenty-two feet thick, and a thousand feet long on each
of its four sides. Each terrace was supported by arches,
and the ascent from terrace to terrace was by marble
steps ten feet wide. On the top of the arches were laid
large flat stones, sixteen feet long and four feet broad ;
over these were layers of reeds, covered with bitumen,
upon which were two rows of bricks cemented together
with plaster ; on the plaster were placed thick sheets of
lead to prevent the moisture from injuring the founda
tions. Upon all this extensive floorage of lead was
strewed the rich mold sufficiently deep to allow the
plants and trees to take root therein. To furnish a
greater depth of soil for the roots of the largest trees,
vast hollow piers of brick were constructed at agreeable
points and filled with earth. The soil of the whole gar
den was kept moist by means of a machine, placed on
the highest terrace, which drew up the water from the
Euphrates, and distributed it by means of small con
duits to all parts of each successive terrace. In the
spaces between the several arches were magnificent
apartments, whose walls were encased with glazed
bricks, colored with a brilliant blue, red, and yellow, and
wherein the queen and her maidens were Avont to re
cline in the heat of the day. Around the walls of the
highest terrace were battlements, and at the angles were
lofty towers commanding a view of Babylon, then in all
its magnificence.
With an Arab for a guide, Ave wandered over the im
mense ruins of this stupendous structure, justly consid
ered one of the " Seven Wonders of the World," whose
massiveness and beauty excited the admiration of all be
holders, whose memory has been cherished through all
the centuries of subsequent time. As it was the joy of
the queen, and the pride of the king, its immense height

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 141
and vast proportions justified the bold symbolic lan
guage of the prophet : " Behold, I am against thee, O de
stroying mountain, saith the Lord : and I, will stretch
out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee doAvn from the
rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain."* This
vast ruin is over tAvo thousand feet in length and
breadth, and more than forty feet high. It consists of
Avails eight feet thick, ornamented with niches, supported
by pilasters and buttresses, built of the finest brick, still
clean and sharp, laid in cement still bright and tena
cious. Upon nearly every brick are clearly and deeply
stamped the name and titles of Nebuchadnezzar, and, as
a peculiarity, the inscribed face of the brick is always
placed downward, as if the better to preserve the name
of the great king. High upon one of the terraces is a
solitary tree, called by the natives "Athelo," and who
maintain that it flourished in ancient Babylon. Only
one side of its trunk remains, yet the branches at the
top are still green, and, gently waving in the wind, pro
duced a melancholy rustling sound. It is an evergreen,
and of a species not common in this section of the East.
Its trunk is large ; its height is fifteen feet ; its great age
is beyond question. Standing as it does on the very
summit of the mound, it was not planted there, amidst a
heap of ruins, by any subsequent hand, and is, therefore,
esteemed the last of the beautiful .trees which once
adorned the Hanging Gardens.
But our Arab guide knew of a greater wonder than
that solitary tree. His excited manner indicated an ob
ject of greater interest. Agile as a gazelle, he leaped
from mound to mound, and bade us folloAv him. In a
depression four feet deep, we found a lion, of dark-gray
* Jeremiah li., 25.

142 THRONES AND PALACES OF
granite, ten feet long and as many high, standing over a
man with outstretched arms. The discovery was won
derful. Our party felt the ex
citement of the moment. Here,
no doubt, was the lion's den into
which Daniel was thrown; and
this sculptured lion, with a man
beneath him unharmed, was to
commemorate the miraculous de-
daniel's lions' den. iterance of the prophet, Avho
from the den of lions replied to the king: "My God hath
sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they
have not, hurt me."*
Ascending the highest mound, the eye swept over a
scene of utter desolation. A little to the south were
ruins of even greater extent than any we had yet exam
ined. They are called by the Arabs Amran Ben Ali, as
they are crowned by the tomb of a Moslem saint, knoAvn
as the son of Ali ; and near the tomb is the small village
of Jumjuma, which means Calvary — the place of a skull.
This great mass, the remains of some grand palace, is over
three thousand feet in length, more than two thousand
feet in its greatest breadth, sixty feet high above the
level of the plain, and resembles in form a quadrangle.
Whether this is the ruin of a royal palace which stood
near the Hanging Gardens, or was the residence of some
prince of the blood, is now unknown. That it was a
vast and magnificent structure, is evident from the extent
and superior character of the remains. It may have been
the abode of Daniel when president of the Imperial
Council under Darius, and where " he Avent into his house;
and, his AvindoAvs being open in his chamber toward Je-
* Daniel vi., 22.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

143

rusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and
prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did afore
time."* For it is a curious confirmation of this suppo
sition, that Layard here discovered several terra -cotta
bowls, covered on the inner surface with Hebrew letters
written in ink, which may have belonged to the Jewish
servants of Daniel's household. The inscription has been

THE CHARM-BOWL.

translated by Mr. Ellis, of the British Museum, who con
firms the opinion that the writers were Jews. As the
Hebrew captives were corrupted to believe in the divi
nation practiced by the Chaldeans, inscriptions Avere Avrit-

* Daniel vi., 10.

144 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ten in ink on the inner surface of bowls ; the writing was
then dissolved in water, to be drank as a cure against dis
ease, or as a precaution against the arts of witchcraft and
magic. But as the writing on these bowls remains fresh
and distinct to this day, it is eATident that they had been
prepared and laid aside against the coming of the evil
day. The inscription on one of the bowls, which I sub
sequently examined in the British Museum, purports to
be a letter of dismissal or of divorce to Satan and oth
er evil spirits. It runs thus: "This is a bill of divorce
to the Devil, to Satan, to Nerig, to Zachiah, and to Abi-
tur of the mountain, and to the night - monsters, com
manding them to cease from Beheran in Batnaiun, and
from the country of the North, and from all who are tor
mented by them therein. Behold, I make the counsels
of these devils of no effect, and annul the power of the
ruler of the night-monsters. I conjure you all, monsters,
both male and female, to go- forth; I conjure you by the
sceptre of the powerful One, Avho has power over the
devils, and over the night-monsters, to quit these habita
tions. Behold, I now make you cease from troubling
them, and make the influence of your presence cease in
Beheran of Batnaiun, and in their fields. In the same
manner as the devils write bills of divorce and give them
to their wives, and return not unto them again, receive
ye your bill of divorce, and take this written authority,
and go forth, leave quickly, flee, and depart from Behe
ran in Batnaiun, in the name of the living, by the seal of
the poAverful One, and by the signet of authority. Then
will there flow rivers of water in that land, and there
the parched ground Avill be watered. Amen. Amen.
Amen. Selah."
As intimated in this curious inscription, the ancient
Jews believed that evil spirits married, that they quar-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 145
reled with their Avives, and that they divorced them.
And they also believed in the existence of night -mon
sters, Avho appeared in the form of a beautiful female,
who surrounded human habitations, Avhere they lay in
wait for children in the darkness of the night.
The day Avas fast declining, and we had five miles yet
to ride to a place of safety for the night. We tried in
vain to hire a boat to convey us doAvn the Euphrates,
to the town of Hillah ; but the Arabs in charge of our
horses feared that the sum paid for the boat Avould be
deducted from the amount due them, and to all our in
quiries Ave were answered, " No boat can get ;" or, " Boat
have bad leak ;" or, " River go too fast for little boat."
So, resigning ourselves to the fate of an Arab saddle, we
turned to the south-east, keeping our eye steadily on an
immense palm-grove in that direction. We were soon
on the caravan road, Avhich runs from Bagdad to Hillah,
and which crosses old canals and low ridges, once the in-
closure of stately buildings. Trains of donkeys, caravans
of camels, soldiers on horseback, men and women on foot,
were hastening to Hillah to find a safe refuge for the
night. Within an hour we reached the northern edge
of the great date palm-groves, inclosed within low mud-
walls, and which cover many acres of land on the eastern
bank of the Euphrates. As the crow flies, the distance
yet to be made could not have been more than two miles;
but we Avere compelled to follow the road, which turned
to every point of the compass, Avinding around the mud-
walls that inclosed a small plantation of palms here, and
a larger one there, so that hour after hour passed ere we
reached the bridge of boats over the Euphrates. _ Yet
the weary hours were somewhat relieved by the sight
and shade of the beautiful palm, chosen emblem of peace
and plenty. As we approached the town, the school-
10

146 THRONES AND PALACES OF
boys were engaged in mimic warfare, armed with bam
boo poles, Avith which they fenced in a furious manner.
Our coming was the signal for a truce, and the combat
ants surveyed our party with curious delight. Many
of them had never before seen an American lady, and she
was to them the greatest of curiosities. Passing through
a narrow gloomy street, we soon reached the bridge of
boats, which was thronged with people, horses, asses, and
camels, going and coming, and crowding against each
other with such force as to threaten some Avith a bath,
if not a grave, in the Euphrates. Our Bagdad horses
behaved badly in the confusion, and had to be led by
our attendants. Crowds of natives lined the opposite
bank of the river, dressed in robes of many colors, and
gathered around us in wild excitement, wondering at our
advent in their midst, and clamoring to know where we
were going, and what the object of our coming. Find
ing it impossible to pass, we ordered Ashur to clear the
way, who, with drawn sword and prancing steed, opened
a path for us to escape, without harm to ourselves or
those who pressed against us. Passing slowly through
the thronged bazaars, and turning southward, we stop
ped at the pasha's khan, and requested entertainment
during our stay in Hillah. The proprietor was a tall,
well-dressed Arab, who received us with Oriental saluta
tions. His khan is large and clean for an Arab abode.
It was a two-storied brick structure, with open alcoves
below, fronting a spacious court, and arched rooms above,
opening on a broad wooden balcony. Our room was
twelve by twenty, and ten feet high, ornamented with
two arches, black with the smoke of former pilgrims, ven
tilated by a hole in the rear wall, and the only means by
which daylight could enter the apartment. The door
was huge, roughly made, hung on wooden hinges, and so

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 147
broken at the bottom as to allow the night-monsters of
Old Babylon to enter and take us unawares. On the
broken brick floor we spread our mats and made our
beds. Our keen appetites Avere soon satisfied with a
dinner of boiled chicken, fresh bread, eggs and milk, Avith
plenty of dates, oranges, and pomegranates bought in the
well-supplied bazaars. The sun had gone down, the moon
and stars shone brightly in a clear Eastern sky ; the air
was chilly, and the voice of nature called us to repose.
But sleep came not. Jackals barked, cats crept beneath
the door, and leaped through the hole in the wall ; rats
fed on our eggs ; fleas assailed us ; a drunken Moslem
pilgrim in an adjoining room chanted his Koran in hum
drum tones half the night ; and from a near minaret an
old muezzin called the faithful to prayers, chanting that
" prayer is better than sleep."
Hillah is a Moslem town of ten thousand inhabitants,
Avho are Arabs, Jews, and Christians. The Euphrates
flows through the village, and is here something less than
five hundred feet wide, about fifteen feet deep, and has a
current of tvro and a half knots an hour when the water
is Ioav, and flows a knot faster when the water is high.
The two parts of the town are connected by a bridge of
boats four hundred and fifty feet long. Nine-tenths of
the population live on the western side. The old mud-
wall, which incloses the place on three sides, is scarcely
sufficient to resist an assault by Bedouins, armed with
swoi'ds and lances. The brick toAvers are more orna
mental than useful. The three gates are more noticeable
for their dimensions than for their strength. According
to an Eastern custom, they are named after the princi
pal place to which they lead. The one on the north is
called Hussein; the one in the centre, Tahmasia; and
the one on the south, Iman Ali. Only one of the two

148 THRONES AND PALACES OF
mosques is within the inclosure. The one Avhich stands
beyond the walls is the larger. It is called Mesjid-el-
Shems, and is said to contain the tomb of Joshua ! The
dome is supported by Gothic arches, which rest on brick
pillars three feet in diameter. The dome is like a pine
apple in form and appearance. On the top of a pole,
Avhich is higher than the dome, is a liberty-cap of mud,
and is said to turn with the sun, in honor of Joshua.
Within the town, and far beyond the walls, are exten
sive gardens and palm-groves. The bazaars are on the
main street which leads to the bridge, and were well
supplied with dates, rice, Manchester goods, and Ameri
can petroleum.
Hillah is said to have been built in the year 1102 of
our era, by Bene Mozeid, and the materials for its build
ing were taken from the ruins of Babylon. The present
governor is subject to the Pasha of Bagdad, and has a
jurisdiction from the canal Husseinia, on the north, to
the village of Hasca, on the south. After wandering
through the bazaars, we called upon his Excellency, who
subsequently sent us an invitation to dinner, but which
pleasure we were compelled to forego for lack of time.
While we chatted Avith the gentlemen of the court, our
"elect lady" was escorted into the harem, and was there
received with much attention by the several wives of
Shibli Pasha. The youngest and most beautiful of the
wives was the mother of a son only a feAv days old. All
the ladies of the harem were richly attired, and shone re
splendent in their costly gems. Coffee, preserves, and
the fragrant narguileh Avere passed to the visitor; and
she added to their pleasure by alloAving the ladies to ex
amine minutely all parts of her costume.
In the pasha's yard was a young lion chained, but so
tame that a child played with it. This Avas the realiza-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 149
tion of the promised millennium : " The wolf also shall
dAvell Avith the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
Avith the kid ; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."*
Lions are common in Hillah, and have been allowed to
roam through the streets unmolested. One was a daily
customer to the stalls of the butchers, who, on his ap
proach, made a hasty retreat, leaving him in undisputed
possession. Having satisfied his hunger, the lion would
depart to some pleasant spot, stretch himself in the sun,
and allow the Arab boys to take such liberties with him
as their mischief might suggest.
The attention we had received from the pasha was
soon noised abroad, and our presence in the streets ex
cited the populace. Crowds followed us Avherever we
went, wondering at the strangers who had come so far.
To escape the annoyance, we took a boat and glided gen
tly down the classic Euphrates. On leaving the boat,
we wandered along the embowered shores. It was the
evening hour. Memories of the mighty past came troop
ing through the mind. From the one hundred and thir
ty-seventh Psalm Ave read those melancholy lines: "By
the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept,
Avhen we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon
the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that
carried us away captive required of us. a song ; and they
that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one
of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's
song in a strange land ? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not re
member thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth ; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."
* Isaiah xi., 6.

150 . THRONES AND PALACES OF
The descendants of some of these captives reside in Hil
lah. They have a synagogue, and strictly observe their
Sabbath. They have preserved their pedigrees, and
trace their lineage to the princes and prophets of Ju-
dah. Many of them came to our khan, and in appear
ance were the finest-looking men in Hillah. They are
merchants and bankers, who control the principal trade
and money transactions of the place. They believe that
the ashes of their prophet Ezekiel are entombed in Kifil,
twelve miles to the south-west over the desert. Hither
the Hebrew pilgrims annually go in thousands, from Hil
lah and Bagdad and other Chaldean . cities ; and thither

TOMB OV EZEKIEL.

they have gone from a very early period. So large is
their assembly to this shrine, that their temporary abodes
cover twenty miles of open ground. The mausoleum of
the prophet is worthy the greatness of his name. The
facade of the imposing structure consists of sixty towers ;
the space between every other tower is a place of prayer.
Within a spacious court is a model of the Ark of the
Covenant, and behind the ark is the sepulchre of Ezeki
el, the son of Buzi. Surmounting the edifice is a noble
dome, seen from afar to guide the pilgrim to the holy
shrine. According to the Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela,
the mausoleum was erected by Jeconiah, king of Judah,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 151
and thirty-five thousand Jews, Avho were released from
captivity by Evil -merodach, king of Babylon; and, to
commemorate their appreciation of the character and serv
ices of the eminent prophet, the names of the founders
of the monument Avere inscribed on the walls of the sep
ulchre. At the head of the lona; list was the name of
the king, Jeconiah, and at the foot was the name of Eze-
kiel. On the Day of Atonement, the lesson is read from
a very large manuscript Pentateuch transcribed by the
prophet himself. A lamp burns night and day over the
tomb of the holy seer. In an adjoining house is a large
collection of books, some of them as old as the second,
some coeval with the first, Temple. And it is customary,
even at the present day, for the Jews who die childless
to bequeath their books and manuscripts to this library.
Of the ten thousand inhabitants of Kifil, not a few of
them are Jews, the descendants of the captives who built
the sepulchre of the prophet, aud who now cling to it
Avith melancholy affection. Whether his sacred dust is
therein enshrined or not, his residence in Babylon Avith
the other captives is a fact recorded by himself, in these
modest words: "In the fifth day of the month, which
was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, the
word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest,
the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the
river Chebar ; and the hand of the Lord was there upon
him."* At an early hour the next morning, with a Turkish
soldier for guide and escort, furnished by the governor
of Hillah, we started for Birs Nimroud, the Tower of
Babel. The site of this renowned toAver is six miles to
the south-west from Hillah, on the west bank of the Eu-
* Ezekiel i., 2, 3.

152 THRONES AND PALACES OF
phrates, and six miles from the river. Passing out of the
Iman Ali gate, where soldiers were receiving their ra
tions for the day, Ave crossed the ditch which surrounds
the walls of the city, and rode for half an hour through
palm-groves and beside fields of rice and corn. We were
now on the plain of Shinar, vast and barren, dotted with
patches of jungle, and white with a nitrous soil. Our
guide seemed nervous, and we were ordered to keep close
together. His practiced eye discerned dangers of which
we were ignorant. It was no less bold than hazardous
for us to attempt the tour, especially Avith a lady, Avhose
charms might tempt the chieftains of the desert, or Avho
might at least demand a large ransom for her safe return.
We could observe horsemen in the distance, and smoke
ascending from behind a mound, where the lawless Bed
ouins of the desert had made their camp. For some
reason, which was never explained to us, our guide made
a most fatiguing detour to the eastward. We had been
riding along the direct road to the toAver, with every
prospect of reaching it in a little more than an hour, but
a remark from an old man, whom we chanced to pass on
the road, induced the guide to turn eastward through a
section of the desert soft and rough like a newly ploAved
field. His excuse was that there were marshes to the
west of us ; but something more than marshes were the
motive for the detour, as, on our return to Hillah, he fol
lowed the path which he now declined to pursue. But
our anxiety was allayed, and our fears forgotten, by the
prospect before us. Like the approach to the pyramids
of Egypt, the approach to the Tower of Babel is intense
ly exciting. Rising suddenly out of the desert plain, a
riven, fragmentary, blasted pile, and standing out against
the sky, without another prominent object near to re
lieve the view, its solitary appearance Avas strangely im-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 153
pressive. Nor did distance lend enchantment to the view.
The nearer the approach, the more impressive the sight.
Such Avas the enchanting power of the vision, that the
eye Avas transfixed, and the spell of history was upon
the soul. Before us Avas the oldest historic monument
known to man. Its form assumed a new outline with
each curve in our devious path. Now it resembled a fall
en pyramid Avith a portion of a tower remaining on the
summit ; now it appeared like a truncated cone, abrupt
ly broken by some Titan's power ; anon, it loomed up a

TOWEB OF BABEL.

vast mass of shapeless ruins, as when, by some mighty
convulsion of nature, temples are thrown on temples, and
towers are piled on towers. We had aeen nothing like
it on all the plains of Babylon.
In two hours we had reached its base, and immediate
ly ascended to its summit. Its sides are rent, and its
crest is broken. Two thousand three hundred feet in
circumference, the great mound is two hundred and fifty
feet high.* Its summit is covered with immense frag.
* In the " Remains of Lost Empires," and in the "Assyrian Discoveries,"
it is given as 150 feet. But Rich, Layard, and Buckingham make it 250 feet.

154

THRONES AND PALACES OF

ments of brick-Avork, and solid, vitrified masses of brick
and mortar. Some of these masses resemble huge black
rocks, fifty feet in circumference, thrown together in the
utmost confusion ; but, upon a closer inspection, they ap
peared to be, what they really are, portions of great walls,
in which the brick and mortar are still visible, but bear
ing the marks of the action of the fiercest fire, as if blown
up by gunpowder, or scathed with the lightning of the
heavens. On the western side of the summit is a sol
id pile of brick, fifty feet high by twenty -eight feet in
breadth, diminishing in thickness to the top, Avhich is

BRICK FROM THE TOWEB OF BABEL.

broken and irregular, and rent by a large fissure run
ning through a third of its height. Extending through it
from side to side are holes nine inches square, designed,
no doubt, for ventilation. It is composed of the finest
burned bricks, with inscriptions on them. The admira
ble cement by which the layers are held together is al
most invisible, yet so tenacious that it is nearly impossi
ble to separate one brick from another. On the north
east side is a wall of small bricks of the finest quality,
and is as firm to-day as when laid by the hand of the
master-builder thousands of years ago. The weather has

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 155
channeled deep ravines in the sides of the mound, reveal
ing here and there a mass of yellow bricks laid in white
mortar, and which are evidently sun-dried, and not kiln-
burned. They are not less than twelve inches square,
and four inches thick. They all bear the name and titles
of King Nebuchadnezzar. The translation of the inscrip
tion on the one I brought away, to be placed in my cab
inet of curiosities, is as follows: "Nebuchadnezzar, King
of Babylon ; preserver of Bit-Saggal and Bit-Sidda ; eld
est son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon."
The most eminent antiquarians in Babylonian re
searches regard this ruin as the remains of the ToAver
of Babel. For the history and description of that cele
brated tower we are indebted to Moses, to Herodotus,
to Diodorus, to Strabo, to Pliny and Quintus Curtius,
whose account has been confirmed, in later times, by-
Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, and by Rich, Buckingham,
and Layard, the most distinguished explorers of our own
day. The statement by Moses is brief and definite:
"And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east,
that they found a plain in the land of Shinar ; and they
dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let
us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they
had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower,
whose top may reach unto heaven ; and let us make us
a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of
the whole earth."* These additional facts are elsewhere
given by the inspired historian : " Nimrod was a mighty
hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his king
dom was Babel." " So the Lord scattered them abroad
from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left
* Genesis xi., 2-4.

156 THRONES AND PALACES OF
off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called
Babel." These brief but comprehensive allusions seem well
sustained by a number of very important facts. It is an
opinion now generally received that the plain of Shinar
is all that section of country between the Tigris and the
Euphrates extending southward to the confluence of
those two rivers. It is also curious to observe that,
while there are no stone-quarries in this section of the
peninsula, yet the soil around Babylon is of a fine clay
mixed Avith sand, and, when dried in the sun, becomes
hard and solid, and forms the finest material for beautiful
bricks, which, when exposed to the sun for half an hour,
become hard as stone. But, whether baked in the sun
or burned in a kiln, the bricks which compose the tower
are exceedingly hard, and illustrate the proposition of
the builders — " Let us make brick, and burn them thor
oughly." And it is no less interesting to observe that,
while they had " brick for stone," so they also had " slime
for mortar," which was bitumen collected from the im
mediate neighborhood, that furnished them an excellent
cement, and so tenacious that it requires a greater force
to separate two bricks thus cemented than to break the
brick itself. Nor should it escape our attention that
" Nimrod " and " Babel " are terms which have always
been, and are to-day, as familiar to the natives of this
great peninsula as household words. " Nimrod, the
mighty hunter before the Lord," is a great personage
with them, and to him they ascribe whatever is Avdhder-
ful and mighty. They apply the term " Babel " to any
remarkable mound of ruins, as significant of historic
greatness. It is now generally conceded that Nimrod
and his contemporaries commenced to build this tower,
confirming the sacred text : "And the beginning of his

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 157
kingdom was Babel ;" and historians and explorers also
agree, " that they left off to build the city."
With these historic facts apparently so clearly con
firmed, it was with no ordinary interest that I sat down
amidst the ruins on the summit of this mound, and read
the inspired words of Moses. What memories they re
called ! The Avanderings of the descendants of Noah ;
the ambition and kingship of Nimrod ; the high resolve
to build a tower Avhich no flood could submerge; the
displeasure of the Lord ; the confusion of tongues ; the
dispersion of the people ; the lapse of the ages which
followed ; the completion of the tower by Nebuchadnez
zar ; its vast proportions and unrivaled magnificence ; its
destruction by Xerxes ; the desire of Alexander to re
store it to its former glory ; its subsequent desolation
for two thousand years, a lair for the lion and a den for
the leopard; and its present imposing aspect, seen by
the traveler of to-day, as seen by Alexander and Xerxes
three hundred years before the Christian era.
And whoever was its builder, at whatever time it was
constructed, and for whatever purpose it Avas reared, two
facts are significant : There is no other such ruin in the
' land of Shinar; and, if this is not the Tower of Babel,
it is a ruin without a name! At its base, along its sides,
on its summit, are the indications of an immense struct
ure. On the north and west, a part of a quadrangular
inclosure can be readily traced. At its base, the first
step of the ascent can be distinctly observed. At the
north-east angle, the second stage of the great structure
is apparent ; above it is the third, which recedes within
the second ; and on the third is the fourth, a solid wall,
fifty feet high, twenty-eight feet broad, and fifteen feet
thick, pierced longitudinally and transversely with small
channels for the free circulation of air, and being less in

158 THRONES AND PALACES OF
dimensions at the top than at its base. Upon this were
other sections, whose total height was six hundred feet.
How grand must have been that tower, when seen in
the vastness of its proportions and the fullness of its glo
ry. Commenced by Nimrod, continued by Semiramis,
completed by Nebuchadnezzar — it was at once a sanctu
ary, a mausoleum, and an observatory. It was inclosed
by a wall four thousand feet in circumference, a fragment
of which remains. The base of the tower was a square,
five hundred feet on each side, or two thousand feet in
all. Its form was that of a pyramid, composed of eight
separate stories, rising in symmetrical proportions, and
receding within each other to the enormous height of
five hundred feet, and crowned with a statue of Belus,
forty feet high, and placed in an upright posture. The
ascent was on the exterior, and consisted of broad flights
of steps, extending from terrace to terrace. Midway the
ascent was a resting-place, furnished with easy-chairs for
the repose of those who made the ascent. The upper
most story was the sanctuary, beautifully adorned, and
in it was a golden table.
Near the tower, and within the sacred inclosure, was a
smaller structure, wherein was a golden statue of Belus
in a sitting posture, around which were large tables and
chairs of gold. Without the temple was a golden altar
whereon were offered sucklings, while near it was a
larger altar for the sacrifice of full-grown animals; and
adjoining this temple were the apartments for the accom
modation of the priests and their attendants. The site
of this temple was probably the mound, three hundred
feet to the Avest, fifty-five feet high, and fourteen hundred
feet wide, now croAvned Avith the tomb of Makam Ibrahim
Khalil, and said to have been the spot where the three
Hebrew worthies were thrown into the fiery furnace.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 159
What memories cluster around this ruin ! Of its iden
tity Avith the ToAver of Babel there is scarcely ground
for a reasonable doubt. The present dimensions and
structural appearance of the mound so nearly correspond
with the descriptions of the tower by Herodotus, Strabo,
and Pliny, as to justify this opinion. Its location on the
Avest side of the Euphrates is not at variance with the
positive statement to the contrary of any of the ancient
Avriters. The Arabs call it "El Birs," and "Birs Nim-
roud ;" the former by way of brevity, and the latter in
honor of the " mighty hunter before the Lord." " Birs "
may be a corruption of Berus, and Berus of Belus, Avhich
would not be considered remarkable changes in any of
the Semitic languages.
If the original purpose of the tower was to be a place
of refuge and safety in case another flood came upon the
earth, it subsequently served the threefold purpose of
mausoleum, where kings were enshrined; of temple, where
Belus was worshiped; and of observatory, Avhere the Chal
dean astronomers observed the rising and the setting of
the stars. In two of these objects it corresponds Avith
the pyramids of Egypt, where royalty was entombed, and
astronomical observations were made. As the temple of
the god Belus, it was the place where were deposited
the " gold and silver vessels Avhich Nebuchadnezzar had
taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem."* On
its summit were probably made, at least in part, those
astronomical records, dating back nineteen hundred years
before our era, and which Calisthenes found in Babylon
when Alexander the Great captured the city, and which
Calisthenes transcribed, and sent a copy thereof to Aris
totle. And the JeAvs have a tradition that here Avas
* Daniel v., 2.

160 THRONES AND PALACES OF
imprisoned their king, Zedekiah, of whom it is written :
"And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes,
and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with
fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon."* And,
also, that here Nebuchadnezzar was confined within the
spacious grounds of the temple when bereft of his reason,
and when he " did eat grass as oxen, and his body was
wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown
like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws."f
Some are disposed to condemn the description of this
renowned tower by Herodotus and others, as extrava
gant, but a few comparisons with Avell-known structures
will suffice to show their, probable accuracy. The base
of the tower was 2000 feet in circumference, and its height
was 500 feet. Its form Avas that of a pyramid, and con
sisted of. eight stories, each succeeding section being less
in dimension than the preceding one, and on the top of
the highest was a statue of Belus 40 feet high ; so that
the whole was but a little less than 600 feet in its ex
treme height. The great Pyramid of Cheops is 480 feet
high, and the circumference of its base is 2292 feet.
The Coliseum of Vespasian covers six acres ; its height
is 157 feet ; and its larger diameter, including thickness
of Avails, is 584 feet.
The length of St. Peter's, in Rome, is 613| feet ; its
height, from the pavement to the top of the cross, is 448
feet ; and the diameter of its great dome is 195^ feet.
The circumference of St. Paul's Cathedral, in London, is
2292 feet, or within 343 feet of half a mile. From east
to west it measures 510 feet, and 282 feet from north to
south ; and the elevation of the cross from the founda
tion of the church is 404 feet.
* 2 Kings xxv., 7. t Daniel iv., 33.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 161
The magnificent tower of the Strasburg Cathedral is
461 feet in height, 13 feet higher than the cross on the
dome of St. Peter's, in Rome.
The celebrated pillar near Delhi, India, called the
Kootub Minar, is now 242 feet high, Avith a base diam
eter of less than 50 feet ; but in its completeness, its
height Avas 300 feet, and consisted of seven stories, most
of which remain.
The Capitol at Washington, unrivaled in all the
earth for grandeur, covers three and a half acres, has a
length of 752 feet, a depth of 342 feet, and a height of
350 feet.
In the light of these Avell-ascertained facts, Ave can ATery
readily believe the statements of the ancient writers as
to the grand proportions of the ToAver of Babel ; and
its subsequent history seems to confirm Avhat Ave have
read as to its immense treasures and costly furniture.
Darius Hystaspes Avould fain have taken aAvay the mas
sive statue of gold, but could not execute his Avishes ;
but his son, Xerxes, not only stripped the tower of all
its treasures, statues, and ornaments, but plundered the
Tomb of Belus, put the priests of the temple to death,
and then reduced the splendid tower and its adjacent
buildings to their present condition. And we haATe Stra-
bo and Arrian for our authority, that Avhen the city Avas
surrendered to Alexander, he commaL\ded ten thousand
men to remove the rubbish, preparatory to the rebuild
ing of the tower ; but after working two months, they
were ordered to desist, as the workmen made less prog
ress than their general had anticipated.
There is an apparent extravagance of language on the
part of the Bible writers in their descriptions of the great
ness and glory of Babylon. Their words seem more pict
uresque than true. They speak of it as " the glory of
11

162 THRONES AND PALACES OF
kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency ;"* " the
golden city ;"f "the lady of kingdoms ;" % "abundant
in treasures ;"§ "the praise of the whole earth ;"| and
"great Babylon that I have built."^[ But these praises,
uttered in prophetic vision, are fully sustained by his
toric facts ; and these words of eulogy are more true than
picturesque, if we may rely on the testimony of profane
writers. Herodotus, who was an extensive traveler, who
had seen all the great monuments of the age in which he
lived, has said of Babylon : " Its extent, its beauty, and its
magnificence surpass all that has come within my knowl
edge." And no less eulogistic is the language of Dio-
dorus Siculns, of Quintus Curtius, of Strabo, and of Pliny,
who describe it as one of the wonders of the world, and
the admiration of mankind. It had a glory of walls, of
palaces, of temples, of hanging gardens, of canals, of quays,
of tunnels, of bridges, of commerce, of treasures, of armies,
and of dominion. The great empire of which Babylon
was the imperial city included an area of a 1000 miles
in length, 250 miles in breadth, and a superficial area
of 250,000 square miles. Within this Avas Babylonia
proper, which was 320 miles long, and from 20 to 100
miles wide on the east of the Euphrates, and west of the
river its length was 350 miles, and its breadth was from
25 to 30 miles. In the eastern section there were 18,000
square miles, and in the section west of the Euphrates
there were 9000 square miles, making a total of 27,000
square miles. Six hundred years before our era, and dur
ing the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom was in the
fullness of its power, AArealth, and glory. That greatest
of all the Babylonian kings built or enlarged the cities of

* Isaiah xiii., 19. f Isaiah xiv., 4. J Isaiah xlvii., 5.
§ Jeremiah li., 13. | Jeremiah li., 41. IT Daniel iv., 30.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

163

Sippara, Barsippa, Cutha, Chilmad, and Teredon. With
the resources of an empire subject to his command, he
constructed a canal 500 miles long, extending from Hit
to the Bubian creek, on the Persian Gulf, through which
the commerce of India Avas brought to his dominions.
But his ambition Avas to make Babylon the grandest city
in the Avorld.

PLAN OF ANCIENT BABYLON.

And how magnificent must have been the " golden
city," the " beauty of the Chalclees' excellency," when
complete in all its vast proportions ! Sixty miles in cir-

164 THRONES AND PALACES OF
cuit, the great city was in the form of a square, each
of its four sides fifteen miles long, and surrounded with
a trench, deep and wide, and filled with water. From
the margin of the moat rose the great wrall, containing
200,000,000 yards of solid masonry, or nearly twice the
cubic contents of the great wall of China, composed of
the earth thrown up from the trench, and faced Avith sun-
dried brick, each stamped with the name of the proud
king. The great wall was eighty-seven feet thick, so Avide
as to allow four chariots to move abreast thereon, and,
from the bottom of the moat to the top of the parapet,
three hundred and fifty feet high. Two hundred and
fifty towers, each ten feet high, rose above the parapet.
One hundred gates of brass opened to as many noble
avenues; and betAveen every tAvo gates Avere four of
the towers, with other towers at the angles of the wall.
Each of the fifty streets was fifteen miles long and one
hundred and fifty feet broad, which crossed each other
at right angles. Then there were half streets, with
houses on one side and the wall of the city on the other,
each two hundred feet broad. These avenues, crossing
each other as they did, divided the city into six hun
dred and seventy-six squares, each square tAvo and a half
miles in circuit. Around these squares, and facing the
streets, were the buildings, three and four stories high,
while the centre of each square was a beautiful garden,
irrigated from the numberless canals Avhich conveyed
the waters of the Euphrates to the palace of the king
and the cottage of the peasant. Spanning the river, and
connecting the two parts of the city, Avas a bridge five
hundred feet long and thirty feet Avide. Down the
brick embankment, broad steps led to the Avater's edge.
Above the bridge and embankment rose an obelisk one
hundred and twenty-five feet high, to commemorate the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 165
completion of works so great. Along the banks of the
liver were the Hanging Gardens, blooming Avith fragrant
floAvers, shaded by a thousand trees, cooled by fountains
Avhose jeweled Avaters sparkled in the sunlight. Sur
rounded by a triple Avail, and guarded by gates of brass,
rose the royal palace, Avhose Avails were adorned with
pictures of the chase, of martial processions, and festive
scenes; whose apartments Avere furnished with the car
pets of Persia, the silks of Damascus, the jewels of Bo
khara; whose imperial occupant was at once the dread
and the admiration of all nations. Rising above all the
other structures Avas the Tower of Babel, six hundred
feet high, crowned Avith a statue of Belus, made of the
finest gold, Avhich shone resplendent in the morning and
evening sunlight. Into the city flowed the wealth of all
nations. Merchants came from afar. Caravans came
from Egypt, Idumea, Syria, Sardis, and Susa. The high-
Avays across the desert, from the plains of Palestine and
the hills of Arabia, Avere protected by fortified stations ;
Availed cities served as resting-places and store- houses;
and wells, at regular intervals, gave an abundant supply
of Avater during the hottest season of the year. Other
causeways led from Mesopotamia and Persia and Me
dia, on Avhich were caravansaries for the accommodation
of man and beast. Up the Persian Gulf came vessels
freighted Avith frankincense, precious stones, ivory, ebony,
dyes, spices, and silks from Ceylon and India; down
the Tigris and the Euphrates came rafts of inflated
skins, loaded with goods from Armenia and Kurdistan ;
while in the" marts of commerce in the city were of
fered to the foreign merchant Babylonian carpets, silks,
woolen fabrics, embroidered with figures of mystic ani
mals and with exquisite designs, which Avere not less
famous for the beauty of their texture and workman-

166 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ship than for the richness and variety of their colors.*
Around each palace and temple, in the great castle, at
the hundred gates of brass, in the two hundred and fifty
towers on the walls, were stationed that army of war
riors who had plundered Egypt, who had sacked Jerusa
lem, and subdued Mesopotamia. And by the " rivers of
Babylon " sat king, priest, and prophet, captives from the
Holy Land ; while from conquered province and king
dom was brought the annual tribute of gold and silver,
of horses and camels, of young men for the army and
maidens for the palace, the spoils of war. Great, in
deed, was Babylon ! Great in all that men considered
greatness. Proud of his magnificent city, vain of his suc
cess, forgetful of One higher than he, " The king spake,
and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for
the house of the kingdom by the might of my power,
and for the honor of my majesty ?"f
But how a city so populous, so wealthy, so magnifi
cent, could become a desolation, is a fact as interesting
as it is true. The period of its might and glory was less
than a hundred years. Prior to the sixth century be
fore the Christian era, Babylonia was a province of the
Assyrian empire, and its vassal king was Nabopolassar,
father of Nebuchadnezzar. But when, about six hun
dred and twenty-five years before our era, the empire of
Assyria gave signs of decay, Nabopolassar joined the
allied armies of Media and Persia under Cyaxares, to
throAv off the Assyrian yoke, and, being successful, re
ceived, as his share of the spoils of war, Nineveh and
the whole valley of the Euphrates. His reign was long
and prosperous, and, at his death, was succeeded to the
throne of the great empire by his son Nebuchadnezzar,
* Layard. t Daniel iv., 30.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 167
who reigned forty-four years, and died at the advanced
age of eighty, justly renowned the greatest monarch of
the Eastern Avoiid. At the death of Nebuchadnezzar,
his son, Evil-merodach, came to the throne, whose brief
and quiet reign did not exceed two years. Conspiracies
followed. Usurpers sought the crown and sceptre of
Babylon. But the right of succession prevailed, and
Belshazzar ascended the throne of his fathers. Unfort
unately for him and his kingdom, he incurred the dis
pleasure of Cyrus, who marched his victorious armies
against the imperial city, and, having captured it by
stratagem, reduced Babylonia to a province of Persia.
And thus, after an existence ' of eighty-eight years, from
625 to 538. b.c, the great empire of Babylon was num
bered with the things of the past.
So long accustomed to their freedom, to a life of luxu
ry, and the splendors of a proud and powerful court, the
Babylonians revolted, and struggled hard to regain their
ancient independence. They maintained themselves in
a siege of twenty months against Darius, the son of Hys-
taspes, whom Cyrus had commissioned to retake the city ;
but their long endurance was unavailing, for Darius was
triumphant, and, to prevent another revolt, ordered his
soldiers to demolish the great wall, which had been the
pride of Babylon, and the admiration of the world. This
memorable event occurred in the year £10 b.c, and was
but the fulfillment of a prophetic denunciation uttered
tAvo centuries before. A greater calamity, however,
awaited the "golden city." Just twenty -nine years
thereafter, Xerxes returned from his disastrous campaign
against the Greeks, and, to replenish his exhausted means,
plundered the city, demolished the Temple of Belus, and
carried off the gods of gold and the rich ornaments be
longing to that noble structure. Conqueror succeeded con-

168 THRONES AND PALACES OF
queror. There was no power that could avert the final
ruin of" Babylon, the glory of kingdoms." After the de
feat of Darius, and the overthrow of the Persian suprem
acy, Alexander the Great gave it the final blow, in 325
b.c. Three years thereafter, his successor, Seleucus Nica-
tor, laid the foundations of Seleucia, less than fifty miles
to the north-east, on the banks of the Tigris, and thither
he compelled the inhabitants of Babylon to go in large
numbers, to augment the population of his new imperial
city. Nor Avas this the last vial of Avrath to be poured
upon the devoted city. The end was not yet. One woe
had passed; another was yet to come. The Parthians
had succeeded the Macedonians, and the kings ofParthia
caused, in the year 127 B.C., another emigration. Some
had ventured to return to their miserable homes, and
were clinging Avith fondness to the ruins of happier days,
when the plague sent many to their graves. As evils
never come solitary, but rather in rapid succession, so,
about this time, the embankments Avhich had prevented
an overflow of the river, but which had been so long neg
lected, gave Avay, and the waters of the Euphrates flooded
the city.
The destruction of a great city is not easy to accom
plish. It is not the work of a day. Its final abandon
ment and utter desolation require the vicissitudes of cen
turies. A thousand years elapsed from the death of Bel-
shazzar, the last king of Babylon, to the time Avhen the
city became a " desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness."
Neither plague, nor flood, nor deportation, could exhaust
completely the population. The Christian era was ush
ered in by the birth of a Saviour, and a remnant of Jews
and Chaldeans still clung to the seat of departed great
ness. And Babylon might have lingered in her reduced
condition, had not religious intolerance provoked a civil

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 169
Avar, the cause of Avhich Avas the devotedness of the Jews
to their religion, a large number of whom perished in the
persecution ; and those who escaped the sword fled for
refuge to Seleucia. To punish the remnant of the inhab
itants for a revolt, which occurred in the early part of
the second century of our era, the Parthian king, Eveme-
rus, deported numerous families into Media, where they
Avere sold as slaves, and burned many beautiful edifices,
which had escaped the torch of preceding conquerors.
But the Avork of utter destruction Avas not completed, for,
at a later period, the Emperor Trajan visited the house
in Babylon in Avhich Alexander the Great had died, and
performed religious ceremonies to the memory of that
great warrior. But the beginning of the end had come.
Lucian of Samosata, a town not far from the Euphrates,
who wrote during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, refers
to Babylon as a " city that had been remarkable for its
numerous towers and vast circumference, but which would
soon disappear, as Nineveh had done." This was the con
dition of the " beauty of the Chaldees' excellency " at the
close of the second century of the Christian era. In two
hundred years thereafter, the canals which led from the
Euphrates became obstructed by the alluvial deposits,
and Babylon Avas converted into a vast marsh ; and fifty
years later, the river changed its course, leaving only a
small channel to mark its ancient bed. And from the
fifth century to the present time, all writers, Avhether sec
ular or ecclesiastical, Avho refer to the subject, describe
Babylon as destroyed, forsaken, and a desolation.
It was with no ordinary interest that I sat amidst
these ancient ruins, and read from the Bible those pro
phetic denunciations against the " golden city," which had
been uttered prior to and while yet Babylon was in her
strength and glory, and the exact fulfillment of which it

170 THRONES AND PALACES OF
was my privilege to witness. The past returned with
the reality of the present. Twenty-five centuries passed
in review before me. The voice of Isaiah was heard in
sublime apostrophe : " Come down, and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground : there
is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans : for thou shalt
no more be called tender and delicate. Sit thou silent,
and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans :
for thou shalt no more be called The lady of kingdoms."*
On my right were the plains and mountains of those con
quering hosts whom the prophet summoned to battle:
" Go up, O Elam : besiege, O Media."f " Make bright
the arrows ; gather the shields : the Lord hath raised up
the spirit of the kings of the Medes : for his device is
against Babylon, to destroy it." J " Thus saith the Lord
to his anointed, to Cyrus, Avhose right hand I have hold-
en, to subdue nations before him ; and I Avill loose the
loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates,
and the gates shall not be shut."§ Around me lay the
ruins of that proud city whose terrified inhabitants re
fused to fight, and whose king Cyrus challenged to a
duel : " The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to
fight, they have remained in their holds: their might
hath failed."| Before me floAved the ancient Euphrates,
Avhose waters Cyrus diverted on the night he took the
city : " That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up
thy rivers."^" On its margin lay the remains of the great
embankment, down whose side broad steps were laid to
the water's edge, Avhere were the "two -leaved gates,"
Avhich a drunken guard had left open : "And the gates
shall not be shut."** Through those twenty -five un-
* Isaiah xlvii., 1, 5. t Isaiah xxi., 2. J Jeremiah li., 11.
§ Isaiah xlv., 1. [| Jeremiah li., 30. IT Isaiah xliv., 27.
** Isaiah xlv., 1.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 171
guarded gates, AAdiich opened to as many avenues in the
city, Mede and Persian passed at dead of night, to sur
prise a city abandoned to feasting and revelry : "In their
heat I Avill make their feasts, and I will make them
drunken."* " Prepare the table, watch in the watch-tow
er, eat, drink : arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield."f
" I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O
Babylon, and thou Avast not aware : thou art found, and
also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord."J
In the confusion that prevailed, herald met herald, bear
ing dispatches to the king : " One post shall run to meet
another, and one messenger to meet another, to show the
king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end."§
" The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them,
and his hands waxed feeble." | Not far from that high
embankment lay the ruins of Belshazzar's palace, where
in, on that dreadful night, the king had made a great
feast to a thousand of his lords, and at his command were
brought the gold and silver vessels that were taken out
of the house of God, which was at Jerusalem, from which
he, his princes, wives, and concubines drank wine, and
praised the gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of
wood and stone ; when suddenly, amidst the scene of rev
elry and blasphemy, came forth fingers of a man's hand
and wrote on the plaster of the wall, " Thy kingdom is
divided, and given to the Medes and Petsians." "In that
night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain ;"
and, by appointment by Cyrus, " Darius the Median took
the kingdom."^ From palace and castle, from gate and
tOAver, through the broad avenues, along the by-ways, a
surprised and terrified people fled, but only to be over-

* Jeremiah li., 39. t Isaiah xxi., 5. f Jeremiah 1., 24.
§ Jeremiah li., 31. I Jeremiah 1., 43. T Daniel v., 1-31.

172 THRONES AND PALACES OF
taken and slain by their cruel pursuers : " Every one that
is found shall be thrust through ; and every one that is
joined unto them shall fall by the sword."* " Therefore
shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men
of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord."f To
this indiscriminate slaughter of the inhabitants Xenophon
testifies; and, to restrain his soldiers therein, Cyrus com
manded his cavalry to massacre only those found in the
streets ; while to the people he issued an order to remain
within their houses.
On the mound where I sat, and on the plain below,
were the scattered vitrified remains of that proud tem
ple wherein Bel was worshiped and Nebo received Di
vine honors, but which Xerxes destroyed, and plundered
of its gods and treasures : " Bel boweth down, Nebo
stoopeth; their idols were upon the beasts, and upon
the cattle." J "Declare ye among the nations, and pub
lish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not:
say Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is
broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images
are broken in pieces."§ Nowhere on the vast, dreary
plain around me, within a circuit of sixty miles square
(the assigned limits of " Great Babylon ") could be seen
in its ancient glory the great wall of the city, with its
gates and equidistant towers, all of stupendous height
and thickness, which once existed : " Shout against her
round about :  her foundations are fallen, her walls
are thrown down."| "Thus saith the Lord of hosts;
The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and
her high gates shall be burned Avith fire."^[ The de
struction of such vast fortifications is no less a Avon-

* Isaiah xiii., 15. t Jeremiah 1., 30. £ Isaiah xlvi., 1.
§ Jeremiah 1., 2. | Jeremiah 1., 15. T Jeremiah li., 58.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 173
der than Avere their enormous dimensions. Cyrus com
manded the destruction, and Darius Hystaspes executed
the order in part. Subsequent conquerors demolished
what Darius had left, aided by the Avinds and rains of
the ages ; so that to-day can be seen, and only here and
there, low, shapeless, detached mounds, Avhere once the
proud walls stood. From the summit of Babel, I looked
out upon a vast sheet of Avater, the overflow of the
Euphrates, Avhose embankments, utterly neglected, had
broken away, and " The sea is come up upon Babylon :
she is covered with the multitude of the Avaves thereof."*
How strangely, grandly true seemed these prophetic
utterances, as I read them amidst the scene of their ful
fillment! They were predictions by Isaiah and Jeremiah,
and the facts therein announced are confirmed by Herod
otus and Xenophon, by Diodorus and Strabo, by Ar
rian and Quintus Curtius, by Benjamin of Tudela and
Beauchamp, by Rich and Layard. Isaiah lived two hun
dred and fifty years before Herodotus, and three hun
dred years before Xenophon. He prophesied one hun
dred and fifty years before Nebuchadnezzar came to the
throne, and over two hundred years before Cyrus took
the city. Jeremiah lived one hundred and fifty years
before Herodotus, and two hundred years before Xeno
phon, and prophesied nearly one hundred years before
the city was taken by the Medes and Persians. Proph
ecy is history foretold; history is prophecy fulfilled.
Isaiah and Jeremiah were the prophets; Herodotus and
Xenophon were the historians. The correspondence be
tween the predictions and the historic facts is no less
marvelous than true. It is scarcely probable that the
historians were aware of the prophecies of the Hebrew
* Jeremiah li., 42.

174 THRONES AND PALACES OF
seers, and, had they been, we have no reason to suppose
that they had any interest in making good the predic
tions. There are, however, some prophecies which re
quired a thousand years for their fulfillment, and of
which the traveler of to-day is the living witness. Sub
lime in language, definite in statement, minute in de
scription, Isaiah foretold the utter desolation of the once
proud city: "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the
beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be in
habited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to
generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But
wild beasts of the desert shall lie there ; and their
houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall
dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild
beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses,
and dragons in their pleasant palaces."* It was, indeed,
bold in the prophet to predict that a city so vast and
grand as Babylon " shall never be inhabited." It stood
on a peninsular plain between two noble rivers, and,
by irrigation, the soil was rich and productive, while by
means of those rivers an extensive commerce was carried
on with Mesopotamia, Arabia, Persia, and India. But
all attempts to perpetuate the existence of the city have
signally failed. It is a well-knoAvn fact that Alexander
the Great determined to make Babylon the seat of his
empire. He commanded the people to rebuild the por
tions which had been destroyed. He ordered ten thou
sand of his soldiers to clear away the rubbish, that the
Temple of Belus might be restored to its former splen
dor. He hastened his return from India, that he might
* Isaiah xiii., 19-22.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 175
accelerate the work of restoration ; but he returned to
Babylon, not to reign, but to die. His indomitable will,
his vast resources, his pride and ambition to be sover
eign monarch of the East, his delight in the noble city
whose gates had been opened to receive him, whose
priests and chief men had greeted him with royal gifts,
all seemed to conspire to prove the oracles of God a fail
ure. But no device against the Lord shall prosper.
Man proposes ; God disposes. In his thirty-second year,
Alexander is smitten Avith fever, and dies on the very
scene of his triumph. His great empire is divided by
his generals; and Seleucus Nicator builds Seleucia, to
be the new capital of the East, and thither departed the
citizens of Babylon.* At a subsequent period, the Par
thian kings made Babylon a hunting -park for royal
sports, Avhich promised to last long; but the Divine de
cree had gone forth, and another human purpose failed.
Again and again, both Chaldeans and Jews returned,
and fondly clung to the seat of ancient empire ; but fire
and sword, plague and the floods, drove them thence.f
Out of the ruins of the " golden city," the materials were
taken whereAvith to build Seleucia and Ctesiphon, Bag
dad and Hillah, and other cities of less renoAvn. In no
sense is the Moslem town of Hillah, with its ten thou
sand inhabitants, the restoration of the ancient city.
The Avails, the temples, the palaces, the dwellings of Bab
ylon, have not been rebuilt. The once proud city is a
desolation without an inhabitant.
" Neither shall the Arabian pitch his tent there," is as
true to-day as ever in the past. On the plains of Ara
bia, in the valleys of Syria, from Bagdad to Mosul, the
Arab spreads his tent wherever night overtakes him,
* Arrian. t Jerome.

176 THRONES AND PALACES OF
and lies down therein confident of safety; but when
traveling between Bagdad and Hillah, he times his jour
ney to be at a khan at the close of each day. And when
the daring European traveler presumes to encamp amidst
the ruins of Babylon, he does so under the protection of
a strong military force, who stand guard the live -long
night; and even he does so at his peril from Bedouin
robbers and wild beasts of the desert. And the shep
herd is no less fearful of danger than the Arabian. At
sunrise, the shepherds lead their flocks of sheep and
goats to feed during the day in the jungle, but return
therewith to the fortified khan ere the sun goes down.
They never fold their flocks in the jungle or on the
plain, so that Isaiah's prophetic words -are still true :
" Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there."
Isaiah's menagerie offers more difficulties to the inter
preter of his prophecies, and the beasts and birds he spec
ifies may not be identified with certainty. But that the
ruins of Babylon have been and are now, together Avith
all that section of the peninsula, the resort of wild beasts,
of poisonous reptiles, and " doleful creatures," is a fact
mentioned by the most intelligent and reliable travelers.
The Parthian kings were not aware that they were fulfill
ing an ancient prophecy when they converted a portion
of the space within the Avails into a hunting park, in
which they kept many wild animals for their royal sport.
Rauwolff, a German traveler, who visited the ruined city
in the sixteenth century, says of the Temple of Belus :
" This toAver is so full of venomous animals that it can
only be approached during tAvo months in the winter,
when they do not leave their holes." In the year 1657,
a Carmelite monk passed up the Euphrates en route for
Bagdad, and, when near Hillah, he " heard the roaring of
the lions, who from time to time answered one another

ii

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 177
from the opposite shores of the river, to our no small ter
ror." In December, 1811, Mr. Claudius James Rich, then
English consul at Bagdad, made excavations among the
ruins of Belshazzar's palace, and says : " There are many
dens of Avild beasts in various parts, in one of Avhich I
found the bones of sheep and other animals, and perceived
a strong smell, like that of a lion. I also found quanti
ties 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 confined
to the mythology of the West ; but a native, Avho was
with me Avhen I examined the ruins, mentioned by acci
dent that in this desert an animal is found resembling a
man from the head to the Avaist, but having the thighs
and legs of a sheep or goat ; that the Arabs hunt it with
dogs, and eat the lower parts, abstaining from the upper
on account of their resemblance to those of the human
species." Of the ruins of the Hanging Gardens, he ob
serves: "All the people of the country assert that it is
extremely dangerous to approach this mound after night
fall, on account of the multitude of evil spirits by which
it is haunted." In speaking of the neighboring section
of country, inhabited by the Afaij Arabs, Layard notes
the fact: "In the jungles are found leopards, lynxes, wild
cats, wolves, hyenas, jackals, deer, porcupines, boars in vast
numbers, and other animals." Lions walk about the
streets of Hillah, and in the governor's yard I saw one
chained, and with it men and boys were playing. A
large lion was in the habit of coming regularly every
evening from the Euphrates to a canal, Avhich I crossed
on my Avay to Babylon, and Avhich repeated his visits in
search of prey till shot by one of the Arabs. Captain
Cowley, of the steamer on which I came up the Tigris,
12

178 THRONES AND PALACES OF
shot three lions, which had their lair on an island nearly
opposite the ruined city ; while on almost every day of
the voyage we saw wolves, wild boars, and other danger
ous animals.
Such is the remarkable fulfillment of the extraordinary
predictions of the Hebrew prophets. What they fore
told has become historic. The prophet of the future is
now the historian of the past. And the coming ages are
to testify to the inspiration of the Sacred Record. ".It
shall never be inhabited," is a prediction for all future
time. What the future may bring forth is known only
to the Omniscient. Great changes are impending in the
East. A railroad will yet traverse the whole valley of
the Euphrates. In the application of projected improve
ments, the Euphrates and Tigris will be navigable for
hundreds of miles inland. Commercial communication
by steamer and locomotive will be established between
the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. The great
peninsula of Babylonia is too important in location and
resources not to be affected by the coming changes. Yet
the purpose of God shall stand, and his word shall not
fail. "The Lord hath opened his armory, and hath
brought forth the Aveapons of his indignation : for this
is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the
Chaldeans."* His armory is full of all weapons neces
sary for the defense of his word. Beneath the ruins of
Babylon are inscribed tablets which will be brought to
light Avhen needed to vindicate the prediction of the seer
and the record of the historian. Thus far the excavations
at Babylon have been limited, and the discoveries have
been few; but the discoveries thus far made have sus
tained the Bible writers in the most extraordinary man-
* Jeremiah 1., 25.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 179
ner. Daniel's account of the insanity of Nebuchadnez
zar has been called in question ; but medical science has
designated the king's mental malady as lycanthropy, dur
ing which the patient imagines himself to be an animal,
and for the time assumes the habits of the animal he fan
cies himself to be. Nebuchadnezzar imagined himself to
be an ox, and like an ox he ate grass ; and the fact is no
less curious than interesting, that in the valley of the Eu
phrates there is a grass Avhich is succulent, has a mild
peppery taste, is eaten by the natives, and is called " Neb
uchadnezzar's grass." And recently a large tablet was
discovered, on Avhich were inscribed the reign, the mad
ness, and death of Nebuchadnezzar. For a long time, the
opinion prevailed that Daniel had made a mistake in
naming Belshazzar as one of the kings of Babylon. It
was stated that no such king had existed, as his name
could not be found in the annals of the kino-dom ; but
in due time a tablet Avas exhumed bearing the name of
" Belshazzar, King of Babylon." Such illustrations are
sufficient to show how hazardous it is to assail the truth
fulness of the Divine Record, for the evidences thereof
lie buried in the earth. .
Descending from the summit of Babel, and crossing
the intervening valley, we ascended the companion mound
on which tradition locates the "fiery furnace of Shad-
rach, Meshach, and Abed-nego." Around us were heaps
of brick and mortar which had undergone the action of
fire. The tomb of a Moslem saint noAv crowns the sum
mit, and adjoining it is a small mosque, wherein Ave might
have remained all night, had not our soldier-guide pro
tested, and warned us of the danger from wild beasts
and Bedouin robbers.
In less than three hours we were again at Hillah,
and at sunrise the next morning we started on our re-

180 THRONES AND PALACES OF
turn journey to Bagdad. The day was delightful ; the
skies were bright, the air was balmy, and the vernal
sun shone genially upon us. Crossing the boat-bridge
over the Euphrates, and wending our way through the
palm-groves on the opposite bank, we soon passed the
"lions' den," looked for the last time on the Hanging
Gardens, Avaved an adieu to Belshazzar's palace, and then
rode rapidly to Khan Mohaweel, where we rested for
two hours. At 4 p.m. that day, we reached the misera
ble Khan-el-Haswa, Avhere personal safety compelled us
to remain for the night. But sleep was impossible. At
two the next morning I called the party, and within an
hour thereafter we were on our way. A train of pack-
donkeys had preceded us, but we soon passed them on
the road. The darkness was sensible, and it Avas not
easy to keep the narroAv paths, and we were as "those
that watch for the morning." A chilly wind was blow
ing from the south-east. In two and a half hours we
passed Khan-el-Beer. The light now began to appear.
The stars melted. Jupiter held, his own to the last.
The crescent of the old moon rose first ; an hour later,
the sun came up. The only cheering object around us
was the telegraph, that reminded us of home, and of the
sublime fact that I could send a telegram from old Bab
ylon to any part of Christendom. I was, however, re
called from the pleasing contemplation by the indica
tions of approaching danger. Our soldiers halted ; they
shouted, " Keep together !" In a moment, as if they had
sprung from the ground, sixty armed Arabs issued from
the khan. As they approached us, they began their war-
dance to the music of a Avild song. Now they fenced in
mimic warfare; now they marched at quick- step; now
they clapped their hands, and yelled like demons. They
were ready for mischief, but were deterred by the com-

HMWPWVWM

,  i  :.,.jJu-iM,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 183
ing daylight and the brave words of our soldiers. They
proved to be a company of pilgrims on their Avay to some
distant Moslem shrine, and who defray the expenses of
their pilgrimage by plundering caravans and unprotected
travelers. They are the descendants of Ishmael, " Avhose
hand is against every man, and every man's hand against
him." They are the freemen of the desert who have
never been enslaved. They were the neighbors of the
Assyrians and Egyptians, but never their subjects. Nei
ther Cyrus nor the Parthians reduced them, as a body, to
subjection. Phoenicia, Palestine, and Syria were taxed by
their conquerors, but those same conquerors did not tax
the Arabs. Alexander the Great overran Asia, but the
Arabs took no notice of his authority. He Avas pro
voked, but could not subdue them. Antigonus made
two attempts to compel them to submit to his dictation,
but signally failed in both. Always acting like a free
people, they were friends to-day, and enemies to-morrow.
The Romans desired, but never succeeded, to make Ara
bia a Roman province. Pompey and Augustus entered
their country and left it again. Nor did Trajan and Se-
verus do more. But under their prophet, as Saracens,
they were the masters for three centuries of the most
important portions of the earth. They have defied Tar
tar, Mameluke, and Turk, and are still the freemen of
the desert.*
At eight o'clock we were half-way. The hours seemed
long. Many were on the road coming and going. We
met two funeral processions on the desert. The body
of the dead was resting on a wooden frame placed cross
wise on a mule : the female mourners were mounted on
donkeys; the men followed on foot. One was the fu-
* Newton.

184 THRONES AND PALACES OF
neral of a poor peasant ; the other, the funeral of a rich
man, Avhom we had passed when on our way to Hillah.
He was then in a tuhhteravan, on his way to Bagdad for
his health ; he was now on his way to the grave.
At length the domes and minarets of Bagdad were in
view. Never were weary travelers happier than we.
Wearily we crossed the long' bridge of boats and en
tered the "Abode of Peace," where a cordial reception
awaited us in the hospitable home of our host, and Avhere
Ave gave expression to the gratitude of our hearts to Him
whose goodness had been over us during the most in
teresting and perilous journey of our life.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 185

CHAPTER IV.
Sail on the Tigris.— Perilous Situation.— Shrines of Kathimain.— Modes of
Traveling. — Making a Bargain. — Departure from Bagdad. — First Night's
Experience. — Half-way House. — Delli Abbass. — Adam's Pleas. — Den of
Robbers. — Hills of Hamreen. — Beautiful Flowers. — Karateppeh. — Storks,
and their Habits. — Jebarah Portrayed. — War of Words. — Walking Qual
ities of the Arab. — Town of Kifri. — Turkish Soldiers. — Day of Rest. —
Storm on the Desert. — Crossing the Dreaded Dooz. — Dooz Khurniuttee.
— Changeless East. — Conscripts. — Dandy Officer. — Village of Tavok. —
Singing Dervish. — Robbers. — American Songs. — City of Kerkook. — Trav
eling with the Pasha's Wives. — Excitement in the Hills. — Altoon Kupri.
— Remarkable Bridge. — Ancient Arbela. — Battle between Darius and Al
exander the Great. — Greater Zab. — A Night with the Shepherds. — Hab
its and Customs of the Bedouins. — Eleventh Day Out. — Domes of Mosul,
and Gates of Nineveh. — Crossing the River. — Mine Host. — Mr. Rassam. —
Splendid Residence. — City of Mosul. — Mosques, Churches, and Bazaars. —
Easter-Sunday. — Elegant Ladies.
After tiffin, on a sunny day in March, Ave made an
excursion to the shrines of Kathimain and the tomb of
Zobeida. The captain of the English gun-boat Comet
offered one of his large boats to convey us up the Tigris
to the railway -station. In our party Avere five ladies,
two gentlemen, three children, and one servant. The
boat was manned with four oarsmen and a coxswain.
The river Avas high, the current strong, and the boat
heavily loaded. By keeping along the eastern shore, we
escaped the full force of the powerful current. But Ave
had to pass under the bridge, through a narrow passage,
through which the river rushed with unwonted force. I
had watched our approach to the point of entrance with
no little anxiety, but hoped for the best. Our boatmen
were no less anxious. It required all their strength to

186 THRONES AND PALACES OF
pull up to the point, but the counter force of the cur
rent was too much for them, and, dropping their oars,
they caught hold of the under beams of the bridge and
pulled us through. But, before they could get their
oars in the Avater again, the tremendous current swept
us sidewise against one of the boats that floated the
bridge, and we were at the mercy of the maddened, tu
multuous, rushing river. Apparently there was no hope
for us. Some of the ladies screamed, and the children
cried aloud. A Avatery grave opened its portals to
receive us. Our boatmen lost their presence of mind ;
our coxswain trembled with fear; our end had come.
The people crowded the bridge, and shouted all man
ner of advice to our terrified seamen ; while the more
thoughtful got into their small boats to pick us up after
Ave had capsized. It was an awful moment. The memo
ries of a life came rushing through the mind. God only
could save us. Inspired with superhuman strength, our
servant, tAvo of the boatmen, and one of the gentlemen
seized the bridge, and held fast till the oars were placed
in the water. Then came the struggle. After a most
determined effort, Ave succeeded in gaining on the cur
rent, and pulled toward the shore. Hoav the seamen
struggled, sweat, panted for breath ! Had one failed, we
were all gone. But there was one in the boat whose
presence of mind did not forsake her for a moment.
When the danger was most imminent, Mrs. Holland kept
the other ladies from any sudden movement, and spoke
" brave Avords " to the coxswain, who shook like an as
pen-leaf. The captain of the Comet had been watching
us through his glass, and, blaming his men for their stu
pidity, he punished them on their return. By a bold
dash they should have shot through the narrow, danger
ous passage-way beneath the bridge; and this he com-

BBIDGE OF BOATS AT BAGDAD.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 189
pelled them to do, by way of discipline for the future.
While I thought them to blame, yet they had worked
so hard, and I aaiis so grateful to the kind Providence
that had saved us, that I interceded for their pardon.
At the landing, Ave chartered the inside of a horse-rail-
Avay car for Kathimain, which was six miles to the north
west. The top of the car was croAvded with natives, who
smoked, chanted, and chatted, to their amusement and to
our annoyance. The usual fare is sixpence, but Ave paid
double that, for the privilege of having the inside of the
car to ourselves. This is the first railroad built in South
ern Babylonia, and has thus far proved a financial suc
cess. The contrast between traveling by rail and by
camel, horse, or donkey, is fully appreciated by the na
tives. The cars are like those used in New York, with
additional seats on the top. The track is laid along the
bank of the river, and the vieAV of the Tigris and its green
islands Avas exceedingly picturesque. The town of Kath
imain is small and filthy, and the people are fanatical to
violence; but it contains a shrine most sacred to the
Sheeahs of the Moslem faith. Here is the tomb of Imaum
Musa-el-Kathem, the great-great-grandson of the ill-fated
Husseyan, the second son of Ali, who was son-in-law to
Mohammed ; and beneath the same mosque is the tomb
of his grandson, Mohammed Taki. Both fill a martyr's
o-rave. The former Avas poisoned by Haroun-al-Raschid,
and the latter by the relatives of the Caliph Mamun.
Over their tomb is a grand mosque, surmounted with
two domes completely covered with beaten gold, the gift
of the great Nadir Shah. The four tall and graceful min
arets, ornamented with colored tiles inlaid on their sur
face, form, with the golden domes, a group of imposing
splendor. The exterior of the walls of the mosque is
covered Avith sayings from the Koran, inlaid in mosaic

190

THRONES AND PALACES OF

work. From the entrance to the spacious court to the
grand portal of the mosque is a tesselated pavement ;
and around this court a bazaar was held, furnished with
chaplets, rosaries, and other trinkets, to aid the faithful
in their deATotions. The narrow streets leading to the
mosque were thronged with pilgrims from Thibet, Cash
mere, Afghanistan, and Persia, who were soldier-saints,
and as ready to draw their splendid swords to spread their

TOMBS OP KATHIMAIN.

faith as were their fathers. They Avatched our movements
with a hateful eye, and made remarks calculated to pro
voke a quarrel. Theirs is a militant, but not a triumph
ant, faith. Their weapons are carnal, but not mighty.
To kill a Christian is the most acceptable act of worship
they can perform. They are most fanatical and violent
when on a religious pilgrimage, or near a sacred shrine.
As there were unmistakable signs of an outburst of their
fanaticism, we deemed it the better part of valor to visit

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

191

the bazaars, Avhere the love of money is mightier than
the love of religion, and where a Christian feels himself
comparatively safe, even among fanatical Moslems, while
he has money to spend.
On our return, Ave passed the tomb of Zobeida, the fa
vorite wife of the Caliph Haroun-el-Raschid,A\hose name

TOMB OP ZOBEIDA.

recalls the tales of "The Thousand and One Nights." This
charming woman died in the year 831 of our era, and was
here buried Avith every demonstration of grief character
istic of the Orient. The tomb has an octagonal base,
whereon is a pointed dome seventy feet high, the inner
surface of which is covered with small concave niches,
which form the Arabic frieze. Beneath the dome lies

192 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the beautiful Zobeida, and near her is the body of Aye-
shah, AAdfe of Hassan Pasha, who died at a subsequent
period. And just beyond the tomb, we passed the spot
where the cruel Tamerlane erected his pyramids of hu
man skulls.
Once more in Bagdad, it required nearly a week to
complete the needful preparations for our overland jour
ney of a thousand miles, from the " City of the Caliphs,"
via Nineveh, through Mesopotamia, across Syria, to Is-
kenderoon, on the Mediterranean. There is a shorter
route to the sea, which is across the desert, and by Avay
of Damascus ; and there is a longer route, which includes
Armenia, and terminates at Samsoon, on the Black Sea.
Whichever route is selected, the journey is performed ei
ther by caravan or by post-horses, and the difference be
tween the two consists in the time required and the mon
ey demanded. I had intended to take the desert route
to Damascus, a distance of six hundred miles, but was
dissuaded therefrom by the certainty of being plundered
by the Bedouins. An English courier leaves Bagdad
once each week with official dispatches and the ordinary
mail, Avhich he delivers at Damascus, to be forwarded by
diligence to Beirut, and thence by steamer to England.
He is mounted on a swift dromedary, travels from forty
to sixty miles a day, and performs the journey in ten
days. In taking this route, the traveler must reduce his
luggage to the smallest possible compass, and must be
content Avith such fare as he can carry Avith him, as noth
ing in the shape of food can be procured after he leaves
Hit, on the Euphrates ; nor will he find shelter, save by
chance, under the hair-tent of some Bedouin. As he is
constantly liable to be plundered, he must take Avith him
no valuables Avhatever. There is no fear of bodily harm
from the Arabs Avhen no resistance is offered. The most

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 193
favorable season on the desert is spring or autumn. Dur
ing the winter, Avhen pools of water are frequent, the
stages of rest may be multiplied ; but from June to No
vember, a supply of Avater must be carried for two inter
mediate stages. If the traveler has no luggage, and is
unattended by guide or servant, he pays fifty dollars in
gold for the use of a dromedary, and flies over the plains
Avith the mail -courier at the rate of sixty miles a day.
For each additional dromedary, for guide, servant, or lug
gage, the amount Avill be about forty dollars.
The other routes are through thickly settled sections
of Mesopotamia, and are as old as the commerce of the
Avoiid. They are the old post- roads of the east, over
Avhich the couriers fly as on the wings of the wind. If
the traveler is so inclined, and is at home in the saddle,
he can travel with the mail-carriers, who urge on their
horses to the top of their speed, and Avho have frequent
relays ; or he may proceed only one stage a day, and oc
cupy as many days as it suits his convenience. Distance
in the East is measured by the hours, and not by the
miles. It is one hundred hours from Bagdad to Nine
veh ; and from there to the sea, at Iskenderoon, it is two
hundred and six hours, or three hundred and six hours
in all. From Nineveh to Samsoon, on the Black Sea, it
is tAvo hundred and thirty-four hours ; or to Scutari, on
the Bosphorus, it is three hundred and seventy-six hours.
The hour is generally considered the equivalent of three
miles. But this is a rule with a sliding scale. Where
the road is smooth and level, the hour is equal to from
four to five miles; where rough and mountainous, from
two to two and a half miles. For the camel, the donkey,
and the man, it rarely exceeds two miles and a half; but
for the horse, it is equivalent to an additional mile.
The post-routes are merely tracks, impracticable for
13

194 THRONES AND PALACES OF
wheels, and so difficult at the mountain-passes as 'to ne
cessitate a slow walking pace. The Turkish post-stations,
or rest-houses, are hovels, gloomy and filthy, and occasion
ally the stable is the only shelter for the traveler. The
tourist must not expect to find on any part of the jour
ney a first-Class hotel, or a second-class inn, or a third-class
tavern. Nor will he find a lunch-room, or restaurant, or
saloon of any description known to civilized man. The
Turkish coffee-houses are not for the entertainment of
travelers, but are resorts frequented by smokers, gam
blers, and idlers. At each stopping-place there is a cara
vansary for the accommodation of man and beast ; and
for the privilege of resting therein all night a small sum
is given to the custodian. At nearly all these caravan
saries there are hucksters, who sell eggs and milk, fruit
and fowls, and a coarse bread, made of unbolted flour,
and formed in thin cakes, two feet in diameter.
Traveling with the post is the cheaper. The hire of a
post-horse is about three and a half piastres per hour, or
something less than fifteen cents. But whether the num
ber of horses engaged be one or more, the traveler must
be accompanied by a driver, for whose services, beyond
the hire of his horse, there is no charge, save in the form
of the customary baksheesh of from twelve to tAventy-
four cents per stage. When the country is disturbed,
horsemen, stationed along the line, escort the post or trav
elers. Their services are gratuitous; but their attend
ance necessitates a slower speed, and a small gratuity is
expected and generally given.
In traveling by caravan, the saddle-horses and bag
gage-mules are engaged for the whole journey, and at a
price on which their owner and the traveler can mutual
ly agree. As in the East every thing is done by proxy,
so, in arranging for a tour, the preliminary bargain is

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 195
made through "a go-between," Avho demands a commis
sion from the party employed, and expects a present from
the party Avho employs. When it Avas known in Bag
dad that Ave intended to make an overland tour to the
sea by caravan, a large, Avell-dressed Oriental, Avith an ear
nest, business-like air, called to inform us that he knew
just Avhat Ave needed for the journey, and could recom
mend good horses, mules, and attendants. As we had
had a very sore experience in the Arab saddle to Bab
ylon and return, we had determined to get a tuhhtera
van for our " elect lady," and hhajawahs for ourselves,
together with two saddle-horses for a change. The tuhh
teravan is not unlike a palanquin, high enough for a per
son to sit in, long enough for a person to lie down in,
Avith glass Avindows, and Avooden shades at the ends and
sides, Avith a double door on either side, and with shafts
in front and shafts behind. It is borne by two mules
or horses, and is the most pleasant mode of conveyance
in the East. It has its drawbacks, as when the mules
stumble, or shake themselves, or when, in crossing a
ditch, the front mule leaps and the hind mule does not
leap, causing a very serious draAvback to the occupant.
But on a smooth and level road the motion is agreeable ;
and in a well-made tuhhteravan the traveler is protected
from the rain and the sun. It is the aristocratic mode
of traveling among the Orientals, and is a luxury in
dulged in only by the rich and the ladies of a pasha's
harem. The hhajawah is far more democratic, less expensive,
and less comfortable. A pair of hhajawahs resemble a
pair of pannier-baskets carried on the back of a horse or
a mule. The cheaper kind are simply a pair of strong
Avooden boxes, each large enough to accommodate an
adult person ; but the better kind are covered with an

196

THRONES AND PALACES OF

A KHAJAWAH.

awning of oil-cloth, supported by a light frame-work of
wood, with curtains of cotton cloth on the back and sides,
and in appearance resemble a large -sized dog -kennel.
They are united by a strong band of leather, and so
placed on the mule as to balance each other. A girdle
is then passed under the animal, Avhich is drawn suffi
ciently tight to hold the hhajawahs in their place. When
all is ready, you mount by means of a ladder, and sit on
a matting of straw. You are required to sit on the side
next the animal, to keep your legs well up, or sit a la
turgue. The motion is not pleasant, yet the fatigue is
less than on horseback. But you are constantly liable
to mishaps, as when, in a moment of forgetfulness, your

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 197
companion leaps out of the other side,, or the mule stum
bles, or, in coming to a ditch, the mule leaps, and leaves
you and the hhajawahs on this side of Jordan. Occa
sionally, tuhhteravans and hhajaioahs can be hired for a
journey, but Ave are compelled to purchase. Our Ori
ental " go-between" informed us that a tuhhteravan Avould
cost fifty dollars in gold, would require two mules, three
attendants, and would accommodate but one person ;
while a pair of hhajawahs would cost twenty- five dol
lars, would require but one mule, and would accommo
date tAvo persons. Khajawahs were, therefore, ordered.
He then brought to our lodgings Hadji Jebarah, the
owner of a hundred mules, valued at twenty thousand
dollars, which constituted him a rich man in the estima
tion of his neighbors. A single glance at his strongly
marked. features convinced me that Jebarah was a char
acter, and so he proved himself to be. He Avas elegant
ly attired, and as affable as a Chesterfield. He swore by
his right eye, by his beard, by the crown of his head, that
he would deal justly by us, and Avould prove :true to the
last. When pronouncing such solemn asseverations, he
would close his eyes, clasp his hands, and sigh gently as
a saint in prayer. He agreed to furnish three mules and
two saddle-horses, and take us to Aleppo for one hun
dred and twenty dollars in gold. He was to accompany
us, and be attended by a servant The contract was
drawn in the English consulate ; and by its terms Ave
were to advance seventy-five dollars, and pay the bal
ance at the end of the journey. In our verbal agree
ment, Jebarah was to furnish three mules and two horses
but in the contract it was specified that we were to pa)
for double the number. This seemed like sharp practice.
and Ave demurred. It was, however, an Eastern custom
and there was no alternative. The object of the custom

198 THRONES AND PALACES OF
is to secure the OAvner of the animals against loss if a
mule or horse dies, and is a modest way to get a double
price for the services rendered.
Having completed our contract with Jebarah and
advanced him fifteen pounds, we had to employ two
drivers, a dragoman, and purchase the necessary outfit
for the journey. Our " go-between " Oriental brought us
two Arabs of Bagdad, athletic, familiar with the road,
and to Avhom we became very much attached. One was
Hadji Flash, and the other was Hadji Merridj. They
were to lead the mules which carried the hhajawahs,
and each was to receive forty-five dollars in gold for the
tour. It was not, however, so easy to secure a good drag
oman, and we were obliged to take Fatoheh, a Chaldean
Christian, a native of Bagdad, Avho spoke bad English,
who had high notions of an American's wealth, who de
manded three dollars per day, a horse to ride, and all in
cidental expenses paid, but who was neither remarkable
as a cook nor tidy as a servant. But he kneAV the road,
was a man of courage, and did us good service. To him
was intrusted the purchase of our outfit, such as cooking-
utensils, table- service, bedding, and the provisions not
procurable on the road. But we failed to procure tents,
which proved a serious drawback to the comfort and
pleasure of our tour. At our request, the English con
sul-general commanded his cawas, Ashur, to accompany
us, whose business it was to call upon the governor or
military commander of each town, present our passports,
and secure whatever military escort might be required.
We were to furnish him Avith a saddle-horse, defray his
incidental expenses, and make him the customary present.
Monday, March 23d, daAvned cold and cloudy. At 6
a.m. all was ready. With sincere regrets we took leave
of our generous and hospitable friends. Mrs. Newman

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 199
and Mr. Collins occupied one pair of hhajawahs, and pre
sented a picture ' Avorthy a Nast. Fatoheh and Ashur
were mounted; the baggage mules were loaded; the sig
nal Avas given, and slowly we passed through the nar
row streets of Bagdad, followed by a crowd curious to
see us start. When we had passed the guard at the
north-east gate, Ave halted, and a novel scene occurred.
The hour had come for the distribution of presents to
propitiate the Lord for a prosperous journey. Our "go-
between " Oriental Avas there in smiling expectation ; the
caAvas of the British consulate, who desired to accom
pany us, but was not permitted, was there, bland and at
tentive, assured that his desire would be rewarded; those
from whom we had made our purchases were there, feel
ing sure that they deseiwed a -parting present; and even
those of whom we had asked a question as to the road
or the prospect of the weather expected a backsheesh.
Most of them received a token of our regard ; and then
came the parting scene between those who were going
with us and the friends they left behind. The men
embraced each other ; they fell upon each other's neck ;
they kissed one another and wept aloud, sorrowing most
of all that they should see each other no more.
It was seven o'clock when we left the old brick gate
way of Bagdad for an overland journey of a thousand
miles. The attempt was bold, and not without its per
ils. For at least twelve days, our only companions Avere
to be the Arabs of our caravan, not one of whom we had
ever seen or known before, and Avhose only attachment
to us must spring from the hope of future reward. We
• were to sleep where we could find shelter, and eat what
we could buy of the natives. Yet there is a sublime
reality in the faith that binds man to man, and strangers
are made friends by a common cause. The men Avhom

200 THRONES AND PALACES OF
we had employed gained a living by the transportation
of travelers, and the selfishness of business would prompt
them to be true to us. For personal safety, for kind at
tentions, for a prosperous journey, we felt we must trust
in the goodness of Him who is high over all, and to the
display of discretion, courage, and kindness, which never
fail to control and attract others. It required a higher
faith, a loftier moral nature, an intenser enthusiasm for a
lady to essay the tour, especially so as Mrs. Newman
was the first American lady who had attempted the jour
ney. But she dared to do whatever became a woman,
and was rewarded with the honor of being the pioneer
tourist of her sex through the localities Avhich were the
earliest abodes of civilization, and which are eonsecrated
by the most sacred associations.
For an hour and a half, the two gilded domes and
four stately minarets of Kathimain Avere seen amidst the
palm -groves west of the Tigris, while on our right the
green fields of grain and pasture stretched far away to
the east. Soldiers on horseback, merchants on camels,
pilgrims on mules, peasants on foot, Avere on their way to
the city, and our presence on the road was so novel as to
prompt them to inquire whither Ave were going. Most
of them bade us godspeed, while others passed on in si
lence. No one in our party felt inclined to converse.
Each one was thoughtful of the morroAv. We had sev
ered the last link that connected us Avith civilization.
We were strangers in a strange land. The leaden skies
imparted seriousness to the mind, and the chilly air cool
ed the ardor of our emotions. Our mode of conveyance
was altogether neAV. It requires time to become accus
tomed to the hhajawah, and the longer you ride the less
accustomed you become. The hours passed drearily.
At noon we stopped near a small mud village, and

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

301

lunched. A horse auction Avas being held near the
place, and Jebarah, Avith an eye to business, Avished to
remain all night ; but a sharp refusal was sufficient to
impress him that he Avas subject to authority. To avoid
the marshes and swollen streams along the Tigris, we
Avere compelled to make a detour eastward ; and during
the afternoon Ave came to the river Shirnun, deep and

INTERIOR OP A KHAN.

rapid, with banks steep and high. And that night, after
a ride of nine hours, we slept in the khan Bar Goobbah,
two miles from the village of Yengejee. We had thus
compressed two days into one. The first stage is put
down in the itineraries as seven hours to Jedideh, and
the second as five hours to Yengejee; but Ave had made
the distance in less than ten hours. We were quartered

202 THRONES AND PALACES OF
for the night in a gloomy alcove of an old khan, but ac
cepted it as part of the journey, and did not complain.
The two soldiers who had accompanied us from Bagdad
Avere here dismissed, with a present of ten piastres, and,
on leaving the khan, stole Fatoheh's saddle-bags, which
contained his clothes and our candles. It was a loss to
him and an inconvenience to us. But Turkish soldiers
are neither honest nor honorable. They are forced into
the service. Their pay is nothing. They believe in
blood and booty. They are quartered on the people,
and appropriate to themselves whatever comes within
their reach.
The morninp- skies were brighter, and the air Avarmer
than on the previous day. At 6 a.m. we were en route for
Delli Abbass, ten hours, or thirty miles, distant. About
nine o'clock, Ave met six mounted soldiers, in charge of
robbers to be taken to Bagdad for trial and punishment.
The thieves had plundered a caravan, but had been
caught with their booty. Each robber was fastened to
a horseman by a long, strong cord, and, Avith pinioned
hands, Avas compelled to walk to his doom.
Beyond, we met shepherds leading their flocks to past
ure, and trains of donkeys loaded with the oranges and
dates of Bagdad for the northern and inland toAvns. An
hour later, we came to a small village Avith a large khan,
which our muleteer called the "half-Avay house;" but it
Avas like the Irishman's Avail, which Avas tAvo feet high
and four feet Avide, and when he turned it over it Avas
two feet higher than before. We came the first half in
four hours, but it required seven hours of hard riding to
reach the end of the second half. The " half-way house"
had excited our expectation of an early arrival at the
end of our clay's journey, but when Ave found the second
half Avas twice as long as the first half, the hours wore

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 203
Avearily aAvay. It Avas not till 5 p.m. that we passed
beneath the old, smoked arched portal of the khan at
Delli Abbass, and were quartered for the night in an
arched vault Avith a Avooden door and no windoAV. A
warm dinner of chicken - soup, roast mutton, boiled rice,
sweet milk, nuts, and fruits, Avith Albert crackers and
Arab bread, gave good cheer to the festive board, and
caused us to forget for the Avhile that we Avere to sleep
with the beasts of the stall. Other caravans arrived later,
and the braying of the unloaded ass, and the guttural
clatter of the diiver, made harsh music on the dull ear of
night. But provender for the ass and tobacco for the
Arab lulled the discordant sounds, and man and beast
were soon silent in sleep. But " sleep that knits up the
ravel'd sleeve of care " came not to us. So painful Avas
the biting of the fleas that I left the doleful place, and
sought relief in the chilly air of night. They, however,
aAvaited my return, and covered me as soon as I had
stretched myself on the stone floor. They are the pest
of the East, and fill the land. The inhabitants are so
accustomed to them that the insects do not bite them, or
they are so inured to their attacks that the bites are not
felt. But not so with travelers from the West, who suf
fer from their attacks the greatest pain and annoyance.
When all hope of relief Avas gone, I devoted the sleepless
hours to a soliloquy on the benevolence and malevolence
of creation. On this occasion I had abundant proof of
the latter; and as I had just come from the Garden of
Eden, I wondered if Adam had been troubled with fleas
in paradise. It may be fair to suppose that they had oth
er food than human. As creation is from the begin
ning, Avithout additions or deductions, it is reasonable to
suppose their existence in the time of Adam, as the paws,
jaAvs, and appetite of the lion, tiger, and hyena Avere the

204 THRONES AND PALACES OF
same then as they are now. It Avas, therefore, some re
lief to conclude that the fleas of Delli Abbass were not a
recent creation for our torment, but could boast of a ven
erable ancestry, more ancient than Father Adam. And
I was almost consoled to sleep by Urquhart's suggestion,
" that these creatures act as a wholesome irritant to the
skin, and that the last two mouthfuls of every meal are
for the benefit of the fleas."
The rosy light of a new day was never more Avelcome.
Near the khan flowed the river, whose banks we followed
yesterday. It is called by Layard, Shirnun, and is prob
ably the Tornadotum of Pliny, the Physcus of Xenophon,
and the Gyndes of Herodotus. If the latter, it is the
same river whose mouth Cyrus divided into three hun
dred and sixty channels, to avenge himself for the death
of one of the sacred horses, which was carried aAvay by
the stream, in the attempt to cross it, when Cyrus Avas
marching against Babylon. Around the khan and on
the margin of the river were the homes of the villagers,
Avhose complexion, features, language, and manners indi
cated that they were of the purest Bedouin blood, rather
than that of the Fellah, or cultivating, class. Their flocks
were large and in good condition, and from them we ob
tained supplies for the day before us.
We .had started at 5 a.m., and for an hour we were in
the marshes, Avading through water knee-deep, and through
a tall thick grass, which rendered locomotion difficult.
But once out of the marshes, we were thrilled Avith de
light by the glorious landscape around us. The vast
pasture -fields were covered Avith flocks and herds, and
the shepherds were chanting some pastoral lay. The
long, Ioav hills of Hamreen stretched far away to the
north-east, while beyond were the Luristan Mountains,
covered with snow for many miles, and their higher peaks

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 205
touching the clouds. On a beautiful mound, carpeted
Avith grass and perfumed Avith flowers, Ave rested for the
morning meal, and sung with the birds, and laughed Avith
joy awakened by beautiful nature.
Soon after leaving the khan Avhere we had breakfasted,
we entered the hills of Hamreen, composed of sand, grav
el, and stone. They cross the road at right angles, and
extend widely over the plain. They are shapeless, and
Avithout a " head." They describe a vast irregular circu
lar area. Deep paths have been worn by the constant
passage of animals, and are dangerous except to sure
footed beasts. They are infested with robbers, and dur
ing the day we passed the spot where, yesterday, a cara
van of donkeys, loaded with dates, had been plundered ;
and Ave found the soldiers in pursuit of the thieves. We
reached the summit in two hours, and before us lay a no
ble pasture plain dotted with the black tents of Bedouin
shepherds. Our guides would not alloAV us to remain to
enjoy the view, lest from behind some rugged hill might
come forth the dreaded robbers. Our descent Avas rapid
to the plains below, covered Avith white, pink, and yellow
flowers, some of which resembled the hyacinth. I Avas
only too glad to escape from my cramped position in the
hhajaioah, to enjoy an hour's walk among the " floAvers
of the field." Later in the afternoon, Ave crossed a brick
bridge spanning the rivTer Narreen, which had cut a deep
channel in the soft soil, and left on either side high, per
pendicular banks. On our right Avas an old khan, sur
rounded by a few huts, and near them peasant-Avomen
were gathering brush-wood, who gazed with rapt AA^on-
der on our " elect lady." Onward we rode through fields
of grain and grass, and at half-past 3 p.m., after ten and a
half hours on the road, we entered the village of Kara-
teppeh. There we found a new, clean khan, and near it

206 THRONES AND PALACES OF
a native cafe, in Avhich were large wooden settees, which
we hired for the night to sleep on. Immediately after
our arrival, a blind man was led in, who requested a
prescription for his eyes. He had heard of our coming,
and had fondly hoped that we could restore his lost vis
ion. The Arabs believe that the people of the West
have a cure for every disease, and they pay Divine hon
ors to the " medicine-man." We dismissed the poor fel
low with a present, which was some compensation for
his sad disappointment.
After a frugal repast, we strolled through the small
village of a hundred huts, and were Avatched with evi
dent curiosity by groups of women and children Avho
had congregated to see the strangers. On the corners
of the flat-roofed houses the storks had mated, and had
built their nests. They are regarded with affection and
superstition by the natives. Their return is always wel
comed as a sign of continued good fortune; and, notwith
standing the great distances over which they pass, and
the many lands in which they sojourn, yet they regular
ly return to their nest when the breeding season comes
round. And when one of a pair dies, the survivor finds
another mate, and the same home is kept up by succes
sive generations of storks, much as among men the same
ancestral mansion is inhabited by a series of members of
the same family. The Arabs regard them with affection,
as the storks devour reptiles, worms, grubs, and annoying
insects. When they settle upon a tract of ground, the
storks divide it among themselves in a very systematic
manner, spread themselves over it with wonderful regu
larity, and each bird appears to take possession of a defi
nite amount of ground, and seems to be under contract
to keep it clear of all sorts of vermin. They build their
nests on high rocks, in craggy trees, among old ruins, on

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 207
the top of a chimney, on the dome of a mosque, on the
corners of a human habitation, but generally on a firm
foundation, and the more elevated the better. Their
nests are very large and heavy, and are constructed of
reeds, sticks, and the smaller branches of trees, arranged
in a circle, Avith a depression in the centre, Avherein the
eggs are laid. We passed near one nest in which the fe
male bird Avas brooding, and near it the male bird, stand
ing on one leg, Avas keeping guard, and resented our ap
proach. Opposite Avhere Ave Avere was a mosque, and on
its dome tAvo storks had built their nest of brush-AVOod.
During their absence for food, the niollah of the mosque
destroyed the nest. On their return, the birds seemed
surprised, but immediately regathered the scattered wood,
and commenced to rebuild their nest. The mollah thought
the place too holy for such a purpose, and again scattered
the fragments to the winds; but the birds thought the
spot none too good to lay their eggs and rear their brood.
Once more they commenced to construct their nest. Each
vied with the other, and Avith skill and taste they placed
the pieces, first this way, and then that ; but, Avhile ab
sent for more material, the strong wind had blown away
the pieces that had been laid. This was a new enemy
with Avhich to contend, and for a while the birds appeared
in deep thought. In a moment, hoAvever, they seemed to
have decided how to prevent the destructive effects of
the wind. Both descended to the ground, and soon re
turned with their building materials, which Avere careful
ly laid on the highest part of the dome, and then one of
the birds remained, and placed its broad feet upon Avhat
had been placed in order, Avhile the other bird continued
to bring more material until the nest was completed.
Having observed these interesting characteristics, I Avas
prepared to believe what some naturalists say, "that the

208 THRONES AND PALACES OF
storks are remarkable for their filial piety ; that, in turn,
they support their parents in old age ; that they allow
them to rest their necks on their bodies during migra
tion ; and that, when their parents are tired, the young
ones carry them on their backs."
On our return to the khan, we had another instance
of the avarice of the Arab. We had paid Jebarah sev
enty-five dollars in advance, and were to pay him the
balance at the end of the journey. He had left at home
Avhat we had given him, Avhere it was doubtless drawing
good interest, and trusted to our good -nature to make
him further advances to buy provender for his animals
and food for himself. He noAV asked ten dollars of the
forty -five due him Avhen his work Avas done. He evi-
clently was embarrassed by the stern manner with which
we received his request, and began to realize that we re
garded contracts as sacred and binding. But this inci
dent Avas in keeping Avith his character. He had agreed
to furnish us with three mules and two horses; but,
when the morning to start came, he brought one horse
and four mules. He had promised to provide tAvo men
to attend us, but came himself, and brought his son, a
boy ten years old. He assured us of speed, but, when
on the road, requested the muleteers to go slowly. To
us he was bland as a saint, but to the men he was pas
sionate as a savage. He was a Moslem of the strictest
sect, and chose the most public and conspicuous places
to offer his prayers, until two almost murderous quarrels
with members of our caravan, when he seemed ashamed
of his conduct, and ceased his prayers. Although Arab
was he, yet Hadji Jebarah had some good qualities. He
was polite, attentive, and obliging to his superiors, and
his courage was greatest Avhen the danger Avas most im
minent.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 209
A kind Providence had given us another delightful
day. We Avere up at 4 a.m., and in less than an hour
thereafter Ave Avere on our way to Kifri, tAventy-one miles
to the north. We Avandered over the hills and through
rich fields, blooming Avith beautiful flowers. On either
hand Avere the black tents of the Bedouin shepherds,
surrounded Avith their herds and flocks. We had over
taken a train of donkeys loaded with Bagdad dates,
which the shepherds halted, and seemed ready to buy or
steal, as opportunity favored. We stopped for breakfast
on a hill-side, where the grass was luxuriant, and the wa
ter cool and sweet. But the quiet of the scene was dis
turbed by a war of Avords between Jebarah and Hadji
Merridj. The latter had driven his mule too fast, and
was requested to go more slowly. But Hadji Merridj
thought that the mule could walk as fast as he could,
and he therefore resented the rebuke. He was a spirited
felloAv, and could not brook an insult. Our caravan was
delayed till the quarrel was over. It lasted many min
utes, and impressed me Avith the fact that the Arabs can
fight Avith their tongue as no other people on earth.
Some peasants joined in the melee. One attempted to
be a peace-maker ; but in arranging the articles of agree
ment he quarreled louder than all the others put togeth
er. When the storm of human passion had ceased, I in
formed the parties that nothing of the kind must occur
again; and they obeyed my instructions till the next
quarrel, which was longer and louder than the first.
But this war of words resulted to our advantage, for
Hadji Merridj walked faster by two miles to the hour.
I pitied both man and beast, but admired the Avalking
abilities of the Arab. The two men who led the hhaja-
wah mules walked thirty miles a day for ten consecutive
days, with only an hour's rest at noon, and were as vig-
14

210

THRONES AND PALACES OF

orous and fresh at the end of the journey as at its com
mencement. Their food was rice, coarse bread, cucum
bers, and sour milk, without meat or strong drink. They
forded rivers; they waded through marshes; they trav
eled through mud knee-deep, without a chill to shake
them or a fever to burn them.

TOWN OP KIPRI.

At 10 a.m. we crossed a dilapidated brick bridge over a
large stream, and soon the hills and domes of Kifri were
in sight. At noon we entered the gates of the city, and
found, to our comfort, a tAvo-storied coffee-house, of the
upper story of which we took possession. It was the
largest and best constructed town we had seen thus far
on our journey. Pleasantly located at the base of pict
uresque hills, it is inclosed by a mud- wall, which is sur-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 211
mounted Avith a high parapet, pierced with loop-holes for
musketry. A stream of clean Avater runs through the
village, Avhich is distributed by small canals through the
central parts of the toAvn, contributing to the cleanliness
of the place and the comfort of the inhabitants. Within
the Avails were palm-groves and orchards of the sweet-
lemon. The principal bazaar was in a brick arcade,
wherein oranges, lemons, dates, apricots, pomegranates,
and Manchester goods were for sale. On the banks of
the stream were the coffee-houses, Avhere idlers and trav
elers lounged, took their coffee, and smoked their pipes.
Near our quarters was a small mosque, from whose min
aret the muezzin called the faithful to prayers. The in
habitants numbered from three to five thousand, whose
language, features, and manners indicated that they were
of Turkish extraction; which fact is suggestive of the
origin of the place, that originally it was a post-station
for the accommodation of the couriers between Constan
tinople and Bagdad. And this is the probable origin of
most of these villages between Bagdad and Mosul, Avhich
will sufficiently account for their being placed at equal
distances from each other, while the rest of the country
between them is desert and unpeopled. In process of
time, a population was gathered around these halting-
places, some of which are now flourishing villages. To
the east of the town is a range of picturesque hills, streak
ed with red and white strata, and in which is found a
clouded marble that might be utilized for building pur
poses. At the base of the hills was a large cemetery,
wherein were many monuments of open domes.
While we were dining, a regiment of Turkish soldiers
entered town, with banners flying and bugles blowing.
The line of march Avas through the bazaar, across the
stream to the coffee-house where we were quartered.

212 THRONES AND PALACES OF
First came the small guns, mounted on horses ; then came
the smiths, with their tools on mules ; then came the col
onel, a fine-looking old man, dressed like a European ex
cept the fez, mounted on a splendid gray, and followed
by the rank and file, with full band of music. It was a
merry episode to us, but not so to the bazaar-men, who
immediately closed their shops, or they would have been
emptied of their contents by the soldiers, without asking
and without paying. These troops had come to relieve
another regiment Avhich had been stationed here, and, ac
cording to the oppressive system of the Turks, were bil
leted on the people. They were seen in every house, and
for the time being were the acknowledged masters of the
homes where they were quartered. They strolled through
the streets; they lounged about the coffee-houses; they
made the night hideous with their drunken songs and
shouts of revelry.
At midnight, the long-gathering storm broke in fury
upon the toAvn of Kifri, causing the stream to overflow
its banks and flood the streets. All the next day the
rain fell in torrents, and we were only too happy that
necessity was laid upon us to rest from the fatigue of the
journey. But at five o'clock the succeeding morning we
were again in motion. It was a relief when once out of
the narroAv, crooked, filthy streets of Kifri, wherein the
mud was two feet deep. Our path lay over a rich prai
rie, bounded on the east by hills of many colors. The
bright skies of the early dawn were now black Avith the
pent-up storm, which too soon burst upon our unshelter
ed heads. The wind had changed to the north-east, and
hastened the storm, which had seemed to linger in mercy
till we could reach some friendly tent. Wind, rain, and
hail combined their energies to make that desert storm
a discomfort never to be forgotten. But He who is

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 213
greater than nature charged the winds to harm us not,
and commanded the rains to cease, and they obeyed his
voice. In less than an hour the storm-capped cloud had
passed to the south-Avest, and the sun shone resplendently
on plain and mountain.
At noon Ave reached the dreaded Dooz, of which our
guides had foretold us, and Avhose alarming stories had
excited our fears. Nor Avere their representations un
founded. The recent rains and melted snows had swollen
the stream to the Avidth of half a mile. It is a mountain
stream that flows down a narrow ravine in the red and
Avhite hills of Dooz. In summer the passing ox might
exhaust it; but now it was deep, broad, and rapid. It
flowed in three channels, each of which we had to ford,
and the current in each was not less than six miles an
hour. As the passage was near the foot of the steep
hills, the tumultuous waters rushed, leaped, foamed in
their descent to the Tigris. We paused on the gravel
shore for consultation. The passing seemed forbidding.
Horse and rider might be swept aAvay. One of our sol
diers refused to cross, and, to prove his cowardice, left
without his pay. But Ashur and the other soldier were
willing and brave enough to test the possibility. Into
the foaming torrent they plunged up to their horses' bri
dles. Now to the right, now to the left, they turned ;
now they advanced, noAv they returned ; again they
moved forward, to find sure footing and the least water.
An hour had passed, and they were safe on the other
shore. The villagers had noticed our arrival, and had
hastened to the river. Familiar with the " paths of the
sea," and certain of a reward if they conducted us across
in safety, a dozen natives offered themselves as guides.
They waded across in water up to their armpits, two of
them leading the horses ridden by Ashur and the sol-

214 THRONES AND PALACES OF
dier. We were compelled to abandon our hhajawahs
and cross on horseback. Three of the strongest of the
natives took Mrs. Newman in charge, and led the way.
Then followed Mr. Collins on a mule, led by two Arabs.
I was on horseback, and started with the baggage mules
and hhajawahs, but midway the rapid current we came
in collision, and for a moment our peril Avas imminent.
My horse, however, sustained the shock without injury;
but, in the confusion that followed, I was left alone in
that unknown stream, mounted on a young and fractious
horse, to reach the other shore as best I might. So rap
id was the current that the horse seemed to go sidewise,
and, to all appearance, I was borne down the stream. A
moment's reflection, however, conATinced me that neither
was true, for my horse, although moving very slowly,
still touched bottom, and a sidewise motion, like a crab,
was impossible for a horse. By this time, Mrs. New
man and Mr. Collins had landed safely, which relieved
me of anxiety for them, but allowed me to think only of
my perilous situation. I had yet the third branch of
the stream to cross. Neither soldier, servant, nor native
thought it necessary to come to my aid. Once or twice
the horse stumbled over the huge stones in the bed of
the river, and once the water was so deep that he began
to float. Self-possession Avas indispensable. Fixing the
eye on the distant shore, and holding a taught rein, I
kept steadily on, and, after a desperate struggle up the
opposite bank, I joined the others in a doxology of praise
to Him whose voice the floods obey. Overcome with
grateful emotions, our "elect lady" rewarded the Arabs
who had guided her over, and who mingled with their
thankful expressions the Avish that the floods might con
tinue the year round, and American ladies might be com
pelled to cross every day.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 215
In half an hour we Avere in the small and filthy toAvn
of Dooz Khurmuttee, Avhose only beauty is a date-palm
grove. The mud Avas not less than a foot deep, through
Avhich we proudly rode, watched by veiled maidens, by
gray-bearded, solemn-looking men, and followed by rol-
licsome boys, as if a circus had come to town. On reach
ing the khan, Fatoheh pointed me to a dark and vile
hole in which to lodge ; but that was too much for hu
man nature to endure, and, at an expense of forty pi
astres for the night, we rented the whole of a coffee
house. The place was an open arcade, Avith six piers and
six flattened domes, and had the virtue of having been
recently Avhitewashed. Therein we spent the afternoon,
and passed the night with measurable comfort. Four
watchmen stood guard all night, and two soldiers were
sent by the officer in command to patrol the streets.
These proved necessary precautions, as, soon after we
had fallen asleep, a row occurred. A drunken Arab had
entered a house near-by and abused the family. All
rushed to the coffee-house to settle the dispute.. As
usual, there was a war of words, and a peaceful separa
tion. A frugal breakfast of eggs, milk, rice, and Arab bread,
and we were on our way to Tavok, seven hours through
a rich and grand valley, with hills on the east and
mountains on the west. The day was the sunniest of
all our journey. As we passed the black tents of the
Bedouins, surrounded with glorious flocks, they recalled
the patriarchs of old who dwelt in similar tents, and
whose flocks and herds were led forth to pasture by
Joseph and his brethren. On the same road, a family
was journeying to the North. The wife and mother was
mounted on a mule, and held in her arms a little child.
So traveled Joseph and Mary with the infant Saviour.

216 THRONES AND PALACES OF
The East is changeless, and the pictures of such scenes
are true to life.
At 11 a.m. Ave saw a great company of men approach
ing, some on foot, some on horseback. We had heard
much of robbers, and, to all appearance, we were now in
their power. But a nearer view disclosed the fact that
they Avere a hundred conscripts, all young men who had
been taken from their homes by force to recruit the
Turkish army. Their hands were secured in large
wooden frames, which answered the purpose of hand
cuffs, and were conducted by mounted soldiers en route
for Bagdad. They were treated as so many convicts,
and illustrated how weak and mean must be a govern
ment compelled to reinforce its army in such a way. An
hour later, we were joined by a dandy Turkish officer.
He was young and handsome. His uniform was richly
ornamented, and over it was thrown a Avhite military
cloak. He rode a beautiful white horse, and was armed
with cimeter and silver -mounted pistols. He declined
conversation with our men, and contented himself with
stroking his silken mustache.
It was noon Avhen we reached the Tavok River, which
Avas much swollen, and divided into six streams, all of
which we crossed safely by aid of the natives. • On the
banks of the river were large encampments of nomads,
and near-by were their cultivated fields. Hundreds of
travelers, Avho had forded the river, were drying them
selves and their goods in the glorious sunlight on the
green hills of Tavok. The village of Tavok can boast a
mosque, a coffee-house, and a post-office. The old khan
is comfortable for neither man nor beast. It required
time, patience, and money to rent the coffee-house for a
night, The idlers and gamblers were unwilling to va
cate, and the proprietor hesitated between our offer and

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 217
the favor of his old patrons. But thirty piastres Avere a
prize too great to lose ; and, in consenting to our wishes,
he stipulated that he should be permitted to boil coffee
and light pipes for the use of his customers.
Here Ave met another dandy Turkish officer, Avho dis
played his silver Avatch in a most conspicuous manner,
and Avas anxious that I should show him mine, which
would have been a very indiscreet thing to do in such
a company as that. The afternoon Avas enlivened by a
singing dervish, who sung for money and for bread. He
was a young man, robed in white, Avhose hair was black,
and combed smoothly behind his ears. He sung in Per
sian, and had a good bass voice. He was a religious en
thusiast, like the fakir in India, or the barefooted friar in
Italy. The people venerated him as a holy person, and
crowds gathered to hear him sing, and loaded him Avith
bread. But our dandy soldier treated him Avith less re
spect. Throwing him a piece of coin, he requested him
to leave. His request and money were received Avith
equal contempt. The dervish threw back the coin with
the plucky remark: "I won't have your money, and I
will sing as long as I please." The villagers dared not
offend the soldier by applauding the independence of
the saint; but they increased the number of barley
loaves to such an extent that the fakir had bread enough
and to spare. The dandy officer retired, the song of the
dervish ceased, the sun declined, the night came on apace,
idler and gambler had gone to their homes, and four
watchmen were employed to guard us while we slept.
The dawn was beautiful, and we were up to Avelcome
the first rays of a cloudless sun. At 4 a.m. all were
ready for the journey of another day; but reports of
robberies and murders on the road came in so fast, that
we determined to take a larger military escort. It Avas

218 THRONES AND PALACES OF
after five o'clock when the tardy soldiers came, and our
joy was boundless to be once more on the sweet, clean
prairies of God's own creation. For two hours our path
lay over a rolling plain covered with grass and flowers.
At 7 a.m. we passed a caravan of four hundred mules
loaded with wheat for the Bagdad market. During the
morning we crossed several dried water-courses of black
sand, and large stones which the floods had washed
down from the mountains. In the richer fields, men and
women were at work, digging for truffles, a favorite veg
etable with the natives. We Avere noAv approaching the
most dangerous portion of the road. The caravans that
had preceded us had halted for reinforcements, and we
gladly joined them for mutual protection. Our united
strength consisted of thirty men and women, and fifty
donkeys, mules, and horses. We now entered the hills,
and were soon in a deep, narrow ravine, where yester
day a caravan had been robbed and four men murdered.
All was excitement. The Arabs dismounted and care
fully examined their weapons of defense. Some had
guns; some carried swords; others were armed with
long sheathed knives. A woman led the van. Whether
from the excitement of fear or the better attribute of
heroism, she outran the men, and, with the agility of the
gazelle, she was first to mount the highest hill from
which to reconnoitre the field of danger. All was hurry,
yet all were silent as the grave. The point of expect
ed attack was approached and Watched with breathless
anxiety. It was a relief to get through the dreaded ra
vine; and then came an Arab chatter mingled with ev
ery demonstration of joy, the reaction of fear incident to
anticipated danger.
An hour beyond the " Robber's Pass," we crossed a
large stream, wherein pretty maidens were washing

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 219
clothes, Avhich they spread on the green hills beyond. It
is a beautiful site for the large town of Tashemuttee, where
the hills are so green and graceful, the meadows so vast
and rich, the streams so clear and abundant. Within
high Avails, surmounted with higher Avatch-towers, were
peach and apple orchards; and adjacent thereto were
fields of wheat and corn. Beyond the town, we met a
caravan of fifty camels, the first we had seen since we left
Bagdad. The hours passed merrily. The day was de
lightful"; the scenery was beautiful; a gleesome spirit
animated our souls. Although the Arabs know little
of music beyond simple melody expressed in monotone
chants, yet " Yankee Doodle," " Hail Columbia," and the
" Star-spangled Banner " never failed to set our muleteers
dancing on the road, and often excited them to the most
grotesque antics. Nor were they insensible to the holi
er, sweeter songs of Zion, which charmed their untutored
minds. Jebarah's son was specially fond of that delight
ful hymn :
" I want to be an angel, and with the angels stand,"
and which I succeeded in teaching him ere we parted.
At 2 p.m. we had come twenty -one miles, and, after
fording a deep and rapid stream, we entered the city of
Kerkook, which contains thirty thousand inhabitants.
An hour thereafter, we were comfortably quartered in
the second story of a large, clean khan, wherein we re
mained until the next day. The well-supplied bazaars
furnished us with poultry, cracked wheat, fresh eggs and
milk, and the fruits and preserves peculiar to the East.
Taking Hadji Flash for a guide, we strolled through the
town, to observe and note whatever of interest might be
presented to our vieAV. The large bazaars were thronged
with people, and gayly-dressed maidens were everyAvhere

220 THRONES AND PALACES OF
seen returning from the river with well-filled pitchers,
which they gracefully poised upon head and shoulder.
There can be no doubt that Kerkook was once a mili
tary station of the Romans during the existence of their
power in the East. At present, the city is divided into
three parts, each of considerable size. On a high and ex
tensive mound, artificially shaped into an inclined slope,
is the fortified portion of the town, within Avhose walls
are the dwellings of privileged Moslems, and three
mosques whose minarets are seen from afar. The second
portion is spread out on the plain at the foot of the cita
del, and in it are the principal khans, coffee-houses, and
bazaars, and a mixed population of Moslems, Nestorians,
and Syrian Christians. Half a mile from the citadel, and
beyond the river, is the third and smaller portion, where
in are walled gardens, with date and orange- groves, with
extensive graperies and olive orchards. Adjacent to this
section is the city of the dead, containing a larger popu
lation than the city of the living. As we passed, we saw
six women weeping at a neAv-made grave, the last resting-
place of some dear departed one. This is a melancholy
custom in the East, and it is not uncommon for the mourn
ers to spend days at the tomb of buried affection in
recalling the virtues of those Avho have gone never to
return. Ashur had applied to the Pasha of Kerkook for a mil
itary escort of two soldiers, but was informed that not
more than ten soldiers remained in the barracks, and the
request was, therefore, not granted. This was an unfore
seen embarrassment. All agreed that it Avould not be
safe to proceed without military protection, as the country
Avas in a disturbed state, and infested with Kurdish rob
bers, whose recent depredations had alarmed the people.
The governor, however, was gracious enough to send me

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 221
word that the family of the Pasha of Mosul would pro
ceed North at an early hour, and invited us to join that
caravan. We were to rendezvous on the opposite bank
of the river, and thence proceed Avith the grand caval
cade. After Avaiting an hour, an officer rode over to in
form us that the caravan Avas about to start. First came
twenty soldiers on foot ; then came twenty mules loaded
with tents, trunks, and household furniture ; then came
tAventy horsemen armed with lances, swords, and rifles ;
and finally came the tuhhteravan in which sat the pasha's
two wives, followed by four hhajawahs containing Cir
cassian and Nubian female slaves. The son of the pasha,
a young man of one-and-twenty, rode a Avhite mule, by
way of distinction. It was a large and well-fed beast,
and, according to custom in the East, the tail and ears
were dyed with henna a bright red, and the body was
spotted with the same color, resembling a heraldic tal-
"bot. Only persons of eminence in religion or in the gov
ernment are permitted to ride such an animal, which is a
custom as old as the Judges of Israel .* Near him, and
mounted on a small donkey, Avas a Nubian slave, pur
chased by the pasha at Medina for the sum of sixty dol
lars in gold. He was not yet eight years old, but ex
ceedingly bright, and the pet of all the company. He
Avill yet be chief eunuch of his master's harem.
The place of rendezvous was where two roads met.
One led over the plains, and was the longer by several
miles. The other crossed a range of white limestone
hills, and, although shorter, Avas to be dreaded as run
ning through the stronghold of the Kurdish robbers.
A consultation was held as to which road should be
taken. The council of war was evidently divided, as
* Judges v., 10.

222 THRONES AND PALACES OF
some of the foot-soldiers had started over the plains as
the safer of the two routes ; and with them had depart
ed a number of small caravans of merchants. But the
braver of the soldiers preferred the shorter, though more
dangerous, road, and displayed their superior courage by
proudly galloping over the plain, some brandishing the
glittering sword, others poising the long lance, and giv
ing it that tremulous motion which betokens military
skill, and others discharging rifle and revolver, indicative
of their preparation to meet the foe. It was a momenta
ry contest between courageous prudence and courageous
imprudence. It was not strange that the latter prevailed.
The command passed down through the long caravan,
and in a few minutes we were in motion for the hills.
We followed the telegraph-poles, which indicated that
we had chosen the shorter route. In less than two hours
we reached the naphtha springs, which are very exten
sive, and are worked by the natives with considerable
success. The steam issued from the deep pits, and the
boiling liquid was conveyed through small canals to a
large reservoir prepared to receive it. The native work
men were besmeared with the black naphtha, and were
hideous to behold.
We were now approaching the dreaded spot. " Keep
together" was the order from the commander of the
troop. Soldiers on foot advanced to the front, and stood
in the mouth of each ravine, while the horsemen galloped
in the wildest manner over the hills, and commanded the
summit of each bold and rugged peak. Every eye was
on the watch ; all marched Math bated breath ; not a
word was spoken. The report of a rifle sent a tremor
through horse and rider, through tuhhteravan and hhaja-
wah ; but it proved to be only the signal that all was
well, which caused veiled Avomen to laugh, and armed

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 223
men to shout for joy. We soon reached the summit of
the highest ridge, where Ave smiled at our fears, and re
joiced over the noble panorama presented to our view.
Rich meadows, floAving streams, vast valleys, beautiful
hills — smooth, conical, and green, with the immense
snowy range of Media far away — its loftier peaks touch
ing the clouds — composed a landscape never to be for
gotten. The descent was rapid and joyous. All prepared for
luncheon. Arabs to the east ; Americans to the west.
The wives of the pasha sat in a charmed circle, which
none were permitted to approach but the master of the
harem and the black eunuchs. They were guarded Avith
jealous care. Their freedom was restrained. They were
not allowed to wander over the fields and gather the
wild flowers of spring. They conversed in an under
tone. Neither the merry song nor the gleeful laugh
came from that forbidden circle. They were the prison
ers of a suspicious love.
After an hour's rest, the journey was resumed. Our
path lay through a vast, beautiful valley, bounded by a
circlet of hills. In the fields were men plowing with oxen,
who made furrows deep, broad, and straight. Along the
way-side were reservoirs ten feet in diameter and as many
deep. A hundred feet apart, they extended for miles on
either side of the road. In the raiay season, when the
nearer streams are full, the water is conveyed to these
wells, to be used for irrigation in the rainless months of
summer. The minarets of Altoon Kupri were now in view.
The rushing waters of the Lesser Zab could be heard in
the distance. The whole caravan moved forward with
quickened pace. Ashur and Fatoheh had preceded us,
and taken the two best rooms in the miserable khan;

224 THRONES AND PALACES OF
but, while absent to escort us to our quarters, a dozen
soldiers of the pasha's caravan had taken possession of
one of the rooms and refused to vacate. There was no
help for the Americans. Submission was a necessary
virtue. But close proximity to such men Avas neither
safe nor pleasant. So, crossing the court, filled with
horses, mules, and soldiers, we ascended to the upper
terrace, and occupied an open space between two rooms,
wherein were stored hides of sheep and goats, Avhose
odor was more abundant than fragrant.
Attended by Ashur, who marched in advance with
drawn sword, to show his importance and convince the
Arabs and the dogs of my dignity, I sauntered through
the well-supplied bazaars, and passed large coffee-houses,
wherein merchant and muleteer, soldier and pilgrim, had
congregated to smoke and gossip. On our way, we
passed the gardens of the governor, whose residence was
spacious and inviting to one who, in happier days, had
seen the grand hotels in the civilized West. The toAvn
is divided into two unequal parts by the Altoon Sour,
or Golden Water. The inhabitants can not number less
than twenty thousand, the major portion of whom live
on the island formed by the two branches of the Golden
Water. There was nothing either in the form or come
liness of the buildings to please the artist or delight the
traveler. The chief attraction of the place is the classic
river, which is here spanned by a remarkable bridge.
This stream is, no doubt, the Zabatus Minor of Xeno
phon, and the Caprus of Ptolemy. It is known to the
natives as the Lesser Zab, to distinguish it from the
Greater Zab, which is north of Arbela, and which Ave are
to cross to-morrow. Its source is in the mountains to
the east, and its volume is increased by lesser streams,
which intercept it in its course to the Tigris. Its waters

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 225
are sweet and have a golden tinge, which suggested the
Arab name of the stream. Always considerable, its vol
ume is immensely increased by the melting of the Me
dian snoAvs. It is then a tremendous torrent, whose
Avaters rush by Avith unAvonted violence. At such times
the Avater rises twenty feet above the summer level, sub
merging the adjacent plains. To obviate this extraordi
nary rise in the spring-time, the Turks have constructed
a remarkable bridge. This bridge is fourteen feet wide,
one hundred feet long, and fifty feet high. It consists of
five circular arches, the central and largest of which is
eighty feet in diameter. The materials are brick and
stone, and the structure is grand and substantial. It
AAras sublime to hear the thunder of the tumultuous
waters as they rushed through those vast arches, and
formed as many foaming streams on the opposite side,
where they once more united in their course to the Ti
gris. While taking the measurements of the bridge, I
was surrounded by a crowd of natives, who asked a
thousand curious questions, and wondered how a line
one hundred feet long could be reeled in a box so small.
They Avere Turks and Arabs, dressed in gay-colored shal
loons and muslins, some of which were fantastic from
their great variety. As it was the evening hour, the
bridge was thronged with camels, mules, and donkeys,
and shepherds returning with their flocks. The steep
ness of the bridge added to the difficulty of the passage.
As it is one hundred feet long and fifty feet high, the
ascent Avas steep and difficult. Few of the beasts of
burden could carry their load to the top of the curva
ture, and this compelled the drivers to unload before
attempting to cross, Avhich caused much noise and con
fusion. The first rays of the morning were hailed with delight.
IK

226 THRONES AND PALACES OF
It was a relief to each and all of our five senses, Avhen
we issued out of the old khan. Crossing the northern
bridge, Ave were, soon among the beautiful hills, where
we watched the morning light chase the shades of night
away, and beheld the snowy peaks of Media invite the
sun's earliest beams. Here and there were cultivated
fields, with tents and herds and orchards. It was pleas
ant to follow the mountain stream, with its foaming rap
ids and sparkling cascades. At 10 a.m., we halted for
breakfast on a flowery meadow near a murmuring brook,
and where we would have gladly spent the live-long day.
An hour's rest, and our caravan was again in motion.
We were approaching a memorably historic site, where
on an empire was lost and won between the rising and
the setting sun. In three hours thereafter, Ave saw on
our right the ancient Arbela, the Arbeel of the modern
Turks. How grandly its old citadel stood out against
the clear sky ! An hour later, and wre were on the bat
tle-field where a million and a half of combatants fought
for the empire of Asia ; where Alexander the Great, with
fifty thousand horse and foot, put to flight a million of
soldiers, commanded in person by Darius of Ecbatana.
That great battle was fought in the month of October, in
the year 330 before the Christian era. Alexander had
come from Egypt, through Palestine and Syria. He had
triumphed at Granicus and conquered at Issus. He
had been received with regal honors at the gates of Je
rusalem. Intent on the mastery of the world, he had
traversed the Syrian desert, and crossed the Tigris not
forty miles above ancient Nineveh. His Auctorious army
of forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse he com
manded in person, aided by Parmenio, the most distin
guished of all his lieutenants. His march was south:
ward, Avith the Tigris on his right and the Kurdistan

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 227
mountains on his left. He had less than one hundred
miles to march to meet the enemy.
Darius had come from his palace at Ecbatana to expel
an invading foe. His mighty army, a million strong, was
composed of Scythians, Bactrians, Armenians, Cappado-
cians, Babylonians, Persians, Mardian archers, Greek mer
cenaries, and Indians, mounted on their war elephants,
which had come from parts beyond the Indus. Sole
master of the territory, he had caused the inequalities in
the surface of the earth to be leveled, for the free move
ment of his tAvo hundred chariots armed Avith scythes.
His stores and treasures were deposited in the citadel of
Arbela. From his base, he marched to the north-west,
crossed the Greater Zab, and at the small village of Gau-
gamela, on the banks of the Bumadus, awaited the com
ing of the enemy.
Nor was he long in waiting. Just nine days from the
time Alexander had crossed the Tigris, the great battle
was fought in the beautiful weather of an Assyrian Oc
tober; and ere the sun of that day had declined, Darius
had lost his empire. Three hundred thousand dead lay
upon the field. The kings met in single-handed combat.
The spear of Alexander transfixed the charioteer of Da
rius. In the confusion Avhich ensued, Darius escaped.
He fled toward Arbela, which he reached at midnight,
but left it at dawn the next day for- his palace and for
tress at Ecbatana, in the mountains of Media. To rescue
Parmenio, Alexander had ceased his pursuit of Darius.
But at noon the next day, the conqueror entered Arbela,
where he found treasure in gold estimated at five million
dollars, where he offered sacrifices to the gods, and where
he distributed rewards among those who had distin
guished themselves on the field of battle ; and thus per
ished in a day the fifth and last of the five Eastern mon-

228 THRONES AND PALACES OF
archies. Some suppose that the " he-goat " was Alexan
der, and the " ram " was Darius, as prophetically por
trayed by the prophet Daniel : "And as I Avas consider
ing, behold, a he-goat came from the west on the face of
the whole earth, and touched not the ground : and the
goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he
came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen
standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury
of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram,
and he was moved with choler against him, and smote
the ram, and brake his two horns : and there Avas no
power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him
down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there
was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
Therefore the he-goat waxed very great: and when he
was strong, the great horn was broken ; and for it came
up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven*
It was with no ordinary interest that we entered a
city around which cluster so many historic associations.
It stands on the banks of a small stream in the midst of
a noble plain. The principal feature of the place is the
great castle, built on an eminence in the centre of the
town. The vast mound is half a mile from east to west,
and two hundred feet high. Its summit is surrounded
with a wall whose height is not less than thirty feet.
From the plain there is an inclined slope — a broad, paved
causeway, which leads up to an immense arched entrance,
ancient and gloomy. Passing through this vast, dark
portal, Ave joined the throng of men, women, and chil
dren, and, having obtained permission, we ascended to
the summit, whereon are the residence of the governor
and the head-quarters of the commander of the troops.
* Daniel viii., 5-8.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 229
His excellency was sitting on the terrace smoking his
elegant nargileh, and conversing Avith his officials. He
courteously granted our request for a military escort for
the morroAv's journey, and permitted us to ascend to a
higher terrace to enjoy the commanding vieAV. Around
us, and within the old Avails of the citadel, were mosques
and minarets, small and great dwelling-houses, and the
military barracks filled with Turkish soldiers. Beyond
the walls and down on the plains was a scene of greater
variety. There Avere streets shaded by aAvnings of leaves
and branches supported by poles; stores and dwellings
constructed of sun-dried bricks, and on whose roofs grass
and flowers were growing; pretty gardens and sparkling
fountains; long bazaars filled Avith well-dressed people;
khans crowded with caravans just arrived ; the river
gliding gently by ; and the city of the dead, monument-
ed with white domes over the buried ashes of past gen
erations. Beyond the city of the plain Avere green fields,
and beyond the fields of Avheat and corn were snow-cap
ped mountains, rosy in the reflected beauty of the setting
sun. We Avere quartered that night in a room on the ground-
floor of the khan, but too near a pond of fetid Avater for
health and pleasure. Our men Avere in gleeful spirits.
There was but another day's journey to Mosul. The
moon A\Tas full and the air balmy. Arab merchants, Per
sian pilgrims, muleteers of all ages, gathered around the
fires of our cook, and watched him prepare the evening
meal for the Americans. They told stories, they cracked
jokes, they chanted some humdrum melody. Recent
murders and robberies were related with tragic effect.
The keeper of the khan was a Solon among them. He
was an intelligent old Arab, and from him I ascertained
that from ten to tAventy thousand people lived in Arbeel,

230 THRONES AND PALACES OF
who are Moslems, Jews, and Christians; but only Moslems
are permitted to reside within the walls of the citadel.
As we hoped, by a forced march of sixteen hours, to
reach Mosul at the close of the next day, we gave orders
for an early start. At 4 a.m. we were again in motion.
The full moon Avas still high in the heavens. The dawn
came on apace. How beautiful to watch the sunlight
reveal in slow succession the mountain peaks; observe
how the clouds darkened the loAver hills, while the morn
ing light made manifest the higher snowy summits far
away! In four hours we passed the half-way khan. On
either side of the road, the meadows Avere adorned Avith
flowers in richest profusion — red, white, and blue, violet,
pearl - colored, scarlet, and pink. Here, one bloomed in
solitary glory ; yonder, thousands blended their beauty
in harmony with the rich grass of the fields. During
the morning we rode along plains well plowed and
ready for the seed. At times the landscape was surpass
ingly lovely. At 10 a.m. we caught our first view of the
River Zab, and could trace its tortuous course for many
miles as it flowed among the hills and over the meadow
lands. It is, no doubt, the Zabatus of Xenophon, the
Lycus of Ptolemy, and the Zerbis of Pliny. Because it
is deep and rapid, it is called by the Persians the "furi
ous Avater." Its source is near the frontier of Persia,
and it is the great confluent of the Tigris. Its banks
are dotted with villages, groves, and cultivated fields.
Its volume is increased by the melted snows on the
mountains of Kurdistan, and then it is difficult and dan
gerous to cross. Over its classic waters Xenophon re
treated with his "ten thousand," and at a subsequent
period it was crossed and recrossed by Alexander and
Darius on the day Avhen their contending hosts fought
for empire.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 231
Our course Avas to the north-west, and our objective
point Avas the raft ferry a little to the east of the small
toAvn of Abou Sheeta. The first sip-hfc of the river had
cheered us, but the crossing was not near. Hope de
ferred begets impatience. The hours wore on wearily.
We Avere doomed to disappointment. Mosul could not
be reached by sundoAvn. The distance from the Zab
ferry to Mosul is twenty-seven miles. It was now high
noon, and none could tell the exact distance to the ferry.
We had been on the road eight hours. All felt the
need of rest and refreshments. There was no help for us
but to ricle on. Our path lay across a rolling prairie of
apparently interminable hills. We now passed a small
Arab village, where the women were winnowing grain
and the children were playing in the flowery fields. Be
yond was a second village, where the telegraph wires
were stretched across the Zab. This gave us heart. In
less than an hour the huts of Abou Sheeta were seen on
our left. In a few minutes we were at the ferry. ¦ And
noAv came the crossing. Dispatch was indispensable.
The pasha's caravan was not far behind us. It would
require all the afternoon to ferry so large a company-
over. They Avould claim precedence, and enforce it by
cimeter and rifle. We must improve our advantage of
being in advance. Our Arabs understood this fact.
Hence all was hurry and confusion. Khajawahs, sad
dles, and luggage were removed and placed in a boat,
which seemed to have been cut through the centre, and
the stern end left open for entrance. Into this native
craft our " elect lady," a native woman, and sixteen men
entered. Two horses and four mules were tied to the
side of the boat, and left to do their best to swim the
rapid stream. The Zab flowed at the rate of eight miles
an hour, and the distance between the two landings was

232 THRONES AND PALACES OF
a full mile. The signal was given, and we were swept
by the tremendous current the fourth of a mile down
the river. The horses and mules struggled desperately,
and we were in danger of being submerged. Three
other mules were driven into the Avater without the aid
of the boat to guide them ; but after a trial they re
turned to the shore. They were again driven in, and
stoned till they found resistance useless. This time
they swam with the current ; but, hearing their master's
voice, they gradually turned toward the opposite shore,
and landed a mile below the point of starting. It was
expensive crossing the Zab ferry. The Arabs of the ad
jacent villages own the boat and do the Avork; but an
officer of the Turkish Government was stationed there,
to collect a heavy toll for each person in the boat and
each animal that swam the stream ; and had we swum
the river, we would have had to pay for the privi
lege. Safely over, we lunched on the green banks, where
flowers bloomed to please the eye and delight us with
their odor. The pleasure of the hour was disturbed by
a war of words. We desired to go on as far as possible ;
but Jebarah interposed all sorts of objections, notwith
standing he had promised to do his best to reach Mosul
that night. It was finally agreed that we should go to
the next village, four hours distant. Our path lay up a
narrow defile covered with loose white stones, which re
flected the sun with terrific force. As we advanced, the
heat increased to almost melting power. Man and beast
suffered intensely. But God was merciful. A cloud ap
peared in the west, in the form of an angel with wings
outspread, and spread one of its great wings over the
face of the burning sun. It was the realization of the
promise: "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

233

under his wings shalt thou trust."* We were in a
Avild, hilly region, Avhere shepherds Avandered with their
flocks, and the hei'dsmen watched their droves of cattle
and camels.
At 4 p.m. we reached the Bumadus, on whose banks
Darius encamped on the night previous to the fatal bat
tle of Gaugamela ; and on our right, and stretching far
away, Avere the plains whereon a million and a half of
men had struggled for victory. The river is now called
the Harsar, and is deep, broad, and clear. The crossing
occupied nearly an hour, and the charge of the ferry-mas
ter was twenty piastres, only five piastres less than we
had to pay to cross the Zab. Instead of a boat, we noAv
had a raft of ancient and novel construction. Forty skins

RAPT ON THE TIGRIS.

of full-grown sheep and goats had been inflated by the
lungs, through an aperture which had been carefully tied
up with a string. The skins had been arranged in eight
rows, and upon them had been placed a frame-work of
the branches of the poplar and oleander, and made fast
by twigs of the osier, and then covered with green leaves,
which completed the construction. The raftsmen guide

* Psalm xci., 4.

234 THRONES AND PALACES OF
these rude vessels by means of long poles and with per
fect safety. The idea is as old as Nineveh, for I after
ward saw the raft of inflated skins among the bass-relief
sculptures on the walls of the ancient palaces. Accord
ing to Xenophon, these hillehs, or rafts, were used in the
time of the younger Cyrus to navigate the Euphrates,
and on such a conveyance a certain Rhodian proposed
to transport the " ten thousand " over the Tigris. They
were also used by Alexander the Great in crossing riv
ers while on his victorious march through Asia. En
couraged by such illustrious examples, we stepped on
board the raft, and were soon gliding doAvn the Harsar.
As we approached the opposite shore, a dozen naked
Arabs swam to meet us, and guide the raft from the
rapid current to the sandy beach.
It was now five o'clock. We had been thirteen hours
on the road. All were exhausted. On the neighboring
hills were the black tents of Arab shepherds, and thith
er we prepared to go and spend the night. But the
soldiers interposed, followed by another Avar of words.
They insisted that their orders were to take us to the
next village, and not to an encampment of shepherds, and
they must obey. We insisted on stopping. They as
sured us that the Bedouins would rob and murder us ;
but our men drew their long knives, and swore by their
prophet to defend us and themselves. The scene was
tragical. A fight seemed inevitable. Night was ap
proaching. We were without shelter and food. Our
" elect lady " required the best of both, yet she was the
most patient, gentle, brave of the company. Our men
carried the day. We were again in motion. For two
dreary hours, and in the dusk of the evening, we wan
dered over those strange hills in search of the shepherds'
tents. At last their camp-fires were seen on the distant

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

235

SHEPHERD'S TENT.

hills. As we approached, dogs barked, children scream
ed, women ran, and men grasped their guns to drive back
the intruders. The situation Avas not flattering. But
gentle lips whispered, "And there were.in the same coun
try shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over
their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them ; and they were sore afraid. And the angel
said unto them, Fear not : for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."*

Luke ii., 8-10.

236 THRONES AND PALAC-ES OF
Fatoheh and Ashur rode in advance. Our wishes
Avere made known. The Arabs consented. A tent of
black cloth Avas vacated for our reception, Avherein our
beds were spread. Dinner was soon ready. Fresh eggs,
sweet milk, cracked wheat, boiled in the rich milk of the
camel, composed the bill of fare. And then we sat around
our camp-fire, wondering what would be the events of
the night in that strange place. Observing a group of
twenty Arabs engaged in a low conversation, I approach
ed, and, to my surprise and delight, I found them to be
Chaldean Christians! They told me, "To-morrow will
be Good-Friday, and next Sunday will be holy Easter."
How groundless had been our fears ! How beautiful are
the surprises in human life ! It was the solution of Sam
son's riddle : " Out of the eater came forth meat, and out
of the strong came forth sweetness."* The full moon
shone in unclouded beauty on the encampment. The
shepherds arranged for a native dance. One of their
number played on a flute of bamboo, while the others
danced and sung and clapped their hands. The dance
over, the chief shepherd took me by the arm in a most
affectionate manner, and led me to see by moonlight the
herds and flocks folded for the night. During the day
all the sheep of the large encampment feed together on
the hills and in the valleys, whither they are led by their
shepherds ; but Avhen they are led home at night, they
separate and gather in front of their owners' tents. Be
fore one tent Avere ten ; before another were tAventy ;
around a third were fifty. Just Avithin the open tent lay
the shepherd, with his gun resting on his arm, and his
faithful dog lying by his side. He is a soldier-shepherd
to protect his flock from the thief and from Avild beasts.
Judges xiv., 14.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 237
His sheep look to him for care and protection, as a child
looks to the parent. He can distinguish one sheep from
another, and to each he had given a name. Just as a
child ansAvers Avhen called, so his sheep came at the sound
of his voice : " My sheep know my voice ;" and " he call-
eth his OAvn sheep by name." To the north of the en
campment were folded some splendid white camels, and
by the side of each Avas a baby camel ; and beyond was
the sire, of immense size and of great value.
During our moonlight stroll, I noted the construction
of the Arab tent, and the order of the encampment.
Each tent Avas made of black goat -hair canvas, sup
ported by poles down the centre and on either side, and
held in their place by strong cords. The tents were ar
ranged in parallel lines close together, with the sheikh's
occupying the foremost place, facing the side from which
the guest, as Avell as the enemy, is expected, that he may
be the first to exercise hospitality, and the first to meet
the foe. This position, however, is changed in winter,
when the tent is closed completely on one side, accord
ing to the prevailing wind ; so that when the wind
changes, the whole camp suddenly, as it were, turns
round, the last tent becoming the foremost. During the
warm weather the whole canvas is raised on poles, to
allow the air to circulate freely, a curtain being used in
the morning and evening to Avard off the rays of the
sun. Rude as these Arab shepherds are in many things,
yet they have their rules of politeness. It is thought
indecorous to approach by the back of a tent, or step
over the tent-ropes, or ride toward the woman's compart
ment, which is always on the right. And the owner
has a right to claim as his guest any one who passes
in front of his tent, and would consider it an insult to
pass by without stopping to eat his bread.

238 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Returning to our camp-fires, we sat down, and con
versed about the habits and customs of the Bedouins
Avho dwell in tents. They are creatures of necessity,
and their nomadic life is compulsory, as the existence of
their flocks and herds depends upon the pasturage they
can find. With each change of the season, they change
their locality according to the wants of their flocks.
Ever subject to change, their wants must be few, and
their household furniture must always be at the min
imum, and such as can be easily transported. Their
food is simple and their raiment coarse. When free
from care, they are witty, cheerful, and of gentle temper.
They are the most incessant talkers in the world. Their
quickness of perception enables them to appreciate a
good story, and they give themselves up to immoderate
laughter. When excited they gesticulate in a violent
manner, and vociferate in explosive tones. They are
passionate, and quick to resent an insult. Their love of
money passes all knowledge ; it is an insatiable greedi
ness ; a ruling passion that knows no bounds. They are
generous, but theirs is a generosity inspired by the hope
of an equivalent in return. They are a nation within a
nation. At the head of each tribe is a sheikh whose
word is law, and who administers a rude justice among
his people. The most common source of litigation is
stolen property ; the penalty is in money or in kind, and
he Avho gains the suit has to pay the fee. They not un-
frequently test a man's innocence by compelling him to
lick a red-hot iron, and if his tongue is burned there is
no doubt of his guilt. One of the most ancient laws
among them is the law of blood, called the Thar, which
prescribes the degrees of consanguinity within which it
is lawful to revenge a homicide. According to this law,
any one related to the murderer Avithin the fifth degree

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

239

is held responsible, and, although this seems like mani
fest injustice, yet it tends to the prevention of blood
shed among the wild tribes of the desert ; and, were it
not for the operation of this law, the Avarlike tribes
would have exterminated one another centuries ao-o.
When a murder is committed, an effort is made to
prevail on the family of the victim to accept a compen
sation for the blood in money or in kind ; but if the
" blood-money " is refused, then any relative within the
fifth degree of consanguinity may be legally killed.

ARAB MAN AND WOMAN.

This law has a remarkable effect upon the manners of
the Arabs. They are cautious in disclosing to a stran
ger their name, or that of their father, or their dwelling-
place, lest they may fall victims to the blood -revenge.
They have another law which is as universal, and even
more salutary. It defines the relations between the pro
tector and the protected, and a breach of which is re
garded as a lasting disgrace. If a man can touch the
canvas of a tent, or throAV his mace toward it, or touch

240 THRONES AND PALACES OF
with his teeth any article belonging to another, he has a
right to protection ; especially if he eats a man's salt or
bread, he is under his protection. A woman can protect
any number of persons, or even of tents, under the oper
ation of this law.
Within the encampment Avere many girls of a mar
riageable age, which naturally suggested the usages re
lating to marriage. While among the Arabs of the
towns daughters are literally sold to their husbands, yet
a Bedouin of the desert will never ask money for his
daughter. He may consult her wishes, but she is at
liberty to accept or reject a suitor, provided he is not
her cousin. But if the damsel accepts a present from
her lover, whether a jewel or a donkey, she is bound to
have him.
At two o'clock the next morning we were again on the
road. The clouds separated, and the moon lighted up our
way over the pasture-fields of Karagoosh. We soon re
gained the highAvay, and passed a ruined village. The
light was sufficient to reveal the well -cultivated fields
on either side, where the wheat was groAving rich and
in abundance. But there was a shade of loneliness in
a start so early, and all naturally Avished for the morn
ing. Hour after hour Avore sloAvly away. At length the
day dawned ; the stars faded ; the moon greAv pale ; the
sun rose. It was Good-Friday in ancient Assyria. We
were amidst the ruins of buried empires. On either
hand were great mounds wherein are the remains of
former greatness. The domes and minarets of Mosul
now appeared on the west bank of the Tigris. All felt
the excitement of the moment. It was the eleventh day
since we left Bagdad. We had come three hundred miles.
Before us floAved the river whose banks we hoped soon
to reach ; but the floods compelled us to make a long

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 243
detour, and defer the consummation of our wishes. Pa
tience Avas never more difficult to practice, and an even
temper required an effort. We rode through deep ra
vines, crossed bridges that trembled with our weight,
passed villages bereft of beauty, and encountered cara
vans of merchants bound for Bagdad. But the goal was
not far. An hour later, and Ave were at the gates of
ancient Nineveh. On our right was the palace of Sen
nacherib ; on our left was the tomb of Jonah. A mile
beyond was the landing where we waited for the boat.
Swollen by the vernal rains and the melted snows on
northern mountains, the Tigris rushed by with unwonted
force. In the bed of the river are several islands, which
were now nearly submerged. From the main-land on
the east to the edge of the largest of the several chan
nels of the river, and where the current is strongest and
the stream deepest, there is a brick bridge supported by
forty arches, and constructed some two hundred years
ago. Owing to the rapidity of the current and the ac
cumulated waters, the main channel is spanned by a
bridge of boats, extending from the end of the brick
bridge to the western bank of the Tigris. These boats
are held together by iron chains, and covered with planks,
on which earth is spread. When the river is high, the
boats are removed, and a ferry is established. And such
was the case when we reached the Tigris. It was a sore
disappointment, as we had had enough of Turkish ferries
for all practical purposes. But it was the harvest-time
for the boatmen, who clamored for our patronage with
loud vociferations and violent gestures. Had we been
Arabs, we could have crossed for one-half less than was
demanded, but Ave cheerfully paid double the amount for
the privilege of being Americans. The boat was similar
in construction and form to the one in which we had

244

THRONES AND PALACES OF

crossed the Greater Zab, but of larger dimensions. It
was a moment of intense excitement when we entered
the swift current, with an island, on our right and a pier
of the brick bridge on our left, with imminent danger of
being dashed against the latter. At such a time minutes
are magnified into hours. How wishfully we Avatched the
opposite shore ! Never was relief more sweet than when
the rude boat thumped against the river -bank. Nor
was the landing-place inviting — high, steep banks, down

-]«">¦

¦^ggm

LANDING AT MOSUL.

which flowed the blood of slaughtered sheep, and the
colored waters from the tanners' yards which lined the
bluffs. It required the aid of many Arabs to assist us
up the slippery paths ; and not a few men and boys prof
fered their aid, certain of a reward of a few piasters.
A letter of introduction secured us a temporary home
in the house of Abboo Jizrawee, dragoman to the French
consulate. Mr. JizraAvee was a large, fine-looking, richly
dressed, genial Mosulian. He Avas jovial, volatile, talk-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

245

ative, of unbounded hospitality, and popular with his
toAvnsmen. His great fat face beamed Avith smiles, and
his laughter Avas uproarious. His long connection with
the consulate had made him familiar with the manners
of foreigners, and he considered himself honored to be
the host of three American travelers. His residence was
large and comfortable, and the guest-chamber Avas the
best of all his apartments. His Avife was beautiful, and
Avas unwearied in her attendance to our " elect lady."

JnmM

INTERIOR OP A HOUSE AT MOSUL.

Our apartments were furnished in Oriental style. There
were divans for bedsteads, rugs for carpets, elegant cime-
ters and richly ornamented rifles for decorations on the
walls. It was soon known in Mosul that Americans had ar
rived. A letter -of introduction to Khowaja Meekha
brought that worthy Christian to our abode. He Avas
the elder in the American Presbyterian Mission Church,
and universally esteemed for his intelligence and piety.
His generosity prompted him to invite Mr. Collins to

246 THRONES AND PALACES OF
be his guest. He spoke English fluently, and was well
posted as to the religious condition of the city.
But a greater pleasure awaited us. Mr. Hormuzd
Rassam Avas in Mosul, and hastened to honor us with a
call. A native of Mosul, he is an accomplished Oriental
scholar. His preferences led him to marry an English
lady, and he is now a British subject. He was associ
ated with Layard and Rawlinson in Assyrian excava
tions, and is mentioned by them in terms of highest com
pliment. He has the honor of having discovered the
palace of Asshur-bani-pal, which contained the stone li
brary of that king, which is now in the British Muse
um. He had returned to Mosul to settle the estate of
his deceased brother, who for many years was the English
vice-consul in this city. With a generosity we can never
forget, Mr. Rassam invited us to be his guests, in the ele
gant residence of his departed brother. Neither wealth
nor painstaking had been spared to make this the abode
of comfort. The structure was in the form of a square,
with a court-yard in the centre, wherein was a beautiful
garden. On the ground-floor, and opening into the court,
were the dining-hall, reception-room, and a drawing-room
of superb adornments. The oval ceiling of the latter
was beautifully painted in blue, and ornamented with
gilt vines, flowers, and stars. Three lofty arches also
opened into the court, whose concave domes represented
the star-lit heavens. In the second story, and surround
ing the court, were marble-paved balconies, and adjoin
ing them were elegant sleeping- apartments. As a re
treat from the intense heat of an Assyrian summer, an
under-ground residence had been constructed of Mosul
marble, and consisted of broad arches supported by
sculptured piers. Within this palatial abode we re
mained for a week, enjoying a hospitality as elegant as

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 247
it Avas abundant. Never did host anticipate the pleas
ure of his guests with greater success. Each day some
new dish peculiar to the East was served up to tempt
our never-indolent appetites; and chief among these fa
vorite dishes Avas haimmah — the cream of the buffalo's
milk, eaten Avith the white, hard Syrian honey.
Mosul occupies a portion of the suburbs of ancient
Nineveh, but its primeval history is unknown. Xen
ophon mentions a castle as standing here, and noAv
known as the ruins of Yarumjah, and designates the site
of Nineveh as Mes-pylae, the middle gate or pass, which
this point of the river has ever been ; but he does not
allude to the existence of a town. Although the city is
scarcely noticed in history during the time of the ca
liphs, yet Avhen the Turks came into power, Mosul be
came the seat of a race of independent princes, and to
their times belong the old Saracenic structures which
still remain* During the reign of Selim I. it became
part of the Turkish empire. In 1554, Suleiman the
Great made a treaty of peace with the King of Persia,
by which the city became a boundary of his dominions.
Since then it has been ruled by a class of pashas who
have been despotic and rapacious. Its present popula
tion of fifty thousand is composed of Chaldeans, Syrians,
Arabs, Turks, Kurds, and JeAvs. Its walls are less than
three miles in circuit, within which, are large gardens
and many ruins. The buildings are of stone, with
arched roofs, and with court -yards faced with slabs of
sculptured alabaster. Its streets are narrow, crooked,
and never clean. Few cities have suffered greater vicis
situdes. In 1825, a famine prevailed for three years,
followed by the plague, which lasted nine months, and
* Ains worth.

248 THRONES AND PALACES OF
during the prevalence of Avhich eighteen thousand per
sons died; and in the year 1832, the Avhole city was
flooded for months, causing extraordinary suffering. In
earlier years, the commerce of Mosul was extensive and
lucrative ; but under the oppressive rule of the Turks, it
has dwindled to nothing. The bazaars are 'well supplied
with grapes, melons, pomegranates, apricots, cucumbers,
and truffles for home consumption, and with gall-nuts
from the valonia-oaks in Kurdistan, which are exported.
The once famous Mosul cloths, or muslins, have given
place to a blue cotton cloth of an inferior quality. But
Mosul excels in the manufacture of red, yellow, and
green leather for the showy boots and shoes worn by
the natives.
Were a stranger to infer the religious condition of a
town from the number of places of Avorship therein, he
would naturally conclude the Mosulians to be a de
vout people. According to universal custom among the
Turks, the census is based on the number of families, and
not on the number of individuals, and they are classified
by their religious faith rather than by their nationality.
Of the three thousand three hundred and fifty families
in Mosul, tAvo hundred are Jews, one thousand one hun
dred are Christians, and two thousand and fifty are Mo
hammedans. The Moslems have tAventy large mosques,
and two hundred and fifty places for prayer. Near the
old ruined mosque of Noor-el-Deen is a grand minaret,
ninety feet high, Avhose projecting and receding courses
of bricks represent a fancy Avork of arabesque; and,
whether by intention or accident, it leans, like the ToAver
of Pisa.
The Christians are not so numerous as their Moham
medan neighbors, but superior to them in thrift and
intelligence. Their sectarianism is patent to all, and

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 249
supported by a zeal Avorthy a better cause. They are
knoAvn as Nestorians, Jacobites, Papists, and Presbyte
rians. Their numerous churches are largely attended.
The French Roman Catholic church is an imposing
structure. It is constructed of Mosul marble, crowned
with two domes, which are supported by marble col
umns. The interior is adorned Avith pictures, and on
the high altar is a life-size statue of Mary. I was pres
ent at the eight - o'clock mass on Easter-Sunday. Two
French monks officiated on the occasion. Seven French
nuns, in charge of a large company of native orphans,
sat on the right of the chancel. The congregation was
large. The men sat in front, on the carpeted floor, and
the Avomen sat in the rear. On the preceding Good-
Friday, the monks dramatized the scene of the Crucifix
ion ; and on the Easter anniversary they presented to
the gaze of the devout the empty tomb perfumed Avith
flowers, and brilliantly illuminated. From Rome I Avent
to Chaldea, and Avitnessed the worship of the Nesto
rians, who are by birth Chaldeans. Their ceremonies are
not unlike those of the Papists, but toAvard each other
they cherish the most cordial antagonism. Th£ bitter
ness of their enmity springs from their similarity. They
are too near alike to live in peace. It Avas my privilege
to meet Joseph Ado, Patriarch of Babylon, and Primate
of the Chaldean Christian community, whose official resi
dence was formerly in Mosul; but the Romish monks
intrigued to get him away, on the principle that two of
a trade could not agree. His appearance is most vener
able, and he is held in high repute by the people. He
is now the Chaldean bishop of Malabar, which is more
nominal than real. He had returned to his old resi
dence as more congenial to his tastes, and spends his
time in praying, reading, and smoking.

250

THRONES AND PALACES OF

It was more in accord with my sentiments and feelings
to attend the eleven-o'clock services in the small church
wherein worship the members of the American Presby
terian Mission. Notwithstanding the storm, forty men
and ten women were present, to whom the native pastor
preached with commendable zeal. The members of this
little community are among the most intelligent and en
terprising citizens of Mosul. They are a light shining

JOSEPH ADO.

in a dark place. Their greatest need is the presence of
a foreign missionary to instruct, encourage, and defend.
But this boon is denied them, from an impression that
an American missionary can not survive in Mosul ; and
the impression has been strengthened by the remarkable
mortality which has attended those who have made the
attempt. In 1833, Rev. Messrs. Hinsdale and Mitchell,
with their wives, Avere appointed to this mission ; but

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 251
Rev. Mr. Mitchell died on the way, and his wife died
within ten days thereafter; and Mr. Hinsdale died after
a residence of one year. Their place was supplied by
the coming of the Rev. Mr. Lowry, Avhose wife died with
in a year from the date of his arrival. Then followed
the death of Dr. Grant ; and at a subsequent period, the
death of Rev. Messrs. Marsh and Williams and their
wives ; and, still later, the death of Rev. Messrs. Lobdell
and Haskell. But old Elder KhoAvaja Meekha thinks
that these good servants of the Lord would have died
had they lived in Jerusalem or Mardeen or Beirut, and
is strong in the opinion that the little community should
not be neglected because so many missionaries found
Mosul to be the gate of heaven to their ascending souls.
The Monday and Tuesday succeeding Easter-Sunday
are holidays with the Christians of Mosul, and are de
voted to exchanging calls, not unlike our calls on New-
year's-day. They are festive days, and in each house a
feast of fat things awaits the callers. Mr. Rassam had
provided for his many guests with that good taste and
elegance so characteristic of himself. It was a favorable
opportunity for us to observe the social customs preva
lent in this far-off Assyrian city, and especially the rich
costumes of the Chaldean ladies. The weather was
charming, and the ladies appeared in all the gorgeous-
ness peculiar to the East. The display was reserved en
tirely for the house. They appeared at the portal of the
court wrapped in a huge checkered blue sheet, and with
the face hidden beneath a square horse -hair veil; but
these were removed as they entered the court, and then
was displayed the splendor of their attire. The high
head-dress was resplendent with gold and pearls ; -the
necklaces were elaborately wrought ; the frontlets, ank
lets, and bracelets sparkled with the richest gems; the

252 THRONES AND PALACES OF
bust and arms were covered with the finest lace in
wrought with gold, and their ample robes of silk were
embroidered with gold and silver thread in many a cu
rious device. The youthful wife of Mr. Rassam's eldest
brother was adorned like the daughter of a king. But
these outward adornments were the least of their many
charms. Nature had left the impress of beauty on each
lovely face, and bequeathed to each a grace of carriage
worthy of an Esther. Nor had the mind and heart been
neglected. Their conversation evinced an appreciation
of the beautiful and the true ; their graceful deportment
was proof of the careful culture of the refined amenities
of social life ; and the joyousness of t^eir smile bespoke
a soul conversant with the higher and better sentiments
of our humanity.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 253

CHAPTER V.
Among the Ruins of Ancient Nineveh. — Historical and Scriptural Allusions.
— Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter. — Asshur and his Colony. — Extent and Du
ration of the Assyrian Empire. — Extent and Glory of Nineveh. — Its Walls,
Gates, and Palaces. — Identity of its Ruins. — Jonah's Visit to Nineveh. —
His Mission and his Tomb. — Sail down the Euphrates. — Beautiful Scen
ery. — Selamiyah. — Donkey-ride. — Birthplace of Saladin. — Great Image of
Nebuchadnezzar. — Exploring the Ruins. — Tower of Nimroud. — Ancient
Temples. — Wonderful Sculptures. — Palace of Asshurizir-pal. — Splendid
Remains. — Palaces of Shalmaneser II., and of Tiglath-pileser II. — The
Marble Obelisk. — Palace of Esarhaddon. — God Nebo. — Horrid Night
with the Arabs. — Return to Mosul. — Grand Palace of Sennacherib, and
its Magnificent Sculpture. — Annals and Will of Sennacherib. — Palace of
Sardanapalus, and its Splendid Bass-reliefs. — Assyrian Wars. — Fall of
Nineveh.— The Last Battle.— Prophecy Fulfilled.
Seven days among the ruins of ancient Nineveh gave
me the rare opportunity to trace its Avails, to stand with
in its monumental gates, to wander through its excavated
palaces and examine their sculptured halls, to recall the
mighty past, to read prophecy in the light of modern
discoveries, and compare Herodotus with Isaiah, Ctesias
Avith Nahum, and Diodorus with Jonah. The three
sources of information as to the origin, extent, and fall
of the Assyrian empire are, the Bible, the Greek histo
rians, and the cuneiform inscriptions. These authorities
synchronize in the main, and supplement each other.
The earliest record of the empire of Assyria, in authen
tic history, is by Moses, in the tenth chapter of Genesis.
The allusion thereto is brief, but definite : " Out of that
land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the
city Rehoboth, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh

254 THRONES AND PALACES OF
and Calah : the same is a great city."* It is apparent,
from this concise statement, that Asshur was a colonist,
and the founder of Nineveh. "Out of that land. went
forth Asshur," is an expression that clearly indicates the
existence of an antecedent kingdom. That kingdom was
founded by Nimrod in the land of Shinar, the lower
section of the great valley between the Tigris and the
Euphrates, and near the confluence of those two historic
rivers. The sacred historian is no less concise than def
inite in his allusion to that fact : "And Cush begat Nim
rod : he began to be a mighty one in the earth. And
the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and
Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."f That was
the first kingdom established subsequent to the Flood,
and probably about two thousand four hundred years
before the Christian era. The ToAver of Babel is the
only remaining monument of the oldest empire known
to mankind, and of the identity of that tower there is
but little doubt. From a point so advantageous in lo
cation, the " mighty hunter " rapidly spread his domin
ion inland and northward; and other cities than Bab
ylon were founded by him, who is among the foremost
men of the Old World, and whose memory will last
while time endures. Even now his name is mentioned
with reverence by the people of Chaldea, and wherever
a mound of ashes or an extraordinary ruin is to be seen
in Babylonia or the adjoining regions, the local traditions
attach to it the name of Nimrod. :£
From the dominions of the " mighty hunter," Asshur
went forth and laid the foundations of a rival empire,
whose remains are now exciting the attention of the civ
ilized world. Whether his emigration was voluntary or
* Genesis x., 11, 12. f Genesis x., 8, 10. \ Rawlinson.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 255
compulsory, or in obedience to a royal decree of Nimrod,
are facts not known to history; but that the Assyrians
and Babylonians were of a common origin, and that the
former Avere colonists from the land of the latter, is evi
dent from the similarity of religion, of language, and of
architecture. And Avhether this colonization took place
two thousand tAvo hundred years before our era, or one
thousand four hundred years, is a point on which the
Assyrian archaeologists do not agree. At present the
weight of the evidence favors the earlier of the two
dates ; and, accordingly, the empire of Assyria continued
during fifteen centuries, or from B.C. 2182 to B.C. 606.
The grandeur of such a duration has scarcely a parallel
in history. Rome, Avhether kingdom, commonwealth, or
empire, lasted but twelve centuries. The Chaldean
monarchy endured but a thousand years, from Nimrod
to Tiglathi-Nin. The first Persian empire continued less
than two and a half centuries. The kingdom of Baby
lon, founded by the father of Nebuchadnezzar, did not
survive a century. The continuity of Egypt was inter
rupted by foreign domination; and the same is true of
China. It is thought that there are sufficient grounds
for the conjecture that there were two distinct Assyrian
dynasties— the first commencing with Asshur, and end
ing with Sardanapalus ; and the second, including the
kings mentioned in the Scriptures, apd ending with Sar-
acus, in Avhose reign Nineveh was finally destroyed by
the combined armies of Persia and Babylon.*
But of the extent and magnificence of the empire of
the Assyrians there is greater certainty. While the true
heart of Assyria was on the banks of the Tigris, and
within the limits of the four great cities, marked by the
* Layard.

256 THRONES AND PALACES OF
mounds at Kuyunjik, Nimroud, Khorsabad, and Karamles ;
yet from this imperial centre the empire extended
eastward to the Kurdistan Mountains, southward to the
Greater Zab, westward to the Euphrates, and northward
to Mount Masius. The probable area was not less than
seventy-five thousand square miles, the length of which
area from north to south was less than three hundred
and fifty miles, and the breadth from east to west not
more than three hundred miles. But this was only, as
it were, the base from which her kings went forth to
subdue other realms, and extended their dominion from
the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, and from the west
ern provinces of Persia to the shores of the Mediter
ranean. There was a time when the Assyrian kings
held in vassalage, and received tribute from, Susiana,
Chaldea, Babylonia, Media, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Cap-
padocia, Cilicia, Syria, Phoenicia, Palestine, Iduniea, Ara
bia, nearly all of Egypt, a portion of Ethiopia, and the
rich island of Cyprus. The records of these conquests
are sculptured in alabaster on the walls of the royal pal
aces in Nineveh, and thereon, in bass-relief, may be seen
the king in his triumphal chariot, the conquering army
returning laden with the spoils of victory, the long line
of captives, and the beaters of the tribute from the con
quered nations.
It was with no ordinary zest that I Avandered through
the ruined palaces of an empire whose dominion was so
vast, and Avhose poAver had been felt in regions so re
mote. The identity of these ruins, as marking the re
mains of NineA^eh, is no longer called in question; but
the extent of the imperial city is still a matter of dis
pute. The historian RaAvlinson is disposed to limit the
city to the mounds opposite Mosul, and to regard the ad
jacent mounds as marking so many distinct royal cities;

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 257
but Mr. Layard regards them as parts of one grand me
tropolis, " called by different names, but included Avithin
the area of that great city knoAvn to the Jews and to the
Greeks as Nineveh." In the clays of its glory, when it
was "an exceeding great city," Nineveh described an ob
long square, eighteen miles long and twelve miles broad.
The circuit of the vast quadrangle Avas sixty miles, and
the inclosed area two hundred and sixteen square miles,
about ten times that of London. The four corners of the
square Avere marked by the magnificent palaces of Ku-
yunjik, Nimroud, Khorsabad, and Karamles, whose abid
ing ruins bespeak their pristine grandeur. Nimroud is
supposed to represent the original site of the city, and
from that point the city was gradually extended as the
population increased and the demands of the empire
multiplied. It Avas an ancient custom that when a king
founded a new dynasty, or was ambitious to perpetuate
his name, he signalized the former, and sought the latter,
by the erection of a new and grander palace. So with
the Assyrian kings. To the first palace the son of its
founder added a second, and therein recorded his name.
Subsequent monarchs followed the same rule ; Avhich ac
counts for the number and magnificence of the palaces
whose remains have been exhumed at the four corners of
the Assyrian capital. Although Nineveh is said to have
contained an area ten times that of London, yet it is not
probable that the whole space inclosed was occupied
with dwellings. To the many palaces were attached
parks, wherein game was kept for the diversion of the
king. Within the larger inclosure were extensive gar
dens and much arable land. This was true of Babylon,
within whose precincts was space sufficient for the culti-
Aration of corn enough to supply the whole population
in case of siege. Nineveh Avas a Availed city of gar-
17

258 THRONES AND PALACES OF
dens, parks, orchards, and farms. The smaller and larger
dwellings of the people were arranged in villages, which
formed so many garden districts. The dimensions of an
Eastern city do not bear the same proportion to its pop
ulation as those of an American or European city. Nin
eveh might have been larger than London, Paris, or New
York noAv is, yet the population might have been much
less. The rural character of the Assyrian capital is more
than intimated by the concluding words of the book of
Jonah, that within the city were " much cattle."
Around the city were walls of extraordinary dimen
sions, and at certain distances were immense gates, flank
ed by toAvers, and adorned Avith human -headed bulls
and lions. According to Herodotus and Diodorus Sicu-
lus, the walls were a hundred feet high, and sufficiently
broad for three chariots to be driven abreast thereon.
There were fifteen hundred towers, each two hundred
feet in height, and in them troops were stationed for the
defense of the capital. The walls were probably con
structed of bricks of clay dried in the sun ; or they may
have been earthen ramparts cased with stone slabs at the
base, and with bricks from the stone casings to the top.
Although the relative positions of the mounds of Ku-
yunjik, Nimroud, Karamles, and Khorsabad form very
nearly a perfect parallelogram, yet the walls which once
inclosed the same can not noAv be traced in their en
tirety. There are, hoAvever, consecutive mounds Avhose
present breadth of base proves their former magnitude.
They can be traced for many miles in extent ; they have
an average height of fifty feet, and are now sufficiently
broad on the top for the free movement of three chariots
abreast. We have the testimony of two prophets touching the
strength and size of Nineveh. Nahum alludes to its

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 259
" strongholds " and " barred gates," Avhich doubtless re
fers to its fortified palaces, and its immense gate -ways,
flanked by towers capable of holding many troops, and
deemed impregnable.* But the more extended account
is recorded in the book of Jonah. In his mild rebuke
to the offended prophet, the Lord inquires : " Should not
I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than
sixscore thousand persons that can not discern between
their right hand and their left hand, and also much cat
tle !"f If the hundred and twenty thousand persons
herein described were children, then the total population
was not less than six hundred thousand, Avhich would
have constituted Nineveh "an exceeding great city."
But if the phrase is to be understood as descriptive of
moral ignorance, then a city containing a population of
one hundred and tAventy thousand adults who cpuld not
" discern between their right hand and their left hand,"
* would be no less worthy of the title " great," as it is rea
sonable to suppose that the children Avere not included
in the number ; and it is equally reasonable to conclude
that there Avere many thousands of adults Avho could dis
cern between good and evil. It is, therefore, fair to infer
that such a population could not be accommodated Avith-
in the ascertained limits of any one of the four great sec
tions of the ancient city.
In another place it is said, "Now Nineveh, was an
exceeding great city of three days' journey ,"J which is
an intended description of a city of unusual size. The
passage may imply that it required three days to trav
erse the city from end to end, or to traverse its circum
ference, or to visit its four principal centres. Of the
commencement of his Divine mission it is said : "And
* Nahum iii., 13, 14. t Jonah iv., 11. J Jonah iii., 3.

260 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and
he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall
be overthrown."* Coming on his solemn errand, it is
probable that the prophet entered the city at Kuyun-
jik, through whose lengthened streets he Avent a " day's
journey," impressively proclaiming the coming doom.
Having delivered his solemn warning in Kuyunjik, the
prophet passed southward eighteen * miles, to Nimroud;
thence to the north-east twelve miles, to Karamles; thence
to the north eighteen miles, to Khorsabad ; and thence to
the west twelve miles, to Kuyunjik, Avhich completed the
circuit of the city of sixty miles; and, as twenty miles
is a day's journey in the East, we have here " the three
days' journey " of the prophet, which is a remarkable
coincidence with the well - ascertained measurements of
the city.
And there is another interpretation of this passage,
as simple as it is rational. Having entered Nineveh at
Kuyunjik, the prophet may have gone in silence "a day's
journey" to Nimroud, and from that point commenced
the circuit of the city, proclaiming as he went the terri
ble message of Heaven. Whether he accomplished his
mission in three days or three weeks is a fact not stated
in the text; nor would the time he occupied affect the
statement that " Nineveh Avas a great city of three days'
journey." But, as his solemn business required dis
patch—the " forty days " to date from the last utter
ances which fell upon the ear of an astonished people
from his inspired lips — it is highly probable that he
uttered his last note of warning on the evening of the
third day.
In whose reign these words of awful import were
* Jonah iii., 4.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 261
uttered by the prophet, we have no certain knowledge.
His visit to the Ninevites may have been in the year
840 b.c, during the flourishing reign of Shalmaneser II.,
or a hundred years later, Avhen Sardanapalus was on the
throne, living in inglorious ease and vicious indulgences,
careless of his croAvn, and indifferent to the welfare of
his people and his obligations to his God. In either
case, it Avas at a time Avhen the magnificence of Nineveh
excited the admiration of the world ; Avhen her massive
Avails and lofty toAvers inspired a sense of security ;
when her royal palaces were adorned with those ex
traordinary sculptures and inscriptions Avhich have since
been exhumed; Avhen her temples were resplendent
Avith all that art could create and Avealth procure ;
Avhen her Arast gardens were laden with the fruits, and
bloomed with the floAvers of the East; Avhen her mer
chants were princes, and her citizens proud of their
Avealth ; Avhen her inclosed parks were filled Avith game
for the diversion of the king and his nobles; Avhen the
voice of revelry resounded through her streets, and each
returning night Avas spent in scenes of merriment ; when
captives from all nations were the slaves of their con
querors, and the spoils of victory had rendered a great
people vain and luxurious. It was doubtless at such a
time when the pale, haggard, travel-stained seer of Ju-
dea appeared in their midst, like a visitant from another
world. TAventy-seven centuries have since passed away.
Nineveh is now a mass of ruins; the memory of her
mighty kings is perpetuated by no recognized mauso
leum ; but the name of the Hebrew prophet has out
lived the lapse of time and the fall of empires. Oppo
site Mosul is the traditional Tomb of Jonah. On one
of the mounds of Kuyunjik is a mosque, and within the
mosque is the tomb of the prophet. The square sar-

262 THRONES AND PALACES OF
cophagus is covered wdth a green cloth, embroidered
with sentences from the Koran, and around it are the
emblems of affection and respect. From that mound
have been exhumed colossal human-headed bulls, figures
of the Assyrian Hercules slaying a lion, and inscriptions
containing the name and titles of the great Esar-haddon.
And thus upon one of the buried palaces of Assyria is
the supposed tomb of the immortal seer of Judea.
From a review of these important historic facts, we
turned to explore the remains of the ancient city. Send
ing our horses across the Tigris, in charge of Bene-Jeb-
arah, with instructions to meet us at Nimroud, we char
tered a native boat, and were borne soutlnvard by the
rapid current. Our creAV consisted of six men and a
boy, and the cost was tAvo hundred and tAvelve piasters.
We were attended by Khowaja Meekha and his son,
who were our interpreters, and an Arab who had exca
vated under Messrs. Layard and Rassam. Our depart
ure had been delayed by the inevitable discussion and
boisterous talking of the boatmen. What talkers the
Arabs are ! They are bound to discuss a subject down
to the least point before they decide a question, and
each man present, whether boatman, soldier, or tanner,
must " speak his little piece." To our relief, the last
man had spoken the last word, and we swung out into
the swift current, and Avere soon drifting at the rate of
eight miles an hour. Just south of Mosul, and on the
right bank of the Tigris, are the Turkish barracks, where
the soldiers were preparing for the morning drill. Far
out in the centre of the current was a man floating
on an inflated goat - skin, using his loAver limbs ¦ for a
rudder. He was a farmer going to his farm, which was
some miles below, on the eastern shore. He held the
inflated skin under his arms, and across his breast. He

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 263
conversed and laup-hed Avith our boatmen, with as much
composure and sense of safety as one sailing on the
Great Eastern. It is customary for both men and
women to carry about them a goat - skin, and, when
they Avish to cross a stream or descend a river, they in
flate the skin, and sail away. And this is a very ancient
custom, as I have seen the same portrayed in the bass-
reliefs on the walls at Kuyunjik.
Far away among the western hills, we observed a car
avan of camels en route for Mosul. An hour later, Ave
landed at Tel-Sabbat (the Hill of the Sabbath), and pro
ceeded to visit the Sulphur Springs. At the base of the
beautiful, conical hill, fifty feet high, and covered Avith
grass and flowers, is a small village, and near the shore
are the Hot Springs. The water is black as ink, and of
a high temperature. Over the springs is a stone build
ing, crowned with a series of small domes. The water is
contained in a circular room tAventy feet in diameter,,
Avhose roof is a dome. There was a strong smell of sul
phur as we entered the inclosure. The water is regarded
as efficacious to cure cutaneous diseases. Six lepers were
there testing its efficacy, and who implored our charity.
Having resumed our voyage, the boat was driven against
an island by the force of the current. Our boatmen
leaped into the water, and, after a hard and long strug
gle, succeeded in getting it afloat again.
As Ave descended the river, the scenery increased in in
terest. On our left was Assyria ; on our right Avas Mes
opotamia. The landscape was variegated by green hills,
rich valleys, winding streams, small hamlets, and culti
vated fields. At noon we landed at the small village
of Selamiyah, supposed to mark the site of " Resin " of
Scripture, and once important as a commercial centre.
It is now a miserable Arab town, but surrounded with

264 THRONES AND PALACES OF
mounds Avhich indicate the antiquity of the site. As
our horses had not arrived, we called on the Sheikh of
Selamivah, and offered a good price for mules to carry
us to Nimroud, three miles distant ; but his demand be
ing exorbitant, we started on foot. On the Avay Ave
were overtaken by a peasant with four donkeys, who
gladly accepted five piastres for a ride to the ruins.
Within an hour thereafter, I stood upon the pyramid
which Xenophon saw, and which he describes. The view
Avas extensive, and the prospect pleasing. The vast and
fertile plains of Assyria stretched away for miles, rich in
meadoAV lands and fields of grain, dotted Avith villages
and diversified with ancient mounds. The Tigris flowed
rapidly within a mile to the west, and the snow-capped
mountains of Media appeared in the distant east. West
of the river, and forty miles to the south, Avere the mounds
of Kalah Sherghat, supposed to mark the most ancient
of all the Assyrian cities, and founded by Asshur him
self. On the opposite side of the river, and ten miles
beyond, was Tekrit, the birthplace of the great Saladin,
the son of a Kurdish chief, and the conqueror of the Cru
saders at the battle of Kurun Hattin, and which is the
supposed site where "Nebuchadnezzar the king made
an image of gold, whose height was three-score cubits,
and the breadth thereof six cubits : he set it up in the
plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon," and com
manded that " Avhoso falleth not doAvn and worshipeth
shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning
fiery furnace."*
From the summit of the pyramid, I could best survey
the remains of Nimroud, considered the most ancient of
the four great sections of Nineveh, and founded by Shal-
* Daniel iii., 1, 6.

'mi&

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

267

maneser I., about one thousand three hundred years be
fore our era. The ruins noAv cover an area equal to one
thousand acres, and in their general outline describe an
irregular quadrangle, whose sides face the four cardinal
points. On the north and east could be traced the old
rampart, once flanked with toAvers, and pierced with
gates. "The royal quarter of the city, occupied by the

TUNNEL IN THE TOWER OP NIMROUD.
palaces of the kings, was on the A\-est, bounded by the
Tigris, which, no doubt, once flowed close to the city
walls. On a raised platform, forty feet high, and cover
ing an area of sixty acres, constructed of sun-dried bricks,
and incased Avith solid stone masonry, were erected the
palaces of successive monarchs, and two temples dedi-

268 THRONES AND PALACES OF
cated to the gods of Assyria. At its north-Avest angle is
the Tower of Nimroud, one hundred and fifty feet high,
and the fourth of a mile in circumference. Descending
from its summit, we entered its deep, long trenches, made
for purposes of exploration. Its foundations are con
structed of large, square blocks of stone, laid upon each
other A\dthout mortar. At the north-west corner is a
circular projection or bastion ; and in the interior of the
tower is a gallery, six feet broad, twelve feet high, and
one hundred feet long, which some suppose leads to the
tomb of the king, but that has not yet been discovered.
Adjoining this tower are the remains of two temples,
Avhose portals Avere guarded by colossal lions, and whose
walls were ornamented with sacred figures and sculp
tured inscriptions. The sculptured lions measured six
teen and a half feet high and fifteen feet long, and were
flanked by Avinged figures, and between them was an
inscribed pavement slab of alabaster. At a second en
trance was a group designed to represent the expulsion
of the evil spirit by the good deity. The representation
of the bad spirit is hideous in the extreme. The mon
ster's head is as frightful as it is fanciful. The ears are
long and pointed ; the jaAvs are distended, and armed
with huge teeth. The body is covered AA'ith feathers;
the forefeet are those of a lion ; the hind legs terminate
Avith the talons of an eagle ; it has spreading wings,
and the tail of a bird. It is pursued by a winged man
dressed in fur, and bearing in each hand a three-forked
thunder-bolt, which he is represented as hurling against
the monster, Avho had turned toAvard him Avith an ex
pression of the utmost fury. Near the temple stood a
solid block of limestone, representing the king in high-
relief. It is, perhaps, the best specimen of Assyrian art
yet discovered. The monarch is clad in sacrificial robes,

ENTRANCE TO A TEMPLE.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

271

STATUE OP A KING.

and in his right hand is the sacred mace. From his
neck depend the four sacred signs— the sun, the crescent,
the trident, and the cross. To his girdle are attached
three daggers, and above his head are the winged globe,
the sun, the crescent, the trident, and the horned cap.
At his feet is a triangular altar, not unlike the tripod of

272 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the Greeks, and Avhereon were placed the offerings to the
deified king, who had been decreed divine honors.
From the site of the temples we passed to examine
the remains of the once magnificent palace of King As-
shur-izir-pal, who reigned in the ninth century^before our
era. His is regarded as the most prosperous period in
Assyrian history, and the one in which art Avas carried
to its highest degree of perfection among the Assyrians.
He Avas no less renowned as a warrior than famous as a
hunter. Ten of his great campaigns are recorded in cu
neiform inscriptions. His ninth was against Syria, during
Avhich he compelled Tyre and Sidon, Byblus and Ara-
dus, to pay him tribute. On his return from the shores
of the Mediterranean, he crossed the Lebanons, and
brought therefrom beams of cedar wherewith to adorn
his palace. Next to Nimrod, he is the most noted
hunter in history. He loved the chase, and is said to
have killed three hundred and sixty large lions. Near
his palace he had a menagerie park, Avherein he kept
lions, leopards, elephants, and other animals, for his royal
sport. His grand palace was three hundred and sixty feet
long and three hundred feet broad, and consisted of
eight large halls and smaller chambers, arranged around
a central court, one hundred and thirty feet in length
and one hundred feet in breadth. The largest hall Avas
one hundred and fifty feet long and thirty -three feet
wide. Built upon a high platform, it had two splen
did facades. The gate-ways thereto Avere flanked with
sphinxes or winged lions, sculptured to represent the hu
man form down to the Avaist. The grand portal to the
king's audience- chamber Avas ornamented with winged
human -headed bulls, of yellow limestone. The pave
ment of the palace was of slabs of alabaster, Avhereon

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

273

were inscribed the titles, the genealogy, the achieve
ments of the king. The ceiling was frescoed, repre
senting flowers and animals, and inlaid with ivory and
plates of gold. On the walls were the sculptured rec
ords of the empire, so that he who entered might read ;
and thereon Avere traced in bass-relief, and with great
spirit and freedom, battle scenes, triumphal processions,
exploits of the chase, ceremonies of religion, and grand

mm

"WfiF-

ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT HALL OP THE NORTH-WEST PALACE.
state occasions, when monarchs received embassadors
from foreign lands. Within the palace stood the statue
of King Asshur-izir-pal, which is now in the British Mu
seum. Through this forsaken palace I wandered from room
to room and from hall to hall, where, thirty centuries
ago, kings had been banqueted with all the luxuries an
empire could afford, and where the crowned and scep
tred had received the homage of conquered provinces.
How inadequate is language to express the emotions
18

274 THRONES AND PALACES OF
thereby awakened in the soul, and to voice the thoughts
which come trooping through the mind ! The past re
turned Avith the reality of the present, and the imagina
tion reproduced the royal structure in its completeness
and splendor. "Art is long," said a great poet, whose
words Avere here verified in a remarkable manner. The
king is dead, and the master-builder is unknown; but
the creations of the latter, which were the pride of the
former, abide, and excite the admiration of the modern
traveler. Many of the grander specimens of Assyrian
art have been removed to adorn the capitals of Europe,
but enough remains to interest and instruct. Some of
the bass-reliefs are as perfect to-day as when they re
ceived their finishing touch centuries ago, while others
have suffered from exposure to the elements and the
vandalism of the thoughtless Arab. In some of the
rooms the alabaster slabs which face the walls remain in
their original position, and measure from six to ten feet
square. In each corner is a triangular block, deftly cut,
and in ornamentation is the "chief corner-stone." On
the Avails in one room are sculptured in relief, and in a
beautiful manner, elaborate tracery, fruitful vines, and
the honeysuckle — the " sacred tree " of the Assyrians ;
and on the same are inscriptions in the cuneiform char
acter. Beyond, we came to a room whose Avails are cov
ered with historic records. It is a library in stone, whose
volumes are ever open to him who enters therein. On
the sides of an adjoining apartment are representations
of winged bulls, Avith knotted girdles and inscribed rec
ords. On those of another room, perhaps a votive hall,
is the image of a man with wings, whose beard and hair
are massive, and in Avhose hand is an offering to the
gods. At the entrance of a hall, and on either side, is
a human-headed lion, with five legs, two seen from the

EXCAVATIONS.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 277
front vieAV and four seen from the side view, the object
being to supply thereby Avhat was then an imperfection
in art. From the hall Ave passed through a series, of
apartments on whose Avails are described soldiers with
round shields and draAvn daggers, beasts and birds,
beautiful flowers, and garlands elegantly wrought, horses
and chariots, Avith archers therein drawing the bow at
a venture, and a priest whose hands are raised in prayer.
Turning from these marvelous works of ancient art,
which seemed to echo back the mighty past, we traversed
the intervening mounds and ravines, to examine the cen
tral palace, wherein had lived in regal splendor two As
syrian kings, Avhose military expeditions into Syria and
Palestine are recorded in the Bible. The earliest of the
two was Shalmaneser II., the son of Asshur-izir-pal, who
ascended the throne about 860 b.c, and whose reign con
tinued for thirty-five years. His power was felt from
Media to the Mediterranean, from the Persian Gulf to
the mountains of Armenia. Three of his twenty -seven
campaigns were against Syria, when Ben-hadad and Ha-
zael were upon the throne of Damascus, and during the
successive reigns of Ahab and Jehu, the kings of Israel.
Against their confederated strength, he marched with an
army, " in multitudes that were not to be counted," and
returned to his capital crowned with victory.
To commemorate his reign, he built for himself a mag
nificent residence less than five hundred feet from the
splendid palace of his father ; and, although subsequent
ly despoiled of its rarer specimens of art, to adorn the
palace of Esar-haddon, yet enough remains to illustrate
its proportions and beauty. Among its ruins were dis
covered two gigantic winged bulls, coATered with inscrip
tions, and an obelisk of black marble, now in the British
Museum. On the four sides of the obelisk are twenty

278 THRONES AND PALACES OF
compartments of bass-reliefs ; and in the space above, be-
tAveen and below the figures, is cuneiform Avriting of two
hundred and ten lines, sharply cut and well preserved.
It is seven feet high, and twenty-two inches wide on the
broad face. The material and the Avorkmanship are su
perior. It is a record in marble of the military annals
of Shalmaneser II., for thirty-one years, commencing about
860 b.c. The bass-reliefs represent the king on two sev
eral occasions, attended with his chief officers of state, re
ceiving the tribute of conquered nations, whose envoys
prostrate themselves before the great king, and at his
feet lay their offerings of gold, silver, copper in bars and
cubes, goblets, shawls, and the tusks of elephants. In ad
dition to such offerings as could be carried in the hand,
there are also presented animals, such as the two-hump
ed camels from Bactria, together with monkeys and bab
oons, lions and antelopes, the elephant and the rhinoceros,
emblematic of different countries. Among the nations
thereon portrayed are the Jews, whose peculiar feat
ures are unmistakable. And among the tributary kings
whose names are inscribed on the obelisk is the name
of "Jehu, the son of Omri," and Hazael, whom Elijah
anointed king of Syria ; which furnish an interesting in
stance of corroborative evidence of the fidelity of the
Bible historians.
And other historic facts pluster around these ruins ;
for on the spot where the marble obelisk was found a
subsequent king had his royal abode. It was Tiglath-
pileser II., the supposed Pul of the Scriptures, Avho re
paired and adorned the palace of Shalmaneser II, and on
its Avails had caused to be sculptured in relief, but in
colossal proportions, winged figures struggling Avith mys
tic animals ; and, to delight his high martial spirit, he had
also scenes of war portrayed, such as sieges, Avith mounds.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

279

and battering-rams, archers masked by loop-holed screens,
and captives impaled alive.
Having ascended the throne in 745 b.c, Tiglath-pile-
ser II. sought to restore the kingdom to its ancient glory
and ascendency. His wars Avere many, long, and bloody.
By his energy and unwearied activity he subdued a re-

280 THRONES AND PALACES OF
volt in Southern Mesopotamia, and thereupon assumed
the title of " King of Babylon." From the south, he' led
his victorious legions to the west, and, after a struggle
which lasted eight years, he conquered Rezin, King of
Damascus ; Menahem, King of Samaria ; Hiram, King of
Tyre ; and Queen Khabila, whose dominions were on the
borders of Egypt. And having subdued these, he de
feated Azariah, King of Judah ; but the victory was dear
ly bought, and the Assyrian king retired to his own do
minions. Resolved upon the unconditional surrender
of all those provinces which had revolted, he returned,
after the lapse of ten years, and commenced an attack on
Samaria, when Pekah was the king. This campaign is
thus recorded in 2 Kings : " In the days of Pekah king
of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took
Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh,
and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naph-
tali, and carried them captive to Assyria."* And this in
spired account is corroborated by the inscriptions found
in the palace of this Assyrian monarch.
A year later, Tiglath-pileser was again in Syria. He
had been summoned by Ahaz, King of Jerusalem. A
powerful confederation had been formed by Pekah, of
Samaria, and Rezin, of Damascus, who sought to compel
Ahaz to join the alliance against Assyria. To accomplish
their object, they had " come up to Jerusalem to war, and
besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him." In his ex
tremity, "Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of
Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son : come up,
and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and
out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise, up
against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that
2 Kings xv., 29.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 281
Avas found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures
of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king
of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto
him : for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus,
and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir,
and sleAv Rezin."* All these Bible facts are recorded in
the Assyrian inscriptions which have been exhumed in
our own day. There is a notice of the defeat and death
of Rezin in a mutilated cuneiform inscription, now in the
British Museum, and also the reception of the tribute
from Ahaz, king of Judah.
Crossing Avhat seemed to be a deep ravine, we soon
stood within the palace of Esar-haddon, who succeeded
his father, Sennacherib, some time in the year 680 b.c.
He is justly renowned for his military success and the
monuments he caused to be erected. Phoenicia, Cilicia,
Egypt, Idumea, Chaldea, and Palestine surrendered to
his conquering sword, and were compelled to pay the
tribute exacted by his father. He was at once and at
the same time " King of Assyria and King of Babylon ;"
and to these titles he proudly added, " King of the kings
of Egypt, and Conqueror of Ethiopia." It was during
his reign that Manasseh, King of Judah, revolted, and re
fused to pay the annual tribute: "Wherefore the Lord
brought upon them the captains of the host of the king
of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and
bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon."f
From a cylinder inscription in duplicate, and now in the
British Museum, it appears that this Assyrian monarch
caused to be erected four palaces and thirty temples.
Of his great palaces, one was at Kuyunjik, one at Nim
roud, and one at Babylon, Avhich he occupied as taste
* 2 Kings xvi., 5-9. t 2 Chronicles xxxiii., 11.

282 THRONES AND PALACES OF
might incline or state policy demand. The one at Nim
roud was spacious and grand, and was probably mod
eled after the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Its
great hall was two hundred and twenty feet long by
one hundred feet in breadth. On its northern front was
a noble terrace, which commanded an extensive view.
At one end of this hall Avere winged bulls, and at the
opposite end, which had a triple portal, were placed
three pairs of colossal sphinxes, which overlooked the
Tigris winding through the plain. Judging from the
excavated portions, the interior of the palace had been
designed on a, scale more magnificent than that of any
other Assyrian palace yet discovered. Its chief room
measured one hundred and sixty-five feet long by sixty-
two feet wide, and must have contained an area of not
less than ten thousand square feet. The ornamentations
of the interior were on a scale of corresponding grand
eur; and it is thought that the curious mythical and
grotesque figures portrayed on the walls suggested to
the prophet Ezekiel his vision of the four living creat
ures. But the grand palace of Esar-haddon was never
completed; or, if finished, it was destroyed by fire. Both
may be true. When the ruin was excavated, piles of
sculptured slabs Avere discovered ready for use ; and the
quantity of charcoal found within the mound indicated
the action of the fire.
Leaving the blackened remains of this once gorgeous
palace, we crossed a field of young spring wheat, and, fol
lowing our Arab guide, descended a deep, circular exca
vation, wherein stood the statue of the god Nebo. He
Avas in the East Avhat Mercury Avas in the West, and his
special function was to preside over knoAvleclge and learn
ing ; and hence he was called by the Assyrians " the god
who knoAvs, and who hears from afar." The great statue

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

283

is tAvelve feet high, and of harmonious proportions ; it is
richly ornamented with elegant robes and garlands of
floAvers. The hands are folded in repose, and the face is
calm, and expressive of
Avisdom. From the Avaist
doAvn to the knees is a
lengthened inscription in
the cuneiform characters.
But the surroundings of
the deserted god were
melancholy in the ex
treme. The accumulated
earth of ages had been
removed, and Nebo stood
in a deep, dark hole, with
out a follower to do him
reverence. Poor fellow,
he had seen better days !
From this deserted
shrine, we crossed the
intervening mounds and
ravines, on our return to
Selamiyah ; but, when
opposite the " Castle of
Nimroud," we were over
taken by a storm which
lasted four consecutive
hours. The lightning
was vivid ; the thunder
was deep-toned ; the rain
was gradual and incessant. We took shelter in one
of the subterranean trenches around the foundations of
the castle, where Ave remained during two, hours. In
addition to our OAvn party, a large company of Arabs

THE GOD NEBO.

284 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Avere there, who had been attracted thither by the hope
of gain. Among the number was the sheikh of the tribe
who had aided Layard in his excavations. He invited
us to an entertainment in his encampment, distant half
an hour's ride; but when he saw we hesitated to accept,
he relieved our embarrassment by informing us that we
could formally accept his invitation, and, instead of go
ing, we could make him a present. This was Arab eti
quette. The proffered entertainment placed us under
an obligation to reciprocate ; and the formal acceptance
of the invitation demanded that we should go, or make
him a present. Feeling sure that he was more anxious for
our money than for our company, we gave him five pias
tres, which were as the oil of gladness to his countenance.
But the love of money was not peculiar to the sheikh.
Six of his tribe now advanced, and claimed a revenue as
the guardians of Nimroud, and insisted that all who look
upon the ruins must pay for the privilege thereof. This
impudence could hardly be excelled in a better civilized
land. We disputed their right to tax us; and they,
waiving their right, appealed to our benevolence, which
Ave expressed to the extent of one piastre for each man.
It was now 4 p.m., and there was no prospect that the
storm would soon abate. Mine was the only horse at
the mound, which I gladly offered to Mr. Collins for the
return journey to Selamiyah, some three miles distant to
the north-west. Old Mr. Meekha Avas mounted on a
mule hired for the occasion. The rest of the party started
on foot over the hills, through plowed fields and across
meadows whereon the water was a foot deep. Our dis
comfort was increased by snow and hail that fell with
the rain, and made the ground slippery. At length the
Avestern sky greAv bright, and a rainbow appeared in the
east — a bow of promise to some, but not to us. A rain-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 285
cloud folloAved us to the last, pouring upon us its drench
ing floods. All this would have been endurable had we
had in prospect a change of clothing and a comfortable
house. We were to lodge that night with the Sheikh of
Selamiyah, the entrance to whose Avretched hovel was al
most inaccessible by the depth of the mud around it.
On the earthen floor of the hut was a fire that filled the
place with smoke. Sixteen Arabs — men, women, and chil
dren, and, in addition thereto, dogs, cats, goats, and don
keys — were to be our companions for the night. Our fru
gal repast consisted of a few cakes that we had brought
from Mosul, and some eggs and milk purchased from the
sheikh's homely wife. Each person measured his length
upon the floor for a night's rest; and, as the feet of all
were placed toward the little fire, our bodies were as so
many spokes in a wheel resting on its hub. But there
were too many animals in that hovel for an American to
sleep Avithout the annoyance of warlike dreams ; and,
after hours of fruitless resistance, I said, with David,
"Make me to know mine end, and the measure of my
days, Avhat it is ; that I may know how frail I am."
At two o'clock in the morning, I roused my compan
ions to start for Mosul. In a moment every Arab in the
hut was awake, and ready for a present. Hassin and
his wife, Meriam, were the proper occupants of the place,
and the others were neighbors, who, had come to spend
the night with their distinguished guests. A large, mus
cular Arab, who boasted the proud name of " Sultan,"
who was a walking armory of old swords and pistols,
who had volunteered to accompany us to Nimroud, and
for whose voluntary services I had offered five piastres,
refused the proffered sum, and left the house in a rage;
but this was only a feint, for, on finding he could get no
more, he returned, and took what had been offered.

286 THRONES AND PALACES OF
By the light of the moon, we started on horseback for
Mosul. The distance was not more than fifteen miles,
which we should have gone in four hours; but it soon
transpired that our horses had not been fed, and, we
struggled on at the rate of two miles an hour. Yet the
mind found relief in the recollections of history. We
were passing over the same ground trodden by the feet
of Jonah, when he startled the people with the cry,
" Forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." These
hills heard that voice, which a repentant people rever
ently heeded. For many miles we could trace the walls
of the ancient city, once the causeway for the war-chari
ots of Nineveh ; and here and there Avere mounds mark
ing the site of the garden-houses of the populace, and
around which the soil is now as rich and fertile as in
the days of yore. Slowly the day dawned; the sun
rose above the dense fog; and, after a ride of seven hours,
we reached the great mounds of Kuyunjik.
Around us were the ruins of the grand palaces of Sen
nacherib and of Sardanapalus, whose names are recorded
in the sacred annals, and whose deeds fill so large a
space in the history of the Eastern world. We were on
a fertile plain, dotted Avith the gardens and cottages of
the poor, and traversed by the great caravan road lead
ing to Kurdistan on the north-east, and to Aleppo and
the sea on the north-west. Two immense mounds of
ruins are less than a mile from the Tigris, and directly
opposite Mosul. Between them flows the river Khaus-
ser, which issues from the hills of Makloub and empties
into the Tigris. In the dry season it is small and slug
gish, but at other times it is an impetuous torrent, and
has worn for itself a deep and broad bed. It is now
spanned by a modern brick bridge, beneath which the
sAvollen stream rushed Avith unwonted force. It is an

¦ ^fMfeiiif i

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 289
ancient river, and occupies the channel through which it
flowed Avhen Sennacherib was king of all Assyria. But
it is eATident, both from historic records and the rich
alluvium deposited on the plain, that the Tigris has
gradually retreated to its present bed. Once it flowed
along the city wall on the west, and was a section, with
the Khausser and two artificial canals, of the deep moat
that encompassed this portion of Nineveh. To the east
of the great mounds are the remains of the ancient wall,
and in it is a deep cut for the modern caravan road,
and through Avhich the telegraph extends to Mosul, and
thence to Constantinople. It is estimated that the cir
cuit of the walls was eight miles, and the area inclosed
was about two thousand acres. Of the grand gate-ways
only one remains to reflect its original grandeur. It is
the north-west gate of the city, through which Sennach
erib and his hosts had often gone forth to battle, and
returned crowned with victory, laden with spoil, and
leading in triumph captives from the Holy Land. When
complete, it must have been exceedingly imposing. The
noble entrance was fifteen feet wide, paved with lime
stone slabs, that still bear the marks of chariot-wheels.
The roof was arched, and surmounted with a lofty tower
one hundred feet high. It was a triple gate-way, and
within were two chambers, each seventy feet in length
and twenty- three feet in breadth, wherein troops were
stationed. The triple portal was flanked by majestic
human- headed bulls, each fourteen feet long, a pair of
which remain, exciting the wonder and admiration of
the modern traveler. The mound in which they have
been buried for more than twenty-five centuries is fifty
feet high, through which the explorers have tunneled to
the chambers and to the outer entrance, where the gi
gantic sculptures noAv are seen. How impressive the
19

290

THRONES AND PALACES OF

sight of these half-human, half-animal, mysterious creat
ures, the creation of the genius of the past, and the em
bodiment of a faith of which so little is now known !
The Avorkmanship is extraordinary, and not altogether
unworthy of Greece. The sentiment impressed on the
marble is grand : the human head represents intelli
gence; the body of the bull illustrates strength; the

A WINGED BULL.

wings of the eagle symbolize ubiquity; and thus we
have here three attributes of Deity— omniscience, om
nipotence, and omnipresence. The lofty head-dress, the
richly ornamented rosettes, the wide -spreading wings
which rise above their backs, and the curled hair Avhich
profusely adorns their bodies, indicate a taste and finish

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 291
not elsewhere seen. Behind them are colossal winged
figures of the same height, each bearing the traditional
pine-cone and basket. Their human faces are in full,
and the relief is high and bold. On all these figures,
and on the great slabs near them, are the cuneiform in
scriptions cleanly cut, and still distinct. Was it not of
these grand portals Nahum said, " The gates of thy land
shall be set wide open unto thine enemies?"* And
what the enemies spared, time is gradually destroying.
The motley marble of Mosul, out of which they are
sculptured, is yielding to the elements, after a burial of
so many centuries. The face of the great image on the
right remains quite perfect, and is remarkable for its
fullness of expression ; but the body is broken through
the centre, and will soon fall to pieces. Its companion
figure is much more injured ; except the massive beard,
the head is gone ; and there are large cracks in its mar
ble sides. It has been suggested that this splendid gate-
Avay was in process of completion when Sennacherib
was murdered by his sons, which may account in part
for the apparent fact that the great work was left by
the sculptor incomplete.
Of the two principal mounds within the ancient in
closure, that which is known as Nebbi-Yunus is the
smaller and less explored. Loftier and steeper than its
companion, it is a triangular area of forty acres. If an
artificial mound, it is estimated that it required the labor
of ten thousand men during five years to complete it. It
has a deep depression in the middle, on one side of which
is a Moslem cemetery, and on the other side is a small vil
lage of Kurds and Turcomans, to whom the hill belongs.
The most conspicuous object on the mound is the mosque,
* Nahum iii., 13.

292 THRONES AND PALACES OF
beneath Avhich is the traditional tomb of the prophet
Jonah. Although the fanaticism of the Moslems is a bar
to thorough explorations, yet sufficient antiquities have
been discovered to confirm the opinion, that the mound
is the site of more than one Assyrian palace yet to be
exhumed Avhen the power of the Turk is broken, and
the people are ruled by an intelligent and liberal gov
ernment. Among the relics found there were inscribed

TOMB OP THE PROPHET JONAH, AND THE RrVER KHAUSSER.
tablets, a pair of colossal human-headed bulls, two fig
ures of the Assyrian Hercules slaying the lion, and the
Avails of an antique chamber. These, however, are but
the promise of richer results, which the impatient ex
plorer is now anticipating with confidence and delight.
Half a mile to the north-Avest is the larger of the two
mounds of Kuyunjik. The river Khausser flows near its
south-eastern base. It is nearly a mile and a half in cir
cumference, and is ninety-five feet high at its south-east
corner. The area is equal to a hundred acres, and ap-

PALACE- OP SENNACHERIB RESTORED.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 295
pears to be a mass of transported earth. If artificial, it
occupied tAventy thousand men six years to complete the
platform. Its flat summit is annually plowed, which is
the fulfillment of prophecy. The rains of the centuries
have cut deep ravines down its sides, which are now
channels for the torrents in the rainy season. On the
northern end is a ruined village; near it is the white
tomb of some Moslem saint; and between the village
and the tomb is the broad, steep road that leads to the
summit. Ascending the beaten path in company with Mr. Hor-
muzd Rassam, the distinguished explorer, we were soon
within the excavated palace of the renowned Sennach
erib. The great structure had been uncovered by Mr.
Layard, so that we could now traverse its spacious courts,
its lengthened halls, its many rooms, and examine with
admiration its beautiful bass-reliefs, and contemplate its
grand fagades. It stood on an artificial platform ninety
feet high, which was covered with a pavement of bricks.
The public and private apartments were connected by a
noble corridor two hundred and eighteen feet long and
twenty-five feet wide, from which passage-ways led into
the public courts, and from the latter other passage-ways
led into the king's seraglio. From the two chief en
trances extended immense halls, whose length was not
less than one hundred and eighty feet, and whose width
measured forty feet. From these halls were the entrances
into the twenty large rooms and into the fifty smaller
ones, all of which were elegantly adorned with sculptures
in relief. When complete, with all its terraces, fagades,
courts, halls, and rooms, the grand palace covered an area
equal to eight acres of ground. Lofty flights of marble
steps led up to the three facades — one on the north-east,
one on the south-east, and the third on the south-west ;

296

THRONES AND PALACES OF

and each of these magnificent entrances was ornamented
by five pairs of human-headed bulls and lions and other
colossal figures. It is supposed that the western face of
the palace overlooked the Tigris, which once washed the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 299
base of the great platform, and which was reached by an
inclined way, or steps, leading down to the water's edge.
But the principal approach to the royal abode was on
the eastern side, where the great bulls were found bear
ing the inscribed annals of Sennacherib.
From this eastern entrance we passed through the
halls and larger rooms of the deserted palace, and expe
rienced an enthusiasm which language is inadequate to
express. Many of the bass-reliefs remain in their orig
inal positions, and evince a degree of perfection in sculpt
ure not excelled in later times. There is more of the
picturesque in these than in those at Nimroud, and a
greater fullness of detail. The sculptor sought to trans
fer to the marble the landscape where occurred the his
toric events he aimed to portray. The high mountain,
the extended plain, the flowing river, the spreading palm,
the rugged rocks, the embattled city, the contending ar
mies; are traced with marvelous reality. On the walls
of one hall is sculptured a lofty mountain covered with
trees, and at its base a broad and flowing river, filled
with fish, whose motion in the water is almost percepti
ble. On the walls of other apartments through which
we passed are portrayed battle- scenes ; triumphal pro
cessions ; captives taken in war ; superb horses led by
grooms ; the Tigris, wherein fish are swimming ; a gar
den, wherein are fruitful trees and blooming flowers ; a
palm with six branches; and gigantic human -headed
lions, whose sides are covered with the arrow-headed
characters. When in its glory, this palace was an art-gallery, on
whose walls were sculptured in relief the national and
domestic life of the Ninevites ; their religious ceremonies ;
their hunting-scenes; their mechanical arts; the natural
history of their country ; their methods of warfare ; the

300 THRONES AND PALACES OF
chief incidents in their famous battles; the treatment of
captives taken in war; their military equipments; their
domestic and public architecture ; their modes of naviga
tion; their ornaments in glass, ivory, metals, and pottery;
their household furniture ; their musical instruments, such
as the harp and the lyre ; the variety of their food and
style of cooking ; their implements of agriculture ; their
festal scenes ; the ornaments worn by the ladies ; the pri
vate life of the king, and the royal honors paid him at
court and on his return from victorious Avar. So numer
ous were the bass-reliefs in this magnificent palace, that,
were they arranged in order, their aggregated length
would not be less than two miles; and to these should
be added the colossal winged lions, bulls, and sphinxes
which adorned the twenty-seven portals that have been
discovered. By a careful study of these sculptures, it
was easy to learn what were the birds, the beasts, the
fishes, the plants and flowers, the minerals and metals,
the topography and landscape scenery of Assyria; the
size and features of the people ; the style of the costumes
worn ; and the peculiar features of the government of the
Ninevites. On the northern wall of the great hall of the palace
were a series of reliefs, which convey to the mind the
skill of the artist and the state of mechanical science
which then obtained. They represent the process of
transporting the great human -headed lions from the
quarry whence the marble was taken to the place for
Avhich it was designed. There is the low, flat-bottomed
boat floating on the river which conveyed the huge mass
to a point opposite the city ; there are the strong cables
by which it is held in its place, and to which are at
tached smaller ropes held by a large body of men, who
are tracking the boat to its destination ; there are the

REMOVAL OP A COLOSSAL LION.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. ¦ 303
task -masters, armed with swords, who are placed over
the captives; and seated astride the stone is the over
seer, whose outstretched hands indicate that he is issu
ing his commands ; there is the sledge on the river-bank
on Avhich the sculptured block is placed, to be hauled to
its place in the palace. The sledge is impelled by le--
vers, and dragged by men, over whose shoulders the ropes
are passed. Beneath the sledge are placed rollers, to fa
cilitate the motion ; and there is depicted the whole proc
ess by which the great image is elevated to its pedestal,
by means of props, the wedge, the lever, and the pulley,
with which the Assyrians were acquainted.
In another hall was portrayed, with equal spirit and
greater detail, the siege of Lachish by Sennacherib and
his mighty army. The scene is in the land of the fig
and the Afine. The besieged city is defended by double
walls, with embattled towers and strong outworks. The
warriors are drawn up before the beleaguered town :
some are archers, some spearmen, some slingers. From
the castellated towers, the besieged are hurling javelins,
stones, fire-brands, and discharging arrows on their ene
mies. Undaunted, the- Assyrians seek to scale the walls
by means of ladders ; and, to intimidate their enemies,
they are impaling those who have fallen into their
hands. At length the city capitulates, and in long pro
cessions the captives are marched out, and brought be
fore the king, who is seated on a gorgeous throne.
It was while the occupant of this stupendous and
gorgeous palace that Sennacherib was murdered by his
sons, Sharezer and Adrammelech. The great king was
worshiping in the temple of his patron deity, when the
parricides dispatched their father, impatient to wear his
crown. And thus perished in an evil hour the most cel
ebrated of all the Assyrian kings. Proud and haughty,

304

THRONES AND PALACES OF

self-confident and fearless, he displayed a strength of
will and a fertility of genius beyond all his predeces
sors. Ascending the throne in b.c 705, his prosperous
reign lasted through a quarter of a century. By his
military prowess, he excited a sense of dread in the
miuds of his most formidable enemies ; he enlarged the
limits of his dominions, and
created for himself an imperish
able name. Egypt and Ethio
pia, Susiana and Babylon, Syria
and Palestine, felt the power of
his arms. He is best known to
the general reader by his expe
dition against Hezekiah, King
of Judah. Crossing the Tigris
and the Euphrates with an im
mense army, he descended from
the Lebanons to the Mediterra
nean, and seized Phoenicia. By
the dread his arms inspired, all
the petty monarchs of the coast
hastened to pay the tributes
which they had dared to with
hold. Tyre and Sidon, Sarepta
and Joppa, Ashdod and Asca-
lon, Hazor andBeth-dagon, were
taken by the conqueror. But
the King of Ekron had presumed to defy the coming of
the Assyrians. He had for his allies the Egyptians and
Ethiopians, whose combined forces were posted at the
city of Eltekeh, mentioned by Joshua as a city of the
Levites.* The battle was long and bloody, and resulted

SENNACHERIB ON HIS THRONE.

* Joshua xix., 44.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 307
in an overwhelming defeat of the confederated kings.
The spoils of the victors were vast and rich. Thousands
of captives were sold as slaves. The princes captured
were slain, and their bodies exposed on stakes around
the whole circuit of the walls of the city ; and the im
perial city of Ekron opened its gates to the victor.
Flushed with success, determined and revengeful, in
tent on the punishment of all who had opposed his au
thority, Sennacherib prepared to measure arms with
King Hezekiah. It appears from history that the citi
zens of Ekron had deposed King Padi, who had been
loyal to Assyria, and had sent him in chains to Heze
kiah for safe -keeping. Having accepted the charge of
the deposed king, Hezekiah had thereby become party
to the rebellion of the Ekronites against their Assyrian
master. To punish the King of Judah for this com
plicity, and to compel him to surrender the person of
Padi, was the double object of Sennacherib in invading
Judea. From the gates of Ekron the King of Assyria marched
to attack Jerusalem. On his way he captured many
smaller cities, and took not less than two hundred thou
sand captives. Having reached the Holy City, he be
sieged it with a determination which alarmed Hezekiah
and all his men of war. Fearing a disastrous issue of
a persistent resistance, Hezekiah concluded to surrender
conditionally, and his proposal was at once accepted by
Sennacherib. He consented to surrender Padi, and to
pay an enormous tribute in gold and silver and the
chief treasures of his palace.
The terms of the capitulation are recorded in the
Bible and in the Assyrian annals, which records agree
in a most remarkable manner. In the Second Book of
Kings it is said : " Now in the fourteenth year of king

308

THRONES AND PALACES OF

Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up
against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of As
syria to Lachish, saying, I have offended ; return from
me : that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And
the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of
Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents
of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that
was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures
of the king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off
the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and
from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had
overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria."*

Km ' V I
Iw " Sift ? i 1 1 1 ¦¦ ' , (si , ' ' i* 1 jHii U

i

dBHb
fcirMlsSlrii f: ¦.¦_'•¦'

INSCRIBED TABLETS.

Among the ruins of the palace of Sennacherib were
found the inscribed annals of his reign. They cover a
period in all of sixty- six years, and consist of three

* 2 Kings xviii., 13-16.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

309

separate records. The first consists of inscriptions on
the winged bulls which ornamented one of the grand
facades, and extend over a period of six years ; the sec
ond is inscribed on a large barrel-shaped terra-cotta cyl
inder, embracing two years; and the third is engraved
on a hexagonal cylinder of the same material, and in
cludes eight years in all. These several records have
been deciphered by those thoroughly \Tersed in the trans
lation of the cuneiform characters, and their translations
are accepted as correct.

INSCRIPTIONS ON THE WINGED BULLS.
The account of his campaign against Hezekiah is sup
posed to have been written by Sennacherib himself, and
is as follows : " Because Hezekiah, king of Judah, would
not submit to my yoke, I came up against him, and by
force of arms and by the might of my power I took forty-
six of his strong fenced cities ; and of the smaller towns
which were scattered about I took and plundered a count
less number. And from these places I captured and car
ried off as spoil two hundred thousand one hundred and

310 THRONES AND PALACES OF
fifty people, old and young, male and female, together
with horses and mares, asses and camels, oxen and sheep,
a countless multitude. And Hezekiah himself I shut in
Jerusalem, his capital city, like a bird in a cage, building
towers round the city to hem him in, and raising banks
of earth against the gates, so as to prevent escape 
Then upon this Hezekiah there fell the fear of my arms,
and he sent out to me the chiefs and the elders of Jeru
salem with thirty talents of gold and eight hundred tal
ents of silver, and divers treasures, a rich and immense
booty  All these things were brought to me at Nin
eveh, the seat of my government, Hezekiah having sent
them by way of tribute, and as a token of his submission
to my power."*
The agreement between these two independent ac
counts is one of the most remarkable coincidences of
historic testimony on record, and mutually prove the gen
eral accuracy of the translations of the Biblical and As
syrian records. The principal discrepancy relates to the
amount of. treasure demanded and given. Both state
ments correspond as to the amount of gold, but there is
a difference of five hundred talents in the amount of sil
ver, which may be accounted for on one of two supposi
tions: Sennacherib gives the sum demanded; the Bible
gives the sum paid ; or, the Bible account includes the
actual amount of money to have been three hundred tal
ents of silver, while the Assyrian records comprise all the
precious metal received.
In less than two years after his return in triumph,
Sennacherib was again in Palestine. His frontier on the
south-west was threatened by Egypt, which claimed do
minion to Lachish on the extreme verge of the Holy
* Translation by Sir Henry Rawlinson.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 311
Land. He therefore besieged Lachish " with all his pow
er," and determined to crush, if possible, an enemy which
had disputed his right to hold in vassalage the kingdoms
that bordered on the Mediterranean. The example of
Egypt had revived the hopes of Hezekiah, who had
thrown off his allegiance to Sennacherib, and had en
tered into an alliance with the Egyptians. Sennacherib
had, therefore, a twofold object to accomplish in his sec
ond expedition to Palestine. To have his authority re
spected, he must reduce Hezekiah to a state of helpless
submission, and must crush with a blow the daring
Sethos, a powerful prince who ruled in Lower Egypt.
While engaged in the siege of Lachish, he dispatched
Rab-shakeh, his chief cup-bearer, and Rabsaris, his chief
eunuch, to summon Hezekiah to an unconditional sur
render. These two high officers of his court were sup
ported by a strong body of troops, under the command
of Tartan. Their coming alarmed the king, and sent con
sternation to the hearts of the people of the Holy City.
Standing " by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in
the highway of the fuller's field," Rab-shakeh addressed
the king's messengers in most uncourtly terms, and then
sought to excite the popular fears and hopes by a direct
appeal to the people. " But the people held their peace,
and answered him not a word." Unable to take the city
by the force under Tartan, and disappointed in the effect
of his eloquent blasphemy, Rab-shakeh and his colleagues
returned to report their ill-success to their royal master.
Sennacherib, however, resolved to make another effort to
overcome the obstinacy of Hezekiah, and accordingly sent
him an autograph letter, in which he warned him not to
trust in God, who could not save him. "And Hezekiah
received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and
read it : and Hezekiah went up into the house of the

312 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Lord, and spread it before the Lord," and prayed : " Lord,
bow down thine ear, and hear : open, Lord, thine eyes,
and see : and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath
sent him to reproach the living God." The king's prayer
prevailed. Isaiah was commissioned to allay the fears
of the good Hezekiah, and to assure him : " I Avill defend
this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my serv
ant David's sake," and " I will put my hook into the nose
of Sennacherib and my bridle into his lips, and I will
turn him back by the way he came." " He shall not come
into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before
it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way
that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not
come into this city, saith the Lord."*
These prophetic words received a fulfillment beyond
their seeming scope. From Lachish and Libnah, Sen
nacherib advanced to Pelusium, where Sethos was en
camped with his Egyptian host. The time was proba
bly coincident with the prayer of Hezekiah in the house
of the Lord. The day had declined, and the shadows of
night were falling on the embattled hosts. The mor
row was to be the day of battle. To the coming of that
morn the Egyptians looked forward with anxious fears ;
the Assyrians, with confidence as to the issues of the
combat. But no morrow was to come to the hosts sleep
ing peacefully in the tents of Assyria. "And it came to
pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and
smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore
and five thousand: and when they arose early in the
morning, behold, they were all dead corpses."f
From that unfought battle Sennacherib returned to
Nineveh shorn of his glory, and leaving, as the ghastly
* 2 Kings xix. t 2 Kings xix., 35.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

313

JEWISH CAPTIVES.

monument of his defeat, one hundred and eighty -five
thousand Assyrian corpses, to be swept by the simoom
and devoured by the vulture and hyena. It is not
strange that he has left no record of that terrible reverse
to his military success. His annals thereon are silent
as the voiceless dead he had abandoned unburied. He
would not perpetuate the memory of his own overthrow.
Jerusalem and Pelusium were cities to be forgotten.
Hezekiah and Sethos were names to be consigned to
oblivion. In all time to come, the West was to be
avoided as the land of ill-fortune. He was content to
hand down to coming generations that he had compelled
Hezekiah to pay him tribute, and to have sculptured on
the walls of his palace the forms of the Jewish captives
taken in a previous campaign. His subsequent years
were spent in wars against Babylon, Susiana, and Cili-
cia; and his obituary is thus written by the inspired
penman : "And it came to pass, as Sennacherib was wor
shiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adramme-
lech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword."*

* 2 Kings xix., 37.

314 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Among the ruins of his palace was found his will,
which is considered the earliest copy of a will extant.
The translation is as follows : " Sennacherib, king of mul
titudes, King of Assyria, has given chains of gold, stores
of ivory, a cup of gold, crowns and chains besides, all the
riches, of which there are heaps, crystal and another pre
cious stone and bird's stone: one and a half manehs,
two and a half cibi, according to their weight : to Esar-
haddon my son, who was afterward named Asshur-ebil-
mucin-pal, according to my wish; the treasure of the
Temple of Amuk and Nebo-irik-erba, the harpists of
Nebo."* From the palace of Sennacherib, we passed a few hun
dred yards to the north-west, and entered the long, deep
trenches which had been made to uncover the once mag
nificent palace of Asshur-bani-pal, the grandson of Sen
nacherib, and the Sardanapalus of the Greeks and Ro
mans. The honor of discovering the site of this cele
brated structure belongs to Mr. Hormuzd Rassam, who
was our mentor on this interesting occasion. The royal
structure resembled in general outline a gigantic cross,
and it is supposed that in the western arm thereof were
the private apartments of the monarch. Here was a
grand hall, one hundred and forty -five feet long and
thirty feet wide, which opened into a large court paved
with slabs, on which were traced designs of exquisite
beauty. From this court there were openings into
smaller rooms, and on the south and south-Avest of these
was a second spacious court. In the eastern arm of the
cross was a grand hall, one hundred and eight feet in
length and twenty-four feet in breadth, in the centre of
which Avas a door-way that opened into a square ante-
* " Records of the Past," vol. i., p. 136.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 315
chamber, and into another apartment eighty feet long.
The central portion of the building was reached by a
long, ascending gallery adorned with sculptures, and at
the entrance of which was a gate-way of extraordinary
beauty. No other Assyrian palace was comparable to
this in the elaborate character and elegant finish of its
ornamentation. The flowery pavement of the courts, the
rosetted ceilings of the arched door- ways, the minute and
delicate reliefs on alabaster slabs that lined the walls of
hall and court and chamber, imparted to the whole an
elegance nowhere else apparent in Nineveh.
And the sculptures in relief expressed the tastes of
the king. He loved flowers and trees and birds ; he
was fond of the chase ; he delighted in aquatic sports,
and had them portrayed on the marble. As a hunter,
he excelled all his royal predecessors. He hunted the
stag, the gazelle, the wild ass, and the lion. He is repre
sented as hunting in the parks attached to his palace,
wherein lions were kept in cages, and turned loose for
him to kill. Now he hunts from his chariot; anon, on
horseback; again, on foot. Noav he is attended by armed
warriors and protected by a shield, and dead and dying
lions lie scattered around him, transfixed with his ar
rows. In moments of greater daring, he is on foot in
single-handed combat With the lion, who is speared by
the kingly hunter. The return from the hunt is cele
brated by music, and by the king pouring a libation on
the body of a dead lion. Although living in a coun
try where the seclusion of woman is a proverb, yet he so
far disregarded the conventional customs of society as
to have his queen represented as being present at some
royal banquet. Nor did he fail to perpetuate the sad
der, grander details of war. The assault and the defense,
the flight and the pursuit, the gathering of the spoils,

316

THRONES AND PALACES OF

the capture and cruel
treatment of the prison
ers, are delineated with
a master's hand.
Coming to the throne
in the year 668 b.c, he
was ambitious to en
large his dominions and
subdue all his enemies.
He pursued the fugitive
Tirhakah from Mem
phis to Thebes, and
compelled Urdamane to
fly in the same direc
tion. Having marched
in triumph along the
Syrian coast, he crossed
the Taurus range, and
penetrated Asia Minor
to a point never before
visited by an Assyrian
monarch. Elam, Chal
dea, and Arabia felt the
power of his arms, and
yielded to a warrior
whom it was madness
to oppose. But his fa
miliarity with blood in
war and in the chase
made him cruel and
vindictive. He prac
ticed tortures, mutila
tions, and executions on
the prisoners he took

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 317
in battle, and perpetuated his modes of extreme pun
ishment in the bass-reliefs on his palace walls. There
on may be seen the helpless captive thrust through
with a spear, and his tongue torn from his mouth ; a
conquered king beheaded on the field of battle ; a pris
oner led to execution with the head of a friend sus
pended about his neck; a captive flayed alive; and the
victors returning home, each one holding by its hair the
head of some less fortunate combatant. No marvel the
prophet called Nineveh " a bloody city."
It is a venerable saying, and confirmed by all history,
that " with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured
to you again." The sword of conquest was to pass into
other hands. The day of retribution had come. Asshur-
bani-pal was to witness the decline of a monarchy which
he had crowned with glory. The end of his great em
pire was at hand, not from inherent weakness or prema
ture decay, but from a combination of circumstances,
which he was powerless to resist. Coming from the fro
zen regions of the North, the brave, the cruel, the count
less Scythians overran the richest portions of Assyria, be
sieged and plundered many of the oldest cities, rich in
the accumulated stores of ages, and wantonly burned the
noblest palace of the empire. They found it a garden ;
they left it a wilderness. In their barbarous cruelty,
they flayed their enemies alive ; they drank their blood ;
they stripped the scalp from the skull, to be a trophy on
their horse's bridle, and of the skull they made a drink-
ing-cup. Against such a foe, Asshur-bani-pal could not
successfully contend. But he was permitted to see the
departure of an invader he had failed to conquer. Al
though aged, he might have restored his empire to some
what of its former greatness ; but, after a reign of forty-
two years, he died, and was succeeded by his son Saracus,

318 THRONES AND PALACES OF
destined to be the last king of ancient and renowned
Assyria. The enemies of the father were the enemies of the son.
The Medes were prepared to renew their effort for the
conquest of the Assyrian empire. Their leader was the
skillful and daring Cyaxares, who had for his allies the
Susianians, so often defeated by the kings of Assyria.
To provide against the impending danger, Saracus re
solved to command in person the defenses of his capital,
and to dispatch his general, Nabopolassar, to Babylon, to
defend the provinces of the South. But the young king
had not provided against a foe in the person of his chosen
general. Taking advantage of the difficulties that sur
rounded his monarch, Nabopolassar joined the allies, and
received as a reward for his treachery the daughter of
the Median king, to be the wife of his eldest son, the cel
ebrated Nebuchadnezzar. The forces of the allies, un
der the joint command of Cyaxares and Nabopolassar,
marched against Nineveh, and besieged the imperial city.
Never was a beleaguered town more bravely defended.
If we may credit Diodorus, the allied army numbered
more than four hundred thousand. The siege lasted
during three years. In the third year, the floods accom
plished what the enemy had failed to effect. Supersti
tion hastened a result which embattled hosts could not
attain. The king gave heed to an oracle which had
told him to, fear nothing till the river became his enemy.
The swollen and overflowing Tigris had destroyed two
miles of the city wall. The oracle was revered as di
vine. Bereft of faith, conscious that all the means of re
sistance were exhausted, and inspired by despair, Sara
cus resolved to burn his palace, and perish in the flames
thereof. Amidst the smoke and flame of the royal abode,
the allied forces entered the city on the side which the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 319
floods had breached, and, having plundered it of its
wealth, left it a desolation.
Two Hebrew prophets had foretold the fall of the em
pire, the destruction of the capital, and the present deso
late appearance of the site thereof. In a strain of invec
tive, astonishing for its richness, variety, and energy, the
seer of Elkosh had denounced the Assyrians, and de
scribed the capture and destruction of Nineveh. His
prophecy is " The Burden of Nineveh ;" Avherein he says,
"I will make thy grave, for thou art vile;" and, "Woe
to the bloody city ! it is all full of lies and robbery." Its
hunting -parks and royal menageries, wherein the kings
indulged in the pleasures of the chase, are referred to in
designation of the place : " Where is the dwelling of the
lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where the
lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's Avhelp, and
none made them afraid ?" As if he himself were there,
he repeats the orders to prepare to resist the approaching
foe : " Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong
holds ; go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong
the brickkiln." So vivid is his description of the strug
gle that ensued, that one can almost see and hear what
then transpired : " The shield of his mighty men is made
red, the valiant men are in scarlet : the chariots shall be
with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and
the fir-trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall
rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another
in the broad ways : they shall seem like torches, they
shall run like the lightnings. He shall recount his
worthies : they shall stumble in their walk ; they shall
make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be
prepared." Bridging over, as it were, the intervening
century, the prophet is an eye-witness to the taking of
the city, and chronicles aforehand what subsequently oc-

320 THRONES AND PALACES OF
curred. Did the floods destroy the river Avail of the
city ? " The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the
palace shall be dissolved." " The gates of thy land shall
be set wide open unto thine enemies." Did Saracus burn
his palace? "There shall the fire devour thee." "The
fire shall devour thy bars." " The palace shall be dis
solved." Was there a panic in the captured city ? " Stand,
stand, shall they cry ; but none shall look back." Were
the victors enriched by the booty taken ? " Take ye the
spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold : for there is none
end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furni
ture." And the prophetic vision is projected far beyond
the time of the siege, and the traveler of to-day is the
witness to the fulfillment thereof in the desolation he be
holds. "Nineveh is laid waste." "Thy people is scat
tered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them."
Where once the proud city stood, a marsh is created by
the overflow of the Tigris and the Khausser. " But Nin
eveh of old is like a pool of water."* Where formerly
were the garden -homes of the Ninevites, between Ku
yunjik and Nimroud, are now pasture-fields whereon the
Arab shepherd feeds his sheep and goats. "And flocks
shall lie down in the midst of her." And at the great
centres, where were the magnificent palaces of the kings,
where the " rejoicing city dwelt carelessly, and said in
her heart, I am, and there is none beside me," there "is
she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down
in ! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his
hand."f * Book of Nahum. t Zephaniah ii., 14, 15.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 321

CHAPTER VI.
Discovery of the Royal Library of Asshur-bani-pal. — Rawlinson on the Na
ture and Style of Assyrian Writing. — Eminent Cuneiform Scholars. — Lay-
ard's History of the Process of Deciphering the Cuneiform Characters.
— Triumphant Success. — Specimens of the Translated Tablets. — Prom
issory Note. — Bill for the Sale of Slaves. — Deed of Conveyance. — Relig
ious Views of the Assyrians. — Forms of Prayer. — Death of a Righteous
Man. — Harmony between the Bible and the Assyrian Records. — Daniel
in the Lion's Den, and his Companions in the Fiery Furnace. — Modes of
Punishment. — Chaldean Account of the Creation and of the Deluge by
Berosus. — Original Account of the Flood by the Assyrians, Discovered
by Mr. Smith, and his more recent Translation of the Same. — Copy of the
Record. — Its Agreement and Disagreement with the Bible. — Probable
Future Discoveries, and their Bearing on Biblical Interpretation. — What
the United States should do in the Work of Exploration.
Taventy-five hundred years after the destruction of
the palace of Asshur-bani-pal, there was exhumed from
the ruins thereof his " Royal Library." Consisting of
more than twenty thousand inscribed terra-cotta tablets
and fragments of tablets, it contains the records of the
past, and evinces the literary taste of a king who excelled
all his kingly predecessors in his love of learning, and in
the advancement of the same. In th§ adjoining palace
of his grandfather, Sennacherib, there had also been dis
covered a chamber, whose floor was covered with similar
tablets to the height of a foot, and Avhich room is sup
posed to have been the depository for such earthen doc
uments. Some are broken, but many are entire ; and the
inscriptions thereon are as distinct to-day as when the
impression was made upon the plastic clay. Some are
slightly convex, and an inch in length ; others are flat,
21

322 THRONES AND PALACES OF
and measure nine inches in length and six inches in
breadth. They contain comparative vocabularies, lists of
deities and their epithets, chronological tables of kings,
records of astronomical observations, grammars, histo
ries, scientific works of various kinds, and royal decrees.
Others contain the names of the months, a list of weights
and measui'es, the Assyrian calendar, a code of laws, a
table of square roots, private business contracts, prayers
for protection against the Evil Spirit, omens, hymns, the
religious belief of the Assyrians, the movements of the
planet Venus, the eclipses of the moon, the vernal equi
nox, royal-birth portents, the names of tributary cities,
the annals of Sennacherib's invasion of Judea, and the
Assyrian account of the Deluge.
Many of the fragments have been put together by pa
tient and laborious scholars, and, having arranged the
broken parts, they have successfully translated the in
scriptions thereon. From these deciphered records, Ave
are permitted to form a general idea of the manners and
customs, of the arts and literature, of the religion and
history, of a people of whose remarkable civilization
Ave have hitherto known but little. And, inferring the
future from the past, we may confidently look for addi
tional information as the work of cuneiform translation
is successfully advanced.
" We may now proceed to consider the style and nat
ure of the Assyrian writing. Derived evidently from
the Chaldean, it is far less archaic in type, presenting no
pictorial representations of objects, and but a feAv char
acters where the pictorial representation can be traced.
It is in no case wholly rectilinear ; and indeed preserves
the straight line only in a A7ery few characters, as in
lrr=Mf for 'house,' iTi=f for 'gate,' gf for 'temple, al
tar,' and $£=* for ' fish,' all Avhich are in the latter inscrip-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 323
tions superseded by simpler forms. The wedge may
thus be said to be almost the sole element of the writ
ing — the wedge, hoAvever, under a great variety of forms
— sometimes greatly elongated, as thus » — , sometimes
contracted to a triangle >, sometimes broadened out y,
sometimes doubled in such a way as to form an arrow
head <, and placed in every direction — horizontal, per
pendicular, and diagonal.
"The number of characters is very great. Sir H.
RaAAdinson, in the year 1851, published a list of two hun
dred and forty-six, or, including variants, three hundred
and sixty-six characters, as occurring in the inscriptions
known to him. M. Oppert, in 1858, gave three hundred
and eighteen forms as those ' most in use.' Of course it
is at once evident that this alphabet can not represent
elementary sounds. The Assyrian characters do, in fact,
correspond, not to letters, according to our notion of let
ters, but to syllables. These syllables are either mere
voAvel sounds, such as we represent by our vowels and
diphthongs, or such sounds accompanied by one or two
consonants. The vowels are not very numerous. The
Assyrians recognize three only as fundamental — a, i,
and u. Besides these they have the diphthongs ai, near
ly equivalent to e ; and au, nearly equivalent to o. The
voAvels i and u have also the powers, respectively, of y
and v.
"The consonant sounds recognized in the language
are sixteen in number. They are the labial, guttural,
and dental tenues, p, h, t ; the labial, guttural, and dental
mediae, b, g, d ; the guttural and dental aspirates, hh
(= Heb. n) and th (= Greek 0); the liquids l,m,n,r;
and the sibilants s, sh (— Heb. id), ts (= Heb. s), and z.
The system here is nearly that of the Hebrew, from
which it differs only by the absence of the simple aspi-

324 THRONES AND PALACES OF
rate n, of the guttural y, and of the aspirated s (ph). It
has no sound which the Hebrew has not.
" From these sounds, combined with the simple vow
els, comes the Assyrian syllabarium, to which, and not to
the consonants themselves, the characters were assigned.
In the first place, each consonant being capable of two
combinations with each simple vowel, could give birth
naturally to six simple syllables, each of which would be
in the Assyrian system represented by a character. Six
characters, for instance, entirely different from one anoth
er, represented pa, pi, pu, ap, ip, up ; six others, ha, hi, hu,
ah, ih, uh; six others, again, ta, ti, tu, at, it, ut. If this
rule were carried out in every case, the sixteen consonant
sounds would, it is evident, produce ninety-six characters.
The. actual number, however, found in this way is only
seventy-five, since there are seven of the consonants which
only combine with the vowels in one way. Thus we
have ba, bi, bu, but not a b, ib, ub ; ga, gi, gu, but not ag,
ig, ug ; and so on. The sounds regarded as capable of
only one combination are the mediae, b, g, d ; the aspirates
hh, ih; the sibilants ts and z.
" Such is the first and simplest syllabarium : but the
Assyrian system does not stop here. It proceeds to com
bine with each simple vowel sounds two consonants, one
preceding the vowel, and the other following it. If this
plan were followed out to the utmost possible extent,
the result would be an addition to the syllabarium of
seven hundred and sixty -eight sounds, each having its
proper character, which would raise the number of char
acters to between eight and nine hundred ! Fortunately
for the student, phonetic laws and other causes have in
tervened to check this extreme luxuriance ; and the com
binations of this kind which are known to exist, instead
of amounting to the full limit of seven hundred and six-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 325
ty-eight, are under one hundred and fifty. The known
Assyrian alphabet is, however, in this way raised from
eighty, or, including variants, one hundred, to between
two hundred and forty and two hundred and fifty char
acters. "Further, there is another kind of character, quite
different from these, which Orientalists have called ' de
terminatives.' Certain classes of words have a sign
prefixed or suffixed to them, most commonly the former,
by which their general character is indicated. The
names of gods, of men, of cities, of tribes, of wild an
imals, of domestic animals, of metals, of months, of the
points of the compass, and of dignities, are thus accom
panied. The sign prefixed or suffixed may have origi
nally represented a word ; but when used in the way here
spoken of, it is believed that it was not sounded, but
served simply to indicate to the reader the sort of word
which was placed before him. Thus, a single perpendic
ular wedge, f , indicates that the next word will be the
name of a man ; such a wedge, preceded by two horizon
tal ones, T , tells us to expect the appellative of a god ;
while other more complicated combinations are used in
the remaining instances. There are about ten or twelve
characters of this description.
" Finally, there a certain number of characters which
have been called ' ideographs,' or ' monograms.' Most of
the gods, and various cities and countries, are represented
by a group of wedges, which is thought not to have a
real phonetic force, but to be a conventional sign for an
idea, much as the Arabic numerals, 1, 2, 3, etc., are non-
phonetic signs representing the ideas, one, two, three, etc.
The known characters of this description are between
twenty and thirty.
" The known Assyrian characters are thus brought up

326 THRONES AND PALACES OF
nearly to three hundred ! There still remain a consider
able number which are either wholly unknown, or of
which the meaning is knoAvn, while the phonetic A-alue
can not at present be determined. M. Oppert's Cata
logue contains fourteen of the former and fifty-nine of
the latter class.
"It has been already observed that the monumental
evidence accords with the traditional belief in regard to
the character of the Assyrian language, which is unmis
takably Semitic. Not only does the vocabulary present
constant analogies to other Semitic dialects, but the pho
netic laws and the grammatical forms are equally of this
type. At the same time, the language has peculiarities
of its OAvn, which separate it from its kindred tongues,
and constitute it a distinct form of Semitic speech, not a
mere A^ariety of any known form. It is neither Hebrew,
nor Arabic, nor Phoenician, nor Chaldee, nor Syriac, but
a sister-tongue to these, having some analogies with all
of them, and others, more or fewer, with each. On the
whole, its closest relationship seems to be with the He
brew, and its greatest divergence from the Aramaic or
Syriac, Avith which it was yet, locally, iu immediate con
nection."* But the decipherment of the cuneiform inscriptions
on the tablets, the cylinders, the obelisks, the bulls,
and walls discovered at Nineveh, required much patient
and persistent labor. There were, however, eminent
scholars equal to the task ; and all honor to Grotefend,
Dr. Hinks, M. Oppert, Mr. Norris, Fox Talbot, Sir Hen
ry RaAvlinson, G. Smith, and Mr. Layard, who have not
only overcome the chief difficulties which beset the sub
ject, but have had the satisfaction to know that their
* Rawlinson's "Ancient Monarchies," vol. i., pp. 268-272.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 327
translations have- been accepted as reliable. At first all
was conjecture ; then the process of investigation Avas
purely tentative ; but conjecture Avas superseded by cer
tainty, and the tentative by the demonstrative. Step
by step these patient toilers advanced, till results as
sured them of success. To verify Avhat had been done,
translations of the same inscription, but made by differ
ent persons, Avere carefully compared, one with the oth
er, and then compared Avith the well-ascertained facts of
contemporaneous history. By this thorough and hon
orable method Avere the translations of the Annals of
Sennacherib tested, and which Avere found substantially
correct when compared Avith the Bible account of his
wars against the Jews. And it is no mean compliment
to. the translators that the French Academy, justly con
sidered the first literary and scientific body in the Avoiid,
has recognized the progress made, the correctness of the
principles upon which the decipherment of the cuneiform
inscriptions are based, and the importance of the results
already obtained, by recommending one of the foremost
of the translators, Dr. Oppert, as entitled to receive the
great prize of twenty thousand francs, conferred period
ically upon the author Avho has rendered the greatest
service to literature or science. It is to Mr. Layard that
we are indebted for the following lucid account of the
process and progress in the difficulty task of deciphering
the Assyrian inscriptions :
"Although our knowledge is far from complete, yet
the sculptures and inscriptions have enabled us to put
together a part of the skeleton of Assyrian history, and
to illustrate to a certain extent the manners, arts, sci
ences, and literature of the Assyrian people. So much
unreasonable incredulity still exists as to the extent to
which this has been effected through the interpretation

328. THRONES AND PALACES OF
of the cuneiform inscriptions, and the evidence upon
which that interpretation rests has been so summarily
rejected by English writers of great and deserved au
thority, that a short account of the history of cuneiform
decipherment may be interesting to some of my readers,
and may tend to remove those erroneous impressions
which exist on the subject.
"The investigation of the arrow-headed character is
by no means a new study. It Avas first seriously at
tempted in the year 1802 by Grotefend, a learned Ger
man scholar. At that time the only materials accessible
for this purpose, with the exception of the well-known
inscribed bricks from the ruins of Babylon, were the in
scriptions carved on rocks, and on the remains of edifices
at Persepolis and Hamadan (Ecbatana), and near other
ancient sites in Persia. Copies of these inscriptions, more
or less accurate, had been brought to Europe by various
travelers from the time of Tavernier and Chardin. For
tunately, although short, they afforded the most impor
tant materials for breaking ground and taking the first
step in the interpretation of the cuneiform character.
They are trilingual, that is to say, that the same inscrip
tion is repeated three times in a different language and
in a different character; but, unfortunately, unlike the
trilingual inscription on the celebrated Rosetta stone,
which furnishes a key for the decipherment of the Egyp
tian hieroglyphics, neither the languages nor the charac
ters were previously known to us. The trilingual in
scriptions of Persia are generally divided into three par
allel columns, or arranged in three distinct tablets, each
containing the same inscriptions expressed in a different
language, and in a different modification of the cunei
form character — the letters and signs in each column be
ing formed by the same elementary wedges arranged in

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 329
different combinations or groups. That the inscriptions
are the same is evident from the fact of the recurrence
of the same groups of letters or words in each column or
tablet, at the same regular intervals. I give a copy
hereAvith of one of these trilingual tablets from Per-
sepolis, in order that my readers may understand their
nature, and the process by which they are deciphered.
"It will be perceived that the
|lA tP1- 2^- combination of wedges forming a
"I- ^ n^ ^ letter or sign differs in each col-
*"- ^ ,__ *^ umn. The most simple combina-
*J *Z- *^~ A>" tion, and that which usually takes
 *~~ *fc the place of honor in the first col-
I "V *ZP AA umn of these tablets, is only found
on monuments of the Persian pe
riod ; and the language of the in-

*= IB ^ T
^ AS & IB

t^Sx f->o. $«,$*

ik !g t lit _ II |»b:¥
'*i,t^ E-~T1 ^ ,, JHf
PT IE £ P JE ^ ^ W ' i ft "*• -
It' ^ T-jj * ^V?l"
IX ^ >^ i*A a ^
i=: ^ *?- * M fcz ^ ^ A *A
^iLK*t= ^ r T T * — Kli ,- — > —

First Column. Second Column. Third Column.
SPECIMEN OP A CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTION.

330 THRONES AND PALACES OF
scriptions is allied to the ancient Sanscrit. This is called
the Persian cuneiform character. The characters in the
second or centre column are commonly called the Me
dian, or, more correctly, the Touranian or Scythic, because
they are believed to express a Touranian or Tartar lan
guage, one of the then families of languages spoken by
the subjects of the ancient Persian kings. The inscrip
tions of the third column are in a character and language
nearly identical with those of the monuments of Nineveh
and Babylon. They have been, consequently, termed the
Assyrian and the Babylonian, or sometimes the Assyro-
Babylonian. " It Avill be further observed that in the first, or Per
sian, column a single oblique arrow-head or wedge con
stantly recurs. It first occurred to the German scholars,
Tychsen and Miinter, that this sign might mark the di
vision of Avords. This conjecture was confirmed by the
recurrence of the same group of letters forming a word,
sometimes with terminal variations which mio;ht indi-
cate case-endings, marked off, as it were, by these single
oblique wedges. Instances of this Avill be perceived in
the first and second lines of the inscription which I have
given. A comparison of a number of inscriptions led
to the further discovery that, Avhile the greater number
of words or groups of signs in each were generally the
same, certain groups had disappeared, and other groups,
which had before' appeared in another part of the in
scription, had taken their place. These, again, were suc
ceeded by a new group. This circumstance led Grote-
fend to conjecture that these signs so changing position
represented proper names of persons in the relation of
father and son, and that when a new king had ascended
the throne his name appeared in the place of his prede
cessor. The name of the grandfather Avould then disap-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 331
pear altogether, and be replaced by that of the father.
For instance, if in one inscription Darius was called the
son of Hystaspes, in a second, carved after his death,
Xerxes would be called son of Darius, the name of Da
rius taking the place of that of Hystaspes, Avhich would
no longer be found in the inscription.
" This ingenious conjecture led to the discovery of the
clue to the decipherment of the inscriptions, and Grote-
fend assumed that these groups of letters or signs were
the names of these very Persian kings. Supposing such
to be the case, and admitting that the ancient Persian
forms of these names varied considerably from those
handed down to us by the Greeks, yet he felt convinced
that the value of certain letters in them must be the
same. By various tentative processes he satisfied him
self that he had hit upon the light names, and that he
had determined the proper value of some, if not all, the
letters composing them. This enabled him to verify the
conjecture, based upon historical evidence, that- the lan
guage of the inscription was in Indo-Germanic dialect,
spoken in Persia at the time of the Macedonian con
quest, and allied to the Zend or Sanscrit, and conse
quently, in a certain degree, to the modern Persian.
" Proceeding always in the same tentative way, Grote-
fend next attempted a translation of some of the in
scriptions, and the results of his investigations and an
analysis of his method of interpretation were given in
an appendix to Heeren's work on the principal nations
of antiquity, which was published in 1815.
" Lassen, Rask,Burnouf, and other eminent Sanscrit and
Oriental scholars, applied themselves to the examination
of Grotefend's system and his interpretations, bringing
to bear upon the inquiry a profounder knowledge of the
ancient Indo-Germanic tongues than he claimed to pos-

332 THRONES AND PALACES OF
sess, though scarcely more skill and ingenuity as deci
pherers. Through their labors, what had been at first
the result of happ} conjecture was reduced to a certainty.
It was proved that Grotefend had been mistaken in the
value he had assigned to several letters, but that he had
been right in his method of interpretation, and in his
conjectures of the names of the kings contained in the
inscriptions which he had examined.
"The short trilingual inscription which I have given
contains the name of Xerxes, and may be translated thus :
KHSHIYlRSHl.KHSHlYATHITA.WAZAR- Xerxes the king great
-KA.KHSHAYATHIYA.KHSHAYATHIYl- The king of kings ;
-NAM.DARYAVHAUSH.KHSHAYATH- Of Darius the king.
-IYAHYA.PUTRA.HAK. HlMANISHIYA.
the son the Achaemenid.
" Hitherto the materials for the investigation of the
cuneiform character had been comparatively limited. The
inscriptions copied by travelers in Persia were short,
rarely consisting of more than ten or twelve lines, and
they were for the most of nearly the same import. A
trilingual inscription of great length was known to ex
ist on the rock of Behistun, near Kermanshah, on the
western frontiers of Persia; but it was in a position in
accessible to the ordinary traveler, and too high to ad
mit of its being copied from below. Sir Henry RaAvlin-
son was the first to obtain an imperfect transcript of it
by the aid of a powerful telescope in the year 1835 ; but
it was not until 1844 that, assisted by Captain Jones,
and other gentlemen attached to the mission at Bagdad,
he was able to reach the tablets, and to make copies and
paper casts of the inscriptions. Like those of Persepolis
and Hamadan, they consist of the same record, repeated

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 333
three times in the three languages spoken by the three
great races under the dominion of the Persian kings, and
Avritten in different modifications of the cuneiform charac
ter. The Persian column contains no less than four hun
dred and six lines. The application of this great inscrip
tion of the key furnished by the short records previous
ly deciphered by Grotefend and other investigators, com
pletely corroborated the soundness of their system of in
terpretation. The Behistun tablets Avere found to con
tain a narrative of the principal events of the reign of
Darius, the son of Hystaspes, Avhich, in many respects,
coincide with those recorded by the Greek historians.
The effigy of the king himself is sculptured on the rock.
Behind him stand his attendants, and in front are nine
captive kings or chiefs, one of whom lies prostrate at his
feet. Above each figure are short trilingual inscriptions,
recording the name of the person represented.
" By the aid of the Behistun inscription, which has fur
nished the most ample and reliable materials we yet pos
sess for the investigation of the cuneiform characters, Sir
Henry Rawlinson has been able to add largely to the
results obtained by Grotefend, Lassen, Burnouf, and oth
ers, from the scanty records in their possession. He pub
lished the text of the Persian column, with a complete
translation of it, in the ' Journal ' of the Royal Asiatic
Society for 1846. This translation has been subjected to
the most rigorous examination and criticism by Sanscrit
scholars ; and those who have taken the trouble to ac
quaint themselves with the subject, and are competent
to form an opinion upon it, do not hesitate to admit that
the interpretation of the Persian cuneiform is placed be
yond a doubt.
" The Persian column of the trilingual inscription hav
ing thus been deciphered, a key Avas afforded to the in-

334 THRONES AND PALACES OF
terpretation of the two other inscriptions, supposing al
ways that their contents Avere the same, and that the lan
guage was one which either still existed or was allied to
one still spoken or written. That the contents of the three
inscriptions were the same was evident from the corre
sponding recurrence of certain groups in each column.
But Assyro - Babylonian inscriptions offered far greater
difficulties than the Persian. The letters or signs used
in the Persian Avere limited in number, not exceeding
thirty-six; and, as Ave have seen, each word was sepa
rated, and marked by an oblique Avedge. In the Assyri
an inscription there was no division betAveen the Avords ;
the letters and signs seemed not only to be unlimited in
number, but to be used in the most arbitrary manner.
As, however, the inscriptions contained names of persons,
countries, cities, etc., many of which could be identified
with those preserved in classical or Biblical literature,
the value of many letters could be determined with suf
ficient confidence ; and thus a clue was afforded to a few
words of constant recurrence, and proof afforded that the
language of the Assyro-Babylonian inscriptions, as might
have been expected, was a Semitic dialect, allied to the
Chaldee, Hebrew, Arab, and other cognate languages,
either still existing or of which written remains have
been preserved.
" While European scholars were thus occupied in de
ciphering the trilingual tablets, the discoveries of Nim
roud, Khorsabad, and Kouyunjik, and among other As
syrian ruins, furnished a vast number of inscriptions,
which will afford materials for years to come for the
study of the cuneiform character. During the excava
tions in Assyria, I wTas too much occupied to be able to
devote much time to the decipherment of the inscrip
tions ; but, while copying them, I Avas able to compare

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 335
them, and to classify to a certain extent the various signs
and letters Avhich they contain. One fact soon became
evident to me — that the Assyrians, unlike the Persians,
rarely, if ever, divided a word at the end of a line, pre
ferring to finish it by cutting letters on the sculpture it
self, or on the side or even back of a slab. As the ' Stand
ard inscription' of the north-west palace of Nimroud,
containing the names, titles, and part of the annals of the
founder of the edifice, was repeated upon almost every
slab discovered in the ruins, and in every variety of
space, sometimes only one or tAvo letters forming a line,
I was able, by a careful comparison of the endings, to de
termine and mark off almost every word in the inscrip
tion. I soon, also, found, by the relative position of cer
tain groups, the signs or letters marking the names of
the kings, their titles, and the names of their fathers, and,
in many instances, of their grandfathers.
" On my return to England from my first expedition,
I edited, for the trustees of the British Museum, a vol
ume containing transcripts of inscriptions from Nimroud,
Kouyunjik, Kalah-Sherghat, and other Assyrian ruins.
Their publication, and that of the cuneiform inscriptions
discovered by M. Botta at Khorsabad, afforded fresh mate
rials for investigation, and several eminent scholars took
up the subject; among whom were the late Dr. Hincks,
Mr. Norris, Mr. Fox Talbot, and M. Oppert. Sir Henry
RaAvlinson, in- 1850, announced that he had succeeded in
reading the inscription on the black obelisk discovered
in the centre palace of Nimroud ; and shortly after, com
municated his version of its contents at a meeting of the
members of the Royal Institution. On my return to En
gland in 1851, after my second expedition, I spent some
time with Dr. Hincks, in Ireland, in examining the cunei
form inscriptions which I had brought from Assyria and-

336 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Armenia, and I am indebted to him for the translation
of these inscriptions which I published in the work of
which this book is an abridgment. Dr. Hincks had al
ready deciphered the names of Sargon, Sennacherib, and
Esar-haddon, and had thus proved that which I had been
led to conjecture, from a comparison of the monuments
and from other evidence, that the palaces at Kouyunjik
and Khorsabad, and in the south-west corner of the
mound of Nimroud, owed their foundation to those
kinp-s. He also determined the Assyrian numerals from
the Wan inscriptions. He had previously (in June, 1846)
discovered the names of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon
on the well-known Babylonian bricks from the ruins of
Hilla. On August 23d, 1851, Sir Henry Rawlinson an
nounced in the Athenmum that he had found in the in
scriptions from Kouyunjik notices of the reign of Sennach
erib, which placed beyond the reach of dispute his his
toric identity ; and he gave a recapitulation of the princi
pal events recorded on the monuments, including the war
with Hezekiah and the siege and capture of Lachish.
" Constant additions were made to our knoAvledge of
the contents of the cuneiform inscriptions in communica
tions from Dr. Hincks, Sir Henry Rawlinson, Mr. Fox
Talbot, and Mr. Norris, to the ' Journals ' of the Royal
Asiatic Society, to the ' Transactions ' of the Royal Irish
Academy, to the Athenceum, and to other literary and sci
entific periodicals. But scholars in this country, whose
learning was limited to the classics, were little inclined
to accept these interpretations, and were rather disposed
to reject them altogether as ingenious fictions. In the
year 1857, Sir Henry Rawlinson had superintended for
the Trustees of the British Museum the publication of a
transcript of the inscription upon the clay cylinders dis
covered at Kalah-Sherghat. A copy of this inscription

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 337
had been sent to Mr. Fox Talbot before its publication,
and before Sir Henry Rawlinson had placed before the
public any account of its contents. In March, Mr. Fox
Talbot forwarded a sealed packet to the late Professor
Wilson, then President of the Royal Asiatic Society, in
closing his translation of the inscription, with a request
that it might not be opened until Sir Henry Rawlinson,
with AA'hom he had had no communication on the sub
ject, had published the translation of the same inscrip
tion Avhich he had announced, adding his opinion, that
' all candid inquirers must acknowledge that if any spe
cial agreement should appear betAveen such independent
versions, it must indicate that they have truth for their
basis.' " The Council of the Royal Asiatic Society considered
that this was a favorable occasion for testing the general
accuracy of the interpretation of the cuneiform writing,
and they requested not only Sir Henry RaAvlinson, but
Dr. Hincks and M. Oppert also, to furnish them with the
translations of the same inscription, under sealed covers,
and without any previous communication with each
other. A committee of gentlemen of the highest liter
ary attainments, and of entirely independent opinions
upon such matters, including Dr. Milman (the Dean of
St. Paul's), Dr. WheAvell, Sir Gardner Wilkinson, Mr.
Grote, the Rev. Mr. Cureton, and Professor Wilson, Avere
named to open the packets, and to examine and report
upon the translations. Mr. Cureton, Dr. Whewell, and
Professor Wilson were absent when the packets were
opened ; but the other three members of the committee,
after having carefully examined and compared their con
tents, reported their opinions to the Council of the Asi
atic Society. Dr. Milman and Mr. Grote certified that
' the coincidences between the translations, both as to
22

338 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the general sense and verbal rendering, were very re
markable. In most parts there was a strong correspond
ence in the meaning assigned, and occasionally a curious
identity of expression as to particular words. Where the
versions differed very materially, each translator had, in
many cases, marked the passage as one of the doubtful
or unascertained signification. In the interpretation of
numbers there was throughout a singular correspond
ence.' Sir Gardner Wilkinson, in a separate report, ex
pressed himself somewhat more strongly in favor of the
decipherers, and declared that ' the resemblance (very
often exactly the same, Avord for word) was so great as
to render it unreasonable to suppose that the interpre
tation could be arbitrary, or based on uncertain grounds.
Professor Wilson declares' in his report to the society
that, ' upon the Avhole, the result of this experiment —
than which a fairer test could scarcely be desired^may
be considered as establishing almost definitively the cor
rectness of the valuation of the characters of these in
scriptions.' "
By the translations made by these eminent cuneiform
scholars, we are permitted to know more definitely much
of the daily life of the Assyrians. From them we ob
tain a clearer and fuller idea of the activity of trade and
business in Western Asia in the seventh and eighth cen
turies before our own era. By them we are informed
of the religious belief of a people who existed prior to
Moses and the prophets ; and they confirm, in a very re
markable degree, the historic portions of the Bible.
From these deciphered tablets we learn that the As
syrians bought and sold houses and slaves and other
kinds of property ; that they drew the deeds of sale, the
leases, and promissory notes with a care and detail not
unworthy a modern lawyer; that they loaned money

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 339
and goods at three and four per cent. ; and that security
for the loan Avas often taken in houses or other property.
To these transactions the names and seals of competent
witnesses Avere affixed ; and when they Avere too poor to
possess a seal, they made in the soft clay their nail-mark,
which was considered sufficient. All this appreciation
and interchanging of property led to testamentary devo
lution, and to the accumulation of these legal documents.
Among the many business contracts exhumed and
translated are the following, which relate to the loan of
money, the sale of seven slaves, and the transfer of a
piece of property : PROMISSORY NOTE.
" Four manehs of silver according to the standard of Carchemish, which
Neriglissar, in the presence of Nebo-sum-iddin, son of Nebo-rahim-baladhi,
the Keeper of the Crown, from the City of Dur-Sargon, lends out at five
shekels of silver per month interest. The 26th day of the month Iyyar,
during the eponym of Gabbaru. The witnesses (were): Nebo- pal -iddin,
^Nebo-atsib, the holder of the two sceptres, Akhi-ramu, of the same office,
Assur-danin-sarri, of the same office, Disi the astronomer, Samas-igur  ,
Sinmati-kali the executioner, (and) Merodach  the astronomer."
BILL OF SALE FOR SLAVES.
" The seal of Ebed-Istar, the master of the men. The giving-up of Ho-
shea, his two wives Mih'sa (and) Badia, 'Sigaba, Bel-kharran-cunucci, (and)
his two daughters, in all seven persons, slaves, whom Ebed-Istar has sold;
and 'Simadi for three manehs of silver has taken. The whole sum hast
thou given. The exchange (and) the contract are finished : (there is) no
withdrawal. The witnesses (are) Bel-nuri the priest, Amyatchu, 'Sangi,
Kat-i-sa, (and) 'Sidur. [The name of the sixth witness is not filled in.] The
month Tisri; the eponym of Dauanu.1'
DEED OF SALE.
" The nail-mark of Sarru-ludari, the nail-mark of Atar-'suri, (and) the nail-
mark of the woman Amat-'Suhala, the wife of Bel-duru, the  , the owner
of the house (which) is given up. [Then follow four nail-marks.J The
whole house, with its wood-work and its doors, situated in the city of Nin
eveh, adjoining the houses of Mannu-ci-akhi (and) Ilu-ciya, (and) the prop
erty of 'Sukaki he has sold, and Tsillu-Assur the astronomer, an Egyptian,
for one maneh of silver (according to) the royal (standard), in the presence

340 THRONES AND PALACES OF
of Surru-ludari, Atar-'suru, and Amat-'suhala, the wife of its owner, has re
ceived it. The full sum thou hast given. This house has been taken pos
session of. The exchange (and) the contract are concluded. (There is) no
withdrawal. Whosoever (shall act) feloniously among any of these men
who have sworn to the contract and the agreement, which (is) before (our)
prince Assur, ten manehs of silver shall he pay. The witnesses (are) :
Su'san-kukhadnanis, Murmaza the  , Ra'suah the pilot, Nebo-dur-sanin
the partitioner of the enemy, Murmaza the pilot, Sinnis-nacarat, (and) Zede
kiah. The 16th day of the month Sivan, the eponym of Zaza of the city
of Aspad, before Samas-itsbat-nacara, Latturu, (and) Nebo-sum-yut-sur."
Another class of these exhumed tablets open to us the
religious thought of the ancient Assyrians, and illustrate
the antiquity of some doctrines which are held to-day by
the Christian Church. The Assyrians were polytheists,
and chief in their Pantheon was their " great god," As
shur, the. son of Shem, the progenitor of their race, and
who, in process of time, they deified. Out of a man they
made a god. He is represented in the bass-reliefs by a
" man in a winged circle, holding a bow and shooting an
arrow." All this was highly emblematical. The circle
typified eternity; the expanded wings Avere expressive
of omnipresence ; the human form symbolized intelli
gence. But while Asshur was deity supreme, yet he
was only one of the " lords many and gods many " in the
Assyrian Pantheon. The first triad of divinities con
sisted of Anu, Bel, and Hea, whose pompous titles are
inscribed on tablet, temple, and monument. Unwilling
that only half of the human race should be represented
in the list of the gods, the Ninevites had a shrine to Bel-
tis, whom they styled "The Mother of the Gods," "The
Queen of the Lands," "The Goddess of Battle;" and
they also erected altars to Ishta, Avhom they called " their
lady," and whose descent into Hades is elaborately de
scribed in cuneiform inscriptions. She was their Venus,
and her symbol was the naked female form so common
on the exhumed cylinders. In the list of the gods of the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 341
sterner sex Avas Vul, an Eastern Jupiter, " the lord of the
whirlwind and the tempest, and the wielder of the thun
der-bolt," Avhose emblem Avas a triple bolt gleaming with
lightning. Their god of war was Nin, represented by
the human -headed bull, the impersonation of strength
and poAver. Equally honored with him was Nergal,
"The Strong Begetter, " "The Ancestor of Kings," "The
God of the Chase," Avho was represented by the human-
headed lion. In their appreciation of learning, they paid
homage to Nebo, " The God who possesses Intelligence,"
" He who Hears from afar," " The Inventor of Writing
and Literature."
There can be no doubt as to the belief of the Assyri
ans in the existence of evil spirits, of the necessity of sac
rifice for sin, of penitence for pardon, of a future judg
ment, and of the immortality of the soul. Here is a
translation of a penitential prayer :
O my Lord ! my sins are many, my trespasses are great ; and the wrath of
the gods has plagued me with disease, and with sickness and sorrow.
I fainted; but no one stretched forth his hand!
I groaned ; but no one drew nigh !
I cried aloud ; but no one heard!
O Lord ! do not abandon thy servant 1
In the waters of the great storm, seize his hand !
The sins which he has committed, turn thou to righteousness.*
Here is a short prayer for the soul of a dying man :
Like a bird may it fly to a lofty place,
To the holy hands of its god may it ascend.t
Similar to the above is the following address to the
Sun :
The man who is departing in glory, may his soul shine radiant as brass,
To that man, may the Sun give life !
And Marduk, eldest Son of Heaven,
Grant him an abode of happiness.!
* Records of the Past," vol. iii., p. 136. f Ibid., p. 134.
I Ibid., vol. iii., p. 134.

342 THRONES AND PALACES OF
On another tablet was inscribed this prayer for the
king: Length of days — long lasting years — a strong sword — a long life — ex
tended years of glory — pre-eminence among kings — grant ye to the King
my Lord, who has given such gifts to his gods !
The bounds vast and wide of his Empire and of his Rule, may he en
large and may he complete ! Holding over all kings supremacy and royal
ty and empire, may he attain to gray hairs and old age !
And after the gift of these present days, in the feasts of the land of the
silver sky — the refulgent courts — the abode of blessedness: and in the
Light of the Happy Fields, may he dwell a life eternal — holy — in the pres
ence of the gods who inhabit Assyria !*
On another tablet is the account of the death of a
righteous man, of which the following is a translation by
Mr. H. F. Talbot, F.R.S. :
Bind the sick man to Heaven, for from the Earth he is being torn away !
Of the brave man, who was so strong, his strepgth has departed.
Of the righteous servant, the force does not return.
In his bodily frame he lies dangerously ill.
But Ishtar, who iu her dwelling is grieved concerning him, descends from
her mountain, unvisited of men.
To the door of the sick man she comes.
The sick man listens !
Who is there ? Who comes ?
It is Ishtar, daughter of the Moon-god Sin:
It is the god (  ), son of Bel :
It is Marduk,son of the god (  ).
They approach the body of the sick man.
The next line is nearly destroyed.
They bring a Tchisibta\ from the heavenly treasury.
They bring a sisbu from their lofty store-house ; into the precious khmbta
they pour bright liquor.
That righteous man, may he now rise on high 1
May he shine like that Jchisibta!
May he be bright as that sisbu !
Like pure silver may his garment be shining white !
Like brass may he be radiant !
To the Sun, greatest of the gods, may he ascend I
And may the Sun, greatest of the gods, receive his soul into his holy
hands !|
* "Transactions of Society of Biblical Archaeology," vol. i,, part i., p. 107.
t Probably a drinking-cup. \ "Records of the Past," vol. iii., p. 135.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 343
But the greatest value of these exhumed tablets is
the remarkable agreement between them and the histor-
ic portions of the Bible. They synchronize as to dates
and proper names in a most extraordinary degree. They
are national records of contemporaneous history, written
from different stand-points and for different objects, but
confirmatory each of the other. And although our faith
in the integrity of the sacred historians is quite inde
pendent of any such confirmation, yet such proof from
the " dead past," disentombed after a burial of so many
centuries, will go far to strengthen the faith of the Aveak
and to dissipate the doubts of others.
These Assyrian records contain the names of countries,
of cities, and of kings, with which Ave have been familiar
from childhood. On cylinder, on tablet, on monument
may be read, " Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Cal-,
neh," the cities built by " Nimrod," " Nineveh, Resin, and
Calah," the cities founded by "Asshur ;" " Ur of the Chal-
dees," the birthplace of Abraham and the cradle of the
human race ; " Babylon," where the Jewish captives sigh
ed, and Daniel foretold the coming future ; " Syria and
Damascus," the country and the capital of " Benhadad
and Hazael ;" "Ashdod " of the Philistines, and " Tyre
and Sidon of the Phcenicians ;" " Samaria " of " Omri,
Ahab, Jehu, Pekah, Hoshea, and Resin;" and "Jerusa
lem," the imperial city of "Azariah, Hezekiah, and Manas
seh." In addition to these familiar names, others equal
ly familiar occur in the Assyrian inscriptions ; such as,
" Menahem, Merodach-baladan, Pharaoh, Sargon, Sennach
erib, Esar-haddon, Dagon, Nebo, Judea, Lachish, Gaza,
Askelon, Lebanon, Egypt, Tigris, Euphrates, Haran, and
Mesopotamia." And more than the names of countries,
cities, and kings are recorded. The events which took
place are portrayed in bass-reliefs, such as the capture of

344 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Lachish, the coming of the tribute- bearers from King
Hezekiah, and the sad march of the Hebrew captives
from their native land.
While Biblical chronology is not unfrequently pro
nounced defective, and therefore unreliable, yet it is a
noteworthy fact that the Assyrians had a chronology
quite identical thereunto, and the coincidence of dates
through a given period of years is one of the great facts
demonstrated by the Assyrian archaeologists. On this
important point, Mr. George Smith remarks as follows :
" The close agreement between the contemporary As
syrian records and the Biblical chronology, from the
reign of Ahaz doAvnward, enables all the dates to be
fixed with a fair amount of certainty; only one of the
numbers in the Bible requiring rectification, the date of
the expedition of Sennacherib against Hezekiah king of
Judah (2 Kings xviii., 13), where I should read "twenty-
fourth year " instead of " fourteenth year." And I can
not quit this subject Avithout pointing out the curious
parallel in the order of the subjects between the first
thirty-seven chapters of Isaiah, on one side, and the As
syrian history of Tiglath-pileser, Shalmaneser, Sargon,
and Sennacherib, on the other. To exhibit this I place
them in opposite columns :

ISAIAH.
Ch. i. to vi. — During the time of Uz-
ziah king of Judah.
Ch. vii. to x. — Relate to the expedi
tion of Tiglath-pileser king of As
syria against Syria and Israel, in
the reign of Ahaz.
Ch. xiii. and first half of xiv. — Against
Babylon.
Ch. xiv., vs. 28 to 32. — In the year of
death of Ahaz, rod of smiter broken.
Ch. xv. and xvi. — Against Moab.

ASSYRIAN ANNALS.
B.C. 738.— Tiglath-pileser mentions
Azariah (Uzziah) king of Judah.
B.C. 734-732. — Expedition of Tig
lath-pileser against Damascus, Is
rael, and Philistia, tribute of Yau-
hazi (Ahaz) king of Judah.
B.C. 731. — Tiglath-pileser conquers
Babylon, and annexes it to Assyria.
B.C. 727.— Death of Tiglath-pileser.
B.C. 725. — Reign of Shalmaneser; de
tails unknown.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

345

Ch. xvii. — Against Damascus, Aroer.
and Israel.

Ch. xviii. and xix. — Against Egypt.
Ch. xx. — In the year of capture of
Ashdod, prophecy against Egypt.
Ch. xxi., v. 1 to 10. — Against Babylon.
Ch. xxiii. — Against Tyre.

Ch. xxiv. to xxix. — Sennacherib's in
vasion.
Ch. xxx. and xxxi. — Against relying
on Egypt.
Ch. xxxii. to xxxvii., v. 36.
Ch. xxxvii., v. 37 and 38. — Murder of
Sennacherib and accession of Esar-
haddon.

ASSYRIAN ANNALS.

B.C. 720. — Expedition of Sargon king
of Assyria against Qarqar (Aroer),
Damascus, and Samaria.
B.C. 715. — Egypt makes alliance with
Assyria.
B.C. 712. — Egypt stirs up revolt in
Palestine against Assyria.
B.C. 711. — Sargon takes Ashdod;
king of Egypt abandons his allies.
B.C. 710. — Sargon conquers Babylon.
B.C. 702-1. — Phoenicia attacked by
Sennacherib king of Assyria ; the
king flies from Tyre to Cyprus.
B.C. 702-1. — Sennacherib marches
through Palestine.
B.C. 702-1. — Sennacherib defeats the
Egyptian army at Eltekeh.
B.C. 702-1. — Sennacherib attacks Ju
dah.
B.C. 681. — Murder of Sennacherib,
and accession of Esar-haddon.

Other and equally interesting corroborative evidence
has been brought to light by the painstaking and dis
tinguished cuneiform scholars. They have shown that
the modes of punishment related in the Book of Daniel
Avere not uncommon among the Babylonians and As
syrians. It has been discovered that, in the days of As
shur-bani-pal, men who had fallen under his displeas
ure were cast into a fiery furnace, and others into a den
of lions. It is a matter of record that Saul-mugina re
belled against his brother, Asshur-bani-pal, King of As
syria ; and sought to make himself king of the province
of Babylonia. But the rebellious brother and his asso
ciates were defeated after a severe battle, and, having
been captured, were condemned to death. Implacable
and revengeful, the King of Assyria did not spare his
OAvn brother, but commanded that he should be burned

346 THRONES AND PALACES OF
alive, as appears from the folloAving words : " Saul-mu-
gina my brother rebellious, Avho made war with me, into
a furnace fiery burning, they threw him, and destroyed
his life." And of those engaged with him in the rebell
ion it is said : " The rest of the people, among the bulls
and lions, as Sennacherib my grandfather used to throw
men among them, so I again, following in his footsteps,
threw those men in the midst of them."*
Nor were the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians des
titute of traditions and records relative to the Creation,
to the Deluge, and to other great events of which Moses
has left us an inspired account. There is an apparent
difference as to many details in the two statements, but
as to the general and principal facts there is a remarka
ble agreement. For the Chaldean account of the Crea
tion and of the Deluge we are indebted to Berosus, a
Chaldean priest, who lived in the third century before
the Christian era, and who translated the records of
Babylonia into the Greek language. His writings indi
cate that he was well acquainted with the history of his
country, and competent to translate the inscriptions. It
is supposed that his history of the Creation was derived
from an old Chaldean tradition, which in its purer form
was the basis of the Mosaic account. But whether
Moses wrote his history of the Creation from a Divine
vision of the successive acts of the Creator, or from a tra
dition which came from Adam to Noah, from Noah to
Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, and inspired therein,
are points on which the Bible is silent. While the
whole spirit and tone of the Mosaic account is incompar
ably superior to that by Berosus, yet the general outline
* "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archajology,'' vol. ii., part 2,
p. 361.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 347
of the narrative in each is nearly the same. In both we
have the earth at first " Avithout form and void," and
" darkness upon the face of the deep." In both the
first step taken toAvard Creation is the separation of the
mixed mass, and the formation of the heavens and the
earth as the consequence of such separation. In both
we have light mentioned before the creation of the sun
and moon ; in both Ave have the existence of animals be
fore man ; and in both Ave have a Divine element in
fused into man at his birth, and his formation " from the
dust of the ground."* But the purity and historic im
portance of the Chaldean cosmogony, as given by Bero
sus, are marred by mythological additions and extrava
gance of language, Avhich contrast most severely Avith the
exalted simplicity and historic dignity of the Hebrew
cosmogony as recorded by Moses.
There are tAvo accounts of the Deluge. One is Chal
dean, and translated by Berosus ; the other is Assyrian,
recently discovered at Nineveh by Mr. George Smith, of
the British Museum, and by him translated from the
cuneiform characters. The former is briefer, more per
tinent, less mythological, and includes a statement rela
tive to the confusion of tongues and the dispersion of
mankind. The latter is less simple and exact, but is an
original document, the Avork of some Assyrian annalist.
Both, however, are concurrent as to the main facts of the
story, and harmonize therein, not only one with the oth
er, but with the Mosaic account.
The agreement between Moses and Berosus is no less
curious than interesting. There is the warning to a sin
gle man ; there is the command to construct a ship ; there
is the direction to take into the ark a chosen feAV of
* Rawlinson's "Ancient Monarchies," vol. i., p. 144.

348 THRONES AND PALACES OF
mankind, and also the winged fowl and the four-footed
beasts ; there is the coming of the storm that submerged
the earth ; there is the sending-forth of birds which re
turned the first and second time, but not the third ; there
is the egress of Noah from the ark; and his building an
altar for sacrifice immediately afterward; there is the
resting of the ark upon a mountain in Armenia; and
the subsequent building of the Tower of Babel. As the
translation by Berosus is the Chaldean version of the
Flood, I give it entire :
" God appeared to Xisuthrus (Noah) in a dream, and warned him that on
the fifteenth day of the month Daesius, mankind would be destroyed by a
deluge. He bade him bury in Sippara, the City of the Sun, the extant writ
ings, first and last ; and build a ship and enter therein with his family and
his close friends ; and furnish it with meat and drink ; and place on board
winged fowl, and four-footed beasts of the earth ; and when all was ready,
set sail. Xisuthrus asked ' Whither he was to sail ?' and was told, ' To the
gods, with a prayer that it might fare well with mankind.' Then Xisuthrus
was not disobedient to the vision, but built a ship five furlongs (3125 feet)
in length, and two furlongs (1250 feet) in breadth ; and collected all that
had been commanded him, and put his wife and children and close friends
on board. The flood came ; and as soon as it ceased, Xisuthrus let loose
some birds, which, finding neither food nor a place where they could rest,
came back to the ark. After some days he again sent out the birds, which
again returned to the ark, but with feet covered with mud. Sent out a third
time, the birds returned no more, and Xisuthrus knew that land had re-ap
peared ; so he removed some of the covering of the ark, and looked, and be
hold ! the vessel had grounded on a mountain. Then Xisuthrus went forth
with his wife and his daughter, and his pilot, and fell down and worshiped
the earth, and built an altar, and offered sacrifice to the gods ; after which
he disappeared from sight, together with those who had accompanied him.
They who had remained in the ark and not gone forth with Xisuthrus, now
left it and searched for him, and shouted out his name ; but Xisuthrus was
not seen any more. Only his voice answered them out of the air, saying,
'Worship God ; for because I worshiped God, am I gone to dwell with the
gods ; and they who were with me have shared the same honor !' And he
bade them return to Babylon, and recover the writings buried at Sippara,
and make them known among men ; and he told them that the land in
which they then were was Armenia. So they, when they had heard all,
sacrificed to the gods, and went their way on foot to Babylon, and, having
reached it, recovered the buried writings -from Sippara, and built many cit-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

349

ies and temples, and restored Babylon. Some portion of the ark still con
tinues in Armenia, in the Gorditean (Kurdish) Mountains; and persons
scrape off the bitumen from it to bring away, and this they use as a remedy
to avert misfortunes.
" The earth was still of one language, when the primitive men, who were
proud of their strength and stature, and despised the gods as their inferiors,

THE DELUGE TABLETS.

erected a tower of vast height, in order that they might mount to heaven.
And the tower was now near to heaven when the gods (or God) caused the
winds to blow and overturn the structure upon the men, and made them
speak with divers tongues ; wherefore the city was called Babylon."*

* Rawlinson's "Ancient Monarchies," vol. i., pp. 145-147.

350 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Of greater importance, because we have the original,
is the Assyrian account of the Deluge. We are indebt
ed to Mr. George Smith, of the British Museum, not
only for the discovery of the tablets on which the ac
count is inscribed in the cuneiform characters, but also
for the translation of the record. He was fortunate
enough to find, amidst the ruins at Kuyunjik, twelve tab
lets, which purport to contain a record of the adventures
of a hero called Izdubar, supposed by him to have been
the Nimrod of the Bible. Associated Avith Izdubar was
a seer, whose name was Heabani. The two heroes were
no less distinguished as hunters than as conquerors. In
one of their hunting expeditions, the seer Heabani was
killed by a Avild animal ; and after this misfortune to his
companion, Izdubar himself was smitten with some terri
ble disease, and went to the sea-shore in search of health.
The place whither he went was a city on the shores of
the Persian Gulf, near the mouth of the Euphrates, and
called in the inscriptions Surippak — "the City of the
Ark." In his distress and trial, he sought advice of Hasi-
sadra, the Xisuthrus of the Chaldean account, and the
Noah of the Bible. Of this eminent saint, who had es
caped the Flood, Izdubar inquired how he could become
immortal, and, after a homily on " life and death," Hasisa-
dra related to Izdubar the story of the Flood.
Of all the tablets discovered by Mr. Smith, the " Elev
enth " is the most perfect and important, as it contains
the legend of the Flood, and is supposed to have been
composed two thousand years before the Christian era.
This tablet, together Avith its companion tablets, may
now be seen in the Assyrian Department of the British
Museum, where they are preserved as memorials of the
past, and as monuments to the enterprise and success of
modern discovery.

CHAMBEK WHERE THE TABLETS WERE POUND.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 353
The harmony and the difference between the Assyrian
and Mosaic accounts of the Flood are worthy of most
careful attention. The tAvo records agree that the Flood
Avas a Divine punishment for the wickedness of the an
tediluvian Avorld; that God commanded a holy man to
build an ark, wherein he and his family were saved ;
that the ark was coated within and Avithout with bitu
men ; that, by Divine direction, the foAvl of the air and
the beasts of the fields were gathered into the ark of
safety ; that the rain descended in floods and submerged
the earth ; that three several times a bird was sent out
to report whether the waters had subsided ; that the ark
rested on a mountain; and that Noahr having been so
miraculously delivered, built an altar, and offered thereon
a sacrifice to God.
Thus as to all the essential facts touching the Deluge
there is remarkable agreement ; there are, however, points
of difference which are interesting to observe. There is
a marked difference as to the size of the ark ; as to the
construction of the vessel ; as to the number of persons
saved ; as to the duration of the Flood ; as to the mount
ain on which the ark rested ; as to the birds sent forth ;
and as to the end of Noah. According to the Assyrian
account, the ark was much larger than the one described
by Moses; that the vessel Avas a regular ship, manned
by sailors and navigated by a pilot; that Noah smug
gled some of his neighbors on board, who are called
" sons of the people ;" that the duration of the Deluge
was much shorter than stated in the Bible ; that a dove,
a swallow, and a raven were severally sent forth ; that
the ark rested on the mountains of Nizir, which are sup
posed to be south of the Lesser Zab, and near Altoon
Kupri ; and that Noah did not die as men die, but, like
Enoch and Elijah, he was translated. 23

354 THRONES AND PALACES OF
The translation of the Deluge tablet is not perfect.
The value and meaning of some of the cuneiform charac
ters are not yet known ; the omissions are indicated by
stars. As the inscription is in short lines, these lines are
reproduced in the translated copy. Mr. Smith is frank
enough to say: "The following is rather a free than a
literal translation :" COLUMN I.
Izdubar after this manner also said to Hasisadra afar off:
" I consider the matter,
why thou repeatest not to me from thee,
and thou repeatest not to me from thee,
thy ceasing my heart to make war
presses ? of the, I come up after thee,
* * * how thou hast done, and in the assembly of the gods alive thou art
placed." Hasisadra after this manner also said to Izdubar :
" Be revealed to thee Izdubar the concealed story,
and the judgment of the gods be related to thee,
The city Surippak the city where thou standest not * * * * placed.
that city is ancient * * * * the gods within it
******* their servant, the .great gods
******* the god Anu,
***** the god Bel,
***** the god Ninip,
and the god ****** lord of Hades ;
their will be revealed in the midst * * * * and
I his will was hearing and he spake to me :
" Surippakite son of Ubaratutu
* * * * ma]je a ship after this * * * * *
* * * * I destroy ? the sinner and life * * * *
* * * cause to go in ? the seed of life all of it to the midst of the ship.
The ship which thou shalt make,
600 ? cubits shall be the measure of its length, and
60? cubits the amount of its breadth and its height
* * * into the deep launch it."
I perceived and said to Hea my lord :
" The ship making which thou commandest me, when I shall have
made,young and old will deride me."

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 355
Hea opened his mouth and spake and said to me his servant :
********* thou shalt say unto them,
v ******** ijg has turned from me and
********* fixed over me
t= ***** * lilrp caves *****
***** above and below
- * * * closed the ship * * * *
* * * * the flood which I will send to you,
into it enter and the door of the ship turn.
Into the midst of it thy grain, thy furniture, and thy goods,
thy wealth, thy women servants, thy female slaves, and thy young men,
the beasts of the field, the animals of the field all, I will gather and
I will send to thee, and they shall be inclosed in thy door.''
Adrahasis his mouth opened and spake, and said to Hea his lord :
"Any one the ship will not make * * * *
on the earth fixed *******
* * * * I may see also the ship * * * *
* * * * on the ground the ship *****
the ship making which thou commandest me
which in * * * * *

* *

COLUMN II.
strong *****
on the fifth flay ******* it
in its circuit 14 measures * * * its frame.
14 measures it measured * * * over it.
I placed its roof, it * * * * I inclosed it.
I rode in it on the sixth time ; I examined its exterior on the seventh
time;its interior I examined on the eighth time.
Planks against the waters within it I placed.
I saw rents and the wanting parts I added.
3 measures of bitumen I poured over the outside.
3 measures of bitumen I poured over the inside.
3 * * * men carrying its baskets, they constructed boxes
I placed in the boxes the offering they sacrificed.
Two measures of boxes I had distributed to the boatmen.
To * * * * * were sacrificed oxen
********** o^jgt an(j
********** w;ne in receptacle of goats
I collected like the waters of a river, also
food like the dust of the earth also
I collected in boxes with my hand I placed.

356 THRONES AND PALACES OF
***** Shamas * * * * material of the ship completed.
*** *** *=t=* strong and
the reed oars of the ship I caused to bring above and below.
******** ^y went jn two-thirds of it.
All I possessed the strength of it, all I possessed the strength of it silver
all I possessed the strength of it gold,
all I possessed the strength of it the seed of life, the whole
I caused to go up into the ship ; all my male servants and my female
servants,
the beast of the field, the animal of the field, the sons of the people all of
them, I caused to go up.
A flood Shamas made and
he spake saying in the night : " I will cause it to rain heavily,
enter to the midst of the ship and shut thy door."
A flood he raised and
he spake saying in the night : " I will cause it to rain (or it will rain)
from heaven heavily."
" In the day I celebrated his festival
the day of his appointment ? fear I had.
I entered into the midst of the ship and shut my door.
To close the ship to Buzur-sadirabi the boatman
the palace I gave with its goods
The raging of a storm in the morning
arose, from the horizon of heaven extended and wide.
Vul in the midst of it thundered, and
Nebo and Saru went in front,
the throne-bearers went over mountains and plains,
the destroyer Nergal overturned ;
Ninip went in front and cast down,
the spirits carried destruction ;
in their glory they swept the earth ;
of Vul the flood reached to heaven.
The bright earth to a waste was turned,
COLUMN IH.
the surface of the earth like ***** it swept,
it destroyed. all life from the face of the earth * * *
the strong deluge over the people, reached to heaven.
Brother saw not his brother, it did not spare the people. In heaven
the gods feared the tempest and
sought refuge ; they ascended to the heaven of Anu.
The gods like dogs fixed in droves prostrate.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 357
Spake Ishtar like a child,
uttered the great goddess her speech :
"All to corruption are turned and
then I in the presence of the gods prophesied evil.
As I prophesied in the presence of the gods evil
to evil were devoted all my people and I prophesied
thus : " I have begotten my people and
like the young of the fishes they fill the sea."
The gods concerning the spirits were weeping with her,
the gods in seats seated in lamentation,
covered were their lips for the coming evil.
Six days and nights
passed, the wind, deluge, and storm overwhelmed.
On the seventh day in its course was calmed the storm, and all the del
uge
which had destroyed like an earthquake,
quieted. The sea he caused to dry, and the wind and deluge ended.
I perceived the sea making a tossing ;
and the whole of mankind turned to corruption,
like reeds the corpses floated.
I opened the window, and the light broke over my face,
it passed. I sat down and wept,
over my face flowed my tears.
I perceived the shore at the boundary of the sea,
for twelve measures the land rose.
To the country of Nizir went the ship ;
the mountain of Nizir stopped the ship, and to pass over it it was not
able.
The first day, and the second day, the mountain of Nizir the same.
The third day, and the fourth day, the mountain of Nizir the same.
The fifth, and sixth, the mountain of Nizir the same.
On the seventh day in the course of it
I sent forth a dove and it left. The dove went and turned and
a resting-place it did not find, and it returned.
I sent forth a swallow and it left. The swallow went and turned, and
a resting-place it did not find ; and it returned.
I sent forth a raven and it left.
The raven went, and the corpses on the water it saw, and
it did eat, it swam, and wandered away and did not return.
I sent the animals forth to the four winds, I poured out a libation,
I built an altar on the peak of the mountain,
by seven herbs I cut,
at the bottom of them I placed reeds, pines, and simgar.

358 THRONES AND PALACES OF
The gods collected at its burning, the gods collected at its good burning;
, the gods like flies over the sacrifice gathered.
Prom of old also the great god in his course
The great brightness of Ami had created.
When the glory
Of those gods the charm round my neck would not repel ;
COLUMN IV.
in those days I prayed for I could never repel them.
May the gods come to my altar,
may Bel not come to my altar,
for he did not consider and had made a deluge,
and my people he had consigned to the deep.
Prom of old also Bel in his course
saw the ship, and went Bel with anger filled to the gods and spirits :
" Let not any one come out alive, let not a man be saved from the deep."
Ninip his mouth opened, and spake and said to the warrior Bel :
" Who then will be saved ?" Hea the words understood,
and Hea knew all things.
Hea his mouth opened and spake, and said to the warrior Bel :
" Thou prince of the gods warrior,
when thou art angry a deluge thou makest ;
the doer of sin did his sin, the doer of evil did his evil.
May the exalted not be broken, may the captive not be delivered.
Instead of thee making a deluge, may lions increase and men be reduced ;
instead of thee making a deluge, may leopards increase and men be re
duced ;
instead of thee making a deluge, may a famine happen and the country
be destroyed ;
instead of thee making a deluge, may pestilence increase and men be de
stroyed.
I did not peer into the judgment of the gods.
Adrahasis a dream they sent, and the judgment of the gods he heard.
When his judgment was accomplished, Bel went up to the midst of the
ship.
He took my hand and raised me up,
he caused to raise and to bring my wife to my side ;
he purified the country, he established in a covenant and took the people,
in the presence of Hasisadra and the people.
When Hasisadra, and his wife and the people, to be like the gods were
carried away ;
then dwelt Hasisadra in a remote place at the mouth of the rivers.
They took me and in a remote place at the mouth of the rivers they
seated me.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 359
When to thee whom the gods have chosen also,
for the health which thou seekest and askest,
this do six days and seven nights,
like in a seat also in bonds bind him,
the way like a storm shall be laid upon him."
Hasisadra after this manner also said to his wife,
" I announce that the chief who grasps at health
the way like a storm shall be laid upon him."
His wife after this manner also said to Hasisadra afar off:
" Purify him, and let the man be sent away;
the road that he came may he return in peace,
the great gate open and may he return to his country."
Hasisadra after this manner also said to his wife :
" The cry of a man alarms thee,
this do his Jcurummat (scarlet cloth) place on his head."
And the day when he ascended the side of the ship,
she did, his kurummat (scarlet cloth) she placed on his head.
And the day when he ascended the side of the ship."*

But other and more important results may yet be ex
pected from the labors of Assyrian archaeologists. Much
has been accomplished, but much more remains to be
done. Distinguished success has attended those Avho
have made the cuneiform language a specialty in philol
ogy. A grammar and a dictionary have been elimi
nated, and classes have been formed in London for the
study of the language and the interpretation of the cune
iform inscriptions. And sooner or later, the great uni
versities of Europe will organize a department of As
syrian archaeology, and the primitive language of Bab
ylon and Assyria will be a recognized branch of philo
logical study.
The success which has thus far attended the efforts of
the cuneiform scholars is an inspiration to future en
deavor. Their achievements are among the marvels of
this marvelous age. They have given to us a neAV histo-
* George Smith's "Assyrian Discoveries," pp. 184-194.

360 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ry. They have made clear what for ages was obscure.
They have translated the records of a civilization to be
ranked with that of Greece and Rome, and older than
either by many centuries. None, more than they them
selves, are conscious of the imperfections of their transla
tions of the Assyrian records. There are signs of whose
value they are ignorant. There are idioms whose mean
ing they have not determined. There are chronological
and historical differences with well -authenticated facts
that they have not been able to reconcile. But all things
are possible to him who works. That which these emi
nent scholars have given us is but the beginning of the
end. There are in the British Museum thousands of
tablets not translated, whose import may yet astonish
the world. There are mounds at Babylon and Nineveh
unexplored, whose buried treasures of art and learning
invite the discoverer. What seer shall foretell the de
velopments of future exploration? Up to the present
moment, Babylon has not been extensively and thor
oughly explored. Her vast mounds await the coming
of those who will bring to light her too long, entombed
monuments. It may be that the library of Nebuchad
nezzar will be recovered, together with the older annals
of the Babylonians. What light such records might
throw upon the whole programme of the ancient civ
ilization of mankind ! and, perhaps, solve the problem
whether the civilization of the East originated on the
plains of Assyria or in the valley of the Nile. And who
can tell how much more remote such records would car
ry us into the past? The day may not be far distant
when Nimrod's Biography, Noah's History of the Flood,
and Adam's Autobiography, shall become standard works
among the civilized nations of the earth. .
Hitherto, the work of exploration has been advanced

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 361
chiefly by France and England ; but the time has come
Avhen the United States should contribute to a result of
such general interest. Ten thousand dollars judiciously
expended in the work of excavation might lead to the
most gratifying results. It Avould be a national honor
were an accredited agent of our country to discover a
new palace AA7ith its buried treasures. The Sublime Porte
would doubtless accord to the United States the same
courtesy extended to England and France, the right of
possession of whatever antiquities might be discovered
by an authorized representative. It is the opinion of
nearly all the distinguished Assyrian explorers that new
and valuable discoveries are yet to be made, and that
any properly directed effort of exploration Avould be
attended with success. The mounds hitherto explored
have been only partially excavated, and the work pre
viously clone is preparatory for future effort. But wheth
er new excavations shall be attempted or not, the sum
of ten thousand dollars would secure some rare speci
mens of Assyrian sculpture, such as a pair of the human-
headed lions, a royal statue in high-relief, scenes of war,
of the chase, of domestic life, of mechanic art, of devotion,
delineated in bass-relief on slabs of alabaster, and a li
brary of histories, poems, and learned works inscribed
on terra-cotta tablets, on clay cylinders, on marble slabs.
And the facilities for transportation are as great as the
antiquities are numerous. Even the heaviest specimens
can be floated on rafts down the Tigris to Busrah on the
Shaat-el-Arab, where a government vessel might receive
them and transport them to the United States, to be
added to the splendid collection from Cyprus, of which
New York is justly proud.

362 THRONES AND PALACES OF

CHAPTER VII.
Christianity in the East.— Origin of the Nestorians. — Their Great Learning.
— Their Vast Missions. — Letter from Mr. Hormuzd Rassam on the Eastern
Churches. — Syrian Jacobites. — Syrian Catholics. — Chaldean Nestorians. —
Their Chaldean Origin. — Opinions of Ancient and Modern Authors.—
Language of the Chaldeans. — History and Creed of the Nestorians. —
Their Present and Their Puture.
From the Garden of Eden to the snows of Ararat, and
from the confines of Persia to the shores of the Mediter
ranean, Christianity is accepted as a Divine verity. The
apostles were the first to preach Christ to the teeming
millions of that ancient region, the cradle of humanity.
The churches they planted took deep root, and bore
abundant fruit. For three hundred years they contin
ued to flourish in the unity of the Spirit ; but, in the
lapse of time, the union was severed, and the separated
parts became sectarian centres of bitter contention. The
rival sects strove for the mastery, and displayed a zeal
that knew no bounds. Neither the change of govern
ments, nor the power of persecution, nor the lapse of cen
turies, has been sufficient to extinguish that zeal, or to
tally destroy those Avho were inspired therewith. A
remnant remains, still tenacious of ecclesiastical life.
The Armenians are by far the most powerful, and the
most widely diffused, in the group of purely Oriental
churches. Their home is the mountain tract that encir
cles Ararat, and in Avealth, in steadiness, in quietness,
they are the "Quakers" of the East. Proud of their
founder, they trace their origin to Gregory the Illumi-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 363

nator, Avhose dead hand is still used for continuing; the
succession of their patriarchs.
The " Church of Syria " is the oldest of all the Gentile
churches, and ancient Antioch is revered as the place of
its birth. Its sacred annals are adorned with the im
mortal names of Ignatius, of Chrysostom, and John of
Damascus. Its two divided parts are the Jacobites,
Avho are Monophysites, and the Maronites, who are Mon-
othelitic. The chief city of the former is Diarbekir;
the chief sanctuary of the latter is the convent of Kano-
bin, shaded by the cedars of Lebanon.
The " Chaldean Christians," called by their opponents
"Nestorians," live in the secluded fastnesses of Kurdis
tan, and are the remnant of the ancient church of Cen
tral Asia. They trace their descent to St. Thomas the
Apostle. They accept as binding, the decisions of the
Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, but reject those
of Ephesus, which condemned Nestorius, from whom
they are named by those who differ from them.* In the
day of their power, Edessa was their sacred city, and the
city of Nisibis was their seat of learning and the centre
of their grand missionary operations. From their fa
mous schools went forth giants in literature, whose ac
quirements excite our admiration. Their varied pro
ductions were on a magnificent scale, and the authors
thereof continued to flourish till crushed by the despot
ism of the Moslems. Not less than one hundred and
fifty authors contributed to advance literature in the
East. They were commentators on the whole or parts
of the Bible ; they were sacred and profane historians ;
they Avere lexicographers, grammarians, logicians, meta
physicians, geographers, astronomers, writers on natural
* Stanley's " Eastern Church," pp. 91-94.

364 THRONES AND PALACES OF
philosophy ; and more than a hundred were poets. Some
of them passed beyond the limits of their own language,
and carried their investigations into the wide field of
Greek literature. They composed Greco-Syriac lexicons,
and enriched the Syriac language by the introduction of
a great variety of words from the Greek classics. Sev
eral of the Nestorian bishops wrote learned treatises in
Persian, and one of the number translated the Avorks of
Aristotle into that language for the Emperor Chosroes.
Some of these monuments of Nestorian learning remain
to this day, and can be seen in the libraries at Mosul,
Mardeen, and Bagdad. But not a few ha\Te been de
stroyed by the Latin missionaries, who used every possi
ble artifice to exterminate the works of the Nestorian au
thors. This vandalism is to be deplored, as an irrepara
ble loss to archaeology. What light such works might
have thrown on the downfall of the ancient Assyrian
dynasties, and on the fortunes of the successive king
doms which rose upon their ruins, and respecting which
our information is so scanty ! Such information might
have solved those difficulties that still baffle the research
of the most learned men in Europe, and might have been
the key to the remarkable relics of antiquity which are
now being exhumed from the mounds of Nineveh and
Babylon* Impelled by a Divine zeal, the Nestorian mission
aries went forth from Edessa and Nisibis to convert the
Avorld to Christ. In the sixth century they successful
ly preached Christianity to the Bactrians, the Huns, the
Persians, the Indians, the Persarmenians, the Medes, and
the Elamites. The barbaric churches, from the Persian
Gulf to the Caspian Sea, were almost infinite ; and their

* Badger's " Nestorians," vol. ii., pp. 8-15.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 365
faith Avas conspicuous in the number and sanctity of
their monks and martyrs. The pepper-coast of Malabar,
and the isles of the ocean, Socotora and Ceylon, were
peopled with an increasing multitude of Christians ; and
the bishops and clergy of those sequestered regions de
rived their ordination from the Catholic of Babylon.
They pursued without fear the footsteps of the roving
Tartar, and insinuated themselves into the camps of the
valleys of Iniaus and the banks of the Selinga. They
exposed a metaphysical creed to those illiterate shep
herds; to those sanguinary warriors they recommended
humanity and repose. In their progress by sea and
land, they entered China by the port of Canton and the
Northern residence of Sigan ; and under the reign of the
caliphs, the Nestorian Church was diffused from China
to Jerusalem. Twenty-five archbishops composed their
hierarchy, and the number of communicants exceeded
that of the Greek and Latin communions.*
It was my good fortune while at Mosul to be the
guest of Mr. Hormuzd Rassam, who is the most compe
tent living authority as to the creed and condition of the
native population of the valley of the Euphrates. Him
self a native of Mosul, his parents were Chaldean Chris
tians, and in their faith he was baptized. Educated in
Chaldaic and Arabic in the place of his birth, he received
his English education at the University of Oxford. His
intelligence and character attracted the attention of Mr.
Layard, who employed Mr. Rassam to assist him in ex
cavating and exploring the ruins of Nineveh, and who
frequently and honorably mentioned him in his " Nin
eveh and its Remains." At a later period, Mr. Rassam
was employed by the British Museum to continue the
* Gibbon, vol. iv., pp. 544-546.

366

THRONES AND PALACES OF

Avork of exploration, and he had the honor to discover
the long-buried palace of Asshur-bani-pal, wherein were
found important tablets inscribed with the cuneiform
characters. From the labors and renown of the explorer,
he Avas called to the responsible position of " First As
sistant Political Resident at Aden," under the British
Government. While in the discharge of the duties of
this office, he was chosen to bear the queen's letter to

HORMUZD RASSAM.

Theodore, King of Abyssinia, a narrative of which " mis
sion " he subsequently published in two volumes. Such
Avas the faithful manner in which he performed the dif
ficult work of that " mission," as to merit the commenda
tion of the queen, and to entitle him to a liberal pension
for life. He is now a resident of Twickenham, on the
banks of the Thames, Avhere, with his accomplished En
glish wife, he is engaged in literary pursuits.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 367
While at Mosul, and subsequently at Twickenham, I
had long and interesting conversations with Mr. Rassam
on the present condition of the Christian sects in the
valley of the Euphrates, and at my request he prepared
the subjoined article on this very important subject:
"Twickenham, January, 1875.
" My dear Dr. Newman, — Agreeably to your request,
I have the honor to communicate some information as to
the Christian communities now existing in and around
Mosul, and those scattered through Mesopotamia, As
syria, and Kurdistan. I shall dwell at some length on
the terms Chaldean and Assyrian, because I believe that
prior to the great schism which took place in the fifth
century the ancestors of the present Christians belonged
to the same stock, and held the same belief; and that
Avhen Nestorius and Eutychus were excommunicated, all
those Avho adhered to their doctrine were nicknamed after
them by their opponents.
"With the exception of a few Armenian families at
Bagdad and Diarbekir, and some who are attached, to
the Greek Church at the latter place, the whole of the
Christian community now inhabiting the above-named
countries, is divided into four distinct sects : Chaldean
Nestorians, Chaldean Catholics, Syrian Jacobites, and
Syrian Catholics. The Nestorian community, which is
estimated at fifty thousand families, occupies the south
ern portion of Kurdistan and the vicinity of Lake Oro-
mia, in North-western Persia. The Chaldean Catholics
number about thirty thousand families, and reside at Mo
sul, Bagdad, Diarbekir, and in Southern Kurdistan, bor
dering on ancient Assyria and Northern Persia. The
Syrian Jacobites and the Syrian Catholics are less than
thirty thousand strong, and have their chief centres at

368 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Bagdad, Mosul, Mardeen, Diarbekir, and in the Toor
Mountains on the extreme south-western limits of Kur
distan. " The patriarch of the Chaldean Nestorians is styled
' Patriarch of the East,' and resides at Kochannis, in the
country of the Kurds. The ecclesiastical head of the
Chaldean Catholics is called ' Patriarch of Babylon,' and
has his residence at Mosul. The chief of the Syrian Jac
obites assumes the title of c Patriarch of the See of An-
tioch,' and adds thereto ' Ignatius,' the name of his pred
ecessors. His home is in the monastery near Mardeen,
one of the most picturesque spots in all Mesopotamia.
And Mardeen is also the official residence of the chief
bishop of the Papal Syrians, who also claims the title of
' Patriarch of the See of Antioch.'
" Before I speak at length of the Chaldean Nestorians,
I desire to allude briefly to the other Christian sects, al
ready mentioned in connection with them. The Syrian
Jacobites are Monophysites, who follow the teachings of
Eutychus, who flourished in the fifth century, and who
taught that the human and divine natures in our Lord
were so blended as to constitute one nature. The Mo
nophysites are divided into four branches — the Jacobites,
the Armenians, the Copts, and the Abyssinians. While
the last three have retained the name of their national
ity, the Jacobites are called after Jacob Baradeus, the
zealous defender of their faith in the sixth century, when
it was nearly extinct. Of the belief of the Monophysites
and of the labors of Baradeus, the historian Mosheim
gives the folloAving account : ' Many, while careful to
shun the fault of Nestorius, ran into the opposite ex
treme. The most noted of those was Eutychus, abbot
of a certain convent of monks at Constantinople ; from
whom originated another sect, directly opposite to that

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 369
of Nestoiius, but equally troublesome and mischievous
to the interests of Christianity; and Avhich, like that,
spread Avith great rapidity throughout the East, and ac
quired such strength in its progress, that it gave im
mense trouble both to the Nestorians and to the Greeks,
and became a great and poAverful community. In the
year 448, Eutychus, noAv far advanced in years, in order
more effectually to put down Nestoiius, to whom he was
a violent foe, explained the doctrine concerning the per
son of Christ, in the phraseology of the Egyptians ; and
maintained that there was only one nature in Christ,
namely, that of the Lord, Avho became incarnate. Hence
he was supposed to deny the humanity of Jesus Christ ;
and was accused by Eusebius of Doryleum, before a coun
cil called by Flavianus, perhaps in this very year at Con
stantinople. And as Eutychus refused to give up his
opinions at the bidding of this council, he Avas cast out
of the Church, and deprived of his office ; and he, not ac-
• quiescing in this decree, appealed to a general council of
the Avhole Church.'*
" In book ii., part ii., Mosheim further remarks :
'When the Monophysites were nearly in despair, and
very few of their bishops remained, some of them being
dead, and others in captivity, an obscure man, Jacobus,
surnamed Baradeus, or Zanzalus, to distinguish him from
others of the name, restored their fallen state. This in
digent monk, a most indefatigable and persevering man,
being ordained bishop by a few bishops who were con
fined in prison, traveled over all the East, on foot, consti
tuted a vast number of bishops and presbyters, revived
everywhere the depressed spirits of the Monophysites,
and Avas so efficient by his eloquence and his astonish-
* Mosheim, book ii., section xiii.
24

370 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ing diligence, that when he died, in the year 578, at
Edessa, where he had been bishop, he left his sect in a
very flourishing state in Syria, in Mesopotamia, in Ar
menia, in Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia, and in other
countries. He extinguished nearly all the dissensions
among the Monophysites ; and as their churches were so
widely dispersed in the East, that the Bishop of Antioch
could not well govern them all, he associated with him
a maphrian, or private of the East, whose residence was
at Tagritum, on the borders of Armenia. His efforts
were not a little aided in Egypt and the neighboring re
gions by Theodosius of Alexandria. From this man, as
the second father of the sect, all the Monophysites of the
East are called Jacobites.'
" It is a fact worthy of note, that the present Jaco
bites still maintain the old formula, ' Who Avas cruci
fied for us,' which was introduced in the fifth century
by Peter, surnamed ' Fuller, Bishop of Antioch ;' and this
is used in addition to the celebrated hymn, ' O Holy
God, O Holy Almighty, O Holy Eternal.'
"It is just one hundred years ago since the Latin
Church succeeded in establishing their Romish princi
ples among the descendants of the ancient Chaldeans.
My family, both on the side of my father and my
mother, Avere instrumental in sowing the seed of Popery
at Mosul and the adjacent country. Their social posi
tion, and their official relations with the Governor of Mo
sul gave them a great influence with the Chaldeans.
"The Romanists were very careful not to introduce
their dogmas in full force upon them. At first they got
them to acknoAvledge the Pope as the head of their
Church ; substituted the wafer for the leaven bread ;
abolished the partaking of both kinds by the people;
introduced purgatory and auricular confession, Avith the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 37 1
addition of the Ave Maria to the daily private prayer;
and so, little by little, brought in different superstitious
practices, such as indulgences, placing pictures and im
ages in their churches, Avhich the Nestorians abhor above
all other unchristian innovations. For a long time the
Latin Church has been trying to introduce celibacy
among the clergy of the Papal Chaldeans, and to do
away Avith some of their rites which are obnoxious to
the Papal taste. The present Pope has got so far as to
prohibit the Patriarch from consecrating any more bish
ops without the special approval and sanction of the
Vatican. But the Patriarch has ignored the dictates of
the Latin Church, and consecrated three bishops contrary
to its orders.
" The Chaldean community to Avhich I belonged is
rightly esteemed the most ancient portion of the popula
tion, both as to nationality and Christianity. Our an
cestors were the Chaldeans, or Assyrians, mentioned in
the Bible ; and our forefathers professed the Christian
religion as early as the first century. I need scarcely
tell you that the origin of the so-called Chaldeans is
disputed by those who profess to knoAv a good deal
about the history of the Old World, but who can not
show from what stock the present Chaldeans really came.
They can not help, however, to extend to them the an
cient name of 'Assyrians,' because the land which they
now inhabit was formerly called by this name. Yet
they forget that at one time, especially at the latter end
of the Assyrian monarchy, ' Chaldean ' and 'Assyrian ' were
synonymous Avords, and the nation was sometimes knoAvn
by one name and sometimes by the other. Take, for in
stance, the words ' English' and ' British,' which are used
frequently one for the other.
"The late Dr. Grant, a member of the American Board

372 THRONES AND PALACES OF
of Missions, who is well known for his philanthropy and
Christian love to the Nestorians, published a work en
titled ' The Nestorians ; or, The Lost Tribes,' wherein he
tries to prove that the existing Nestorians are the de
scendants of ' the dispersed of Israel.' He remarks on
the word ' Chaldean,' in the above-mentioned work (page
170), in the following terms: 'Chaldean is a name com
monly used to distinguish the Papal, but it is seldom
applied to the orthodox, Nestorians ; and when so ap
plied, it is used to express their relation to Abraham,
who was from " Ur of the Chaldees." ' This remark, in
my opinion, contradicts itself, because if the Nestorians
are related to Abraham, Avho was a Chaldean, surely
they themselves must also be Chaldeans !
"And Messrs. Smith and Dwight, two American mis
sionaries, in a work entitled ' Researches in Armenia,'
make the following comment upon the word ' Chaldean :'
'The present Chaldean Christians are of recent origin.
It was in a.d. 1681 that the Nestorian metropolitan of
Diarbekir, having quarreled with his patriarch, was first
consecrated by the Pope, Patriarch of the Chaldeans.
The sect was as new as the office, and created for it.
Converts to Popery from the Nestorian and Jacobite
churches were united in one body, and dignified by the
name of the " Chaldean Church." It means no more than
" Papal Syrians," as we have in other parts " Papal Ar
menians," and " Papal Greeks." ' Whether this story is
a surmise on their part, or they obtained the information
from a reliable source, they do not show. If the latter,
it is a pity they did not give their authority for such an
extraordinary statement, because the Oriental records in
Rome will show that, long before the era they quote
(when they say the Chaldeans of Diarbekir assumed
this name), that there are letters extant from the Nesto-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 373
rian patriarchs and bishops, avIio style themselves ' Chal
deans;' and, besides, it is absurd to suppose that the Ro
man pontiff could or Avould give the new national name
of 'Chaldean' to a people Avho were not living in either
Chaldea or Assyria, to say nothing about the converted
Nestorians or Jacobites, Avho have no nationality at all,
unless, indeed, Messrs. Smith and Dwight supposed that
the present Chaldeans of Diarbekir are descendants of
Nestoiius or Jacob Baradeus ! To show how fallacious
are these assertions, I Avill quote what Assemani says in
contradiction thereto. In vol. iv., page 75, he remarks
that 'Paul V., the seventh Pope before Innocent X. (to
whom L suppose Messrs. Smith and Dwight refer as hav
ing given the name of Chaldean to the Nestorians of Di-
arbehii'^jWrote to Elias, Patriarch of the Chaldeans (who
was then a Nestorian) thus, "A great part of the East
was infected by this heresy (of Nestoiius) ; especially the
Chaldeans, Avho for this reason have been called Nesto
rians."' In the same volume, page 1, he also states that
' the Chaldeans, or Assyrians, are called Orientals, from
that part of the globe which they inhabit, and Nesto
rians, from the heresy they profess.'
"The Rev. G. P. Badger, another writer about the
Chaldeans and Nestorians, touches also upon the point
in dispute, and says, in his ' Nestorians and their Ritu
als' (vol i., page 180): 'When the Latin missionaries had
succeeded in forming a schism among the Nestorians of
Diarbekir, they wanted a name to distinguish the prose
lytes and their Assyrian descent.' * It is a pity that Mr.
Badger does not give his authority for such a supposi
tion. He allows the Armenians, the Greeks, and even
the Syrians, to have a name for their nationalities, and
yet the poor Nestorians have no nationality whatever,
not even as much as the slaves who were imported from

374 -THRONES AND PALACES OF
Circassia or Africa ; and the important Chaldean com
munity at Diarbekir could only boast of the name
' Sooraye ' and ' Nestoraye,' two Chaldean words which
mean Christian and Nestorian ! With regard to the
word ' Sooraye,' if Mr. Badger had examined the word
properly, he Avould have found that it was used by peas
ants who spoke nothing else but Chaldean ; and as the
natives of Diarbekir speak merely Arabic and Turkish,
the word ' Sooraye ' would be foreign to them as much
as ' Nestoraye.' All the Roman Catholic Chaldean peas
antry speak nothing else but vulgar Chaldean ; whereas
the respectable Chaldeans, Avho inhabit the towns, speak
the language of the place, Arabic, Turkish, or Persian ;
and Chaldean is only used like the Latin in the Roman
Catholic Church. The peasantry do call themselves
' Sooraye,' and ' Msheehaya ;' but they use these Avords to
distinguish themselves from their Mohammedan neigh
bors, whom they style ' Coordan,' and ' Tayaya.' The
meaning of ' Tayaya ' is Mohammedan, nicknamed after
an Arab tribe called Tai, who live at the junction of the
Great Zab with the Tigris.
" The words ' Msheehaya ' and ' Sooraye ' are also ap
plied by the Nestorians to all people who profess Chris
tianity; but the peasantry of the Papal Chaldeans use
the term ' Sooraye ' for all Christians, and limit the word
' Msheehaya ' to Roman Catholics.
" When I was at Faishapoor, living at the chief's house,
my host was conversing in Chaldean with some guests
about my family, and remarked that my two surviving
brothers were ' Msheehaya,' but that I myself was 'An-
glaizaia' (English). The poor man was quite dum-
founded when he found that I had understood what he
said, and when I took him to task for saying that the
English are not Christians.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 375
" If ' Sooraye ' means ' Syrian,' hoAv can the Nestorians
be so named unless they are made to be descendants of
Aram, or immigrants from Syria ?
"In Chaldean and Arabic, Assyria is called 'Athur,'' as
it has always been known by this name in that country;
but by the Hebrews it Avas called 'Asshur.' The th has
been corrupted into s; and in this sense, I conclude,
and not in its meaning of Syrian, the Avord 'Sooraye' has
been used by the Chaldean-speaking people to which Mr.
Badger alludes. It may be also that as the Fathers of
the Church Avere called ' Syrians,' the Orientals adopted
this name to signify their Christian profession.
"Three ancient Arab historians, Yakoot, Aboo Alfod a,
and Ibn Saeed, employ the word 'Athur;' the first for
Mqsul and Mesopotamia, the second for Nimroud, and the
third for Nineveh proper. The last -mentioned author
(vol. i., page 289, note 11) says, 'The city of Athur, which
is in ruins, is mentioned in the Old Testament. There
dwelt the Assyrian kings who destroyed Jerusalem.'
" The followers of Nestoiius did, and very often do,
call themselves Nestorians; but that is merely for the
sake of distinguishing themselves from the other sects.
Just as a Wesleyan or a Lutheran, if writing upon a re
ligious matter, Avould say, we are Wesleyans or Luther
ans". Surely such wTords could never be misunderstood
to mean nationalities ! Moreover, as the Protestants are
not ashamed of the name which was given to them by
Rome, neither are the Nestorians. But why this doc
trinal name should be forced upon them in the sense of
a nationality, when they are not connected with Nesto-
rius either in his nationality or patriarchate, is a mys
tery !
" Noav, let us see what ancient historians say with re
gard to the title of Chaldean, which has been alleged to

376 THRONES AND PALACES OF
have been given by a certain pope to the unfortunate
obscure people avIio are theologically called Nestorians.
" Bar Hebraeus, who lived in the thirteenth century,
in Avriting about the Aramean language of the Chal
deans, remarks, ' The Orientals, who are the descendants
of the Chaldeans, are a wonderful people. In their
tongue there is no difference betAveen the Pthaha and
Zkapa.' These are two voAvels employed by the Chal
deans in their writing, and which the so-called Syrians
appear not to understand. Who can these Oriental
Chaldeans be, but the people of that name who are the
only nation in the world who have these two vowels in
their alphabet ?
" In another place the same author remarks with re
gard to the Aramean language under the head of the
first Syriac letter 'Alep,' as folknvs: 'There are three
dialects of the Syrian tongue ; 1st, The Aramean, or
Syriac, properly so called, which is the most elegant of
all, and used in Mesopotamia and by the inhabitants of
Koha, or Edessa, of Haran, and the Outer Syria. 2d,
The dialect of Palestine, spoken by the inhabitants of
Damascus, Mount Libanus, and the Inner Syria. 3d, The
Chaldee or Nabatheau dialect, the most unpolished of
the three, current in the mountainous parts of Assyria
and in the villages of Kuk and Babylonia ?'
" Here, again, no less than five hundred years ago, a
Syrian historian mentions the very dialect of the Ara
mean language Avhich is now used by the Chaldeans.
We do not agree, however, with the Syrians that our
Chaldean dialect is ' unpolished,' but, on the contrary, Ave
consider it the prettiest of all the Aramean dialects.
"Assemani, another Syrian historian (in vol. iii., page
177), makes reference to the Chaldean Nestorians as fol
lows: 'The Nestorians are not called by this name in

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 377
the East (for they regard their doctrine as apostolic;
and they had never any connection Avith the person of
Nestoiius), but are generally called Chaldaic Christians
(because their principal or head church is in ancient
Chaldea).' " The Chaldeans, Armenians, and Kurds who inhab
ited, and do now inhabit, the mountainous country to
the north of Nineveh, are mentioned in the 'Anabasis'
of Xenophon, which account goes far to shoAv that the,
very people Avho existed then exist now.
" In book iv., chap, iii., the following account is writ
ten about these tribes: 'At day- break, however, they
perceived on the other side of the river a body of cav
alry in complete armor, ready to prevent them from
crossing, and, on the high banks above the cavalry, an
other body, of foot, prepared to hinder them from enter
ing Armenia. These were Armenians, Mardians, and
Chaldeans, mercenary troops of Orontes and Artuchas.
The Chaldeans Avere said to be a free people, and war
like ; for arms they had long shields and spears. The
high banks on which these forces were draAvn up were
three or four hundred feet from the river, and the only
road that was visible was one that led upward, appar
ently a work of art. Here the Greeks endeavored to
cross ; but as, on making trial, the water rose above their
breasts, and the bed of the river was rough with large
and slippery stones, and as it was impossible for them to
carry their arms in the Avater, or, if they attempted to
do so, the river SAvept them away (Avhile if any of them
took their arms on their heads, they became exposed to
the arj-ows and other missiles of the enemy); they, in
consequence, retreated, and encamped at the side of the
river. "'They noAv perceived the Carduchi assembled in

378 THRONES AND PALACES OF
great numbers, under arms, on the spot where they them
selves had been on the previous night. Hence great de
spondency was felt by the Greeks, as they knew the dif
ficulty of passing the river, and saw the Carduchi ready
to attack them if they attempted to cross.'
" Then in ' Cyropaedia,' book iii., chap, ii., Xenophon
gives the following account of the Chaldeans and Ar
menians: 'The next day, Cyrus, taking Tigranes with
him, and the best of the Median horse, together with as
many of his own friends as he thought proper, rode
round and surveyed the country, examining where he
should build a fortress. Going up to a certain emi
nence, he asked Tigranes what sort of mountains they
were from which the Chaldeans came down to plunder
the country. Tigranes pointed them out to him. He
then inquired again, "And are these mountains noAv en
tirely deserted ?" " No, indeed," said he ; "but there are
always scouts of the Chaldeans there, who give notice to
the rest of Avhatever they observe." "And how do they
act," said he, " when they receive this notice ?" " They
hasten with aid to the eminences, just as each can." Cy
rus gave attention to this account, and, looking round,
observed a great part of the Armenian territory deserted
and uncultivated in consequence of the war. They then
returned to the camp ; and, after taking supper, went to
rest.' "Again, 'The Chaldeans had each a shield and two
javelins. They are said to be the most Avarlike of all
people in that part of the Avorld. They serve as merce
naries, if any one requires their services, being a warlike
people, and poor, for their country is mountainous, and
but little of it yields any thing profitable. As Cyrus's
men approached the heights, Tigranes, who was riding
on with Cyrus, said, " Cyrus, are you aware that we our-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 379
selves must very soon come to action, as the Armenians
Avill not stand the attack of the enemy ?" Cyrus, telling
him that he kneAv it, immediately gave orders to the
Persians to hold themselves in readiness, as they would
have immediately to press forward as soon as the flying
Armenians dreAv the enemy down so as to be near them.
The Armenians accordingly led on; and such of the
Chaldeans as were on the spot when the Armenians ap
proached raised a shout, and, according to their custom,
ran upon them ; and the Armenians, according to their
custom, did not stand their charge.
" ' When the Chaldeans, pursuing, saw swordsmen front
ing them and pressing up the hill, some of them coming
up close to the enemy Avere at once killed, some fled, and
some were taken, and the heights were immediately gained.
As soon as Cyrus's men were in occupation of the sum
mit, they looked down on the habitations of the Chalde
ans, and perceived them fleeing from the nearest houses.'
"Both the Armenians and Kurds (Carduchians) in
habit the same country now, and why not the Chaldeans ?
The Armenians speak Armenian ; the Kurds, Median,
or corrupt Persian ; and the Chaldeans, Chaldean. Why
are the two former tribes acknowledged without any
dispute to be the descendants of the ancient Armenians
and Carduchians, and why not the Chaldeans? Even in
the present time the Nestorians are considered a very
warlike people, and the Armenians just the opposite— as
they were in the time of Xenophon. Why, then, should
the Armenians be called Armenians, but the Chaldeans
merely Nestorians ?
"All the Armenians profess Christianity, like the Chal
deans; but all the Kurds are Mohammedans, like the
Turks and Arabs.
"Having enumerated some testimonies given by dif-

380 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ferent historians with regard to certain people inhabit
ing Assyria and the mountainous country above it, who
were called Chaldeans and Assyrians, and who are now
styled Chaldeans, I must say a few words with regard to
certain facts which, in my opinion, are convincing proofs
that the present Chaldeans are the descendants of the
ancient people of that name.
" Firstly, the Chaldeans speak the very same language
as is used by that remarkable tribe of Sabeans, or Chris
tians of St. John, as they are vulgarly called, who lived
near what was considered to be ancient Chaldea, and
who are generally supposed to be descendants of the old
Babylonians, and Chaldeans.
" Secondly, the present Chaldeans, with a feAv varia
tions, speak the same dialect used in the Targum, and in
some parts of Ezra and Daniel, which is called ' Chal-
dee.' The Nestorians have no other language but this,
and must have inherited it from their forefathers, the
Chaldeans ; unless, indeed, the fanciful critiques can show
that the popes of Rome made the converted Nestorians
adopt the Chaldee Avhen they bestowed upon them the
national name of ' Chaldean.'
"Thirdly, the ten following words, which are pure
Chaldean, are understood and pronounced at the present
day-by the Chaldeans as they were when written in the
days of yore. They are as follows : ' Malchites,' ' Yagar,'
'Sahadutha,' ' Rabshakah,' ' Gabrius,' ' Nahr," Malka,'
'Abram,' ' Naharaina,' ' Sarai.'
" ' Yagar-sahadutha ' was used by Laban when he made
a league with Jacob, and means heap of Avitness. (Gen.
xxxi., 47).
" ' Nahr-malka ' is the name of a great canal which is
mentioned by many ancient historians as having existed
in Babylon, and means royal, or hinges river.''

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 381
"'Naharaina' is the name of Mesopotamia in Chal
dea, and is found on the Egyptian monuments.
" ' Malchites ' is the name given by the ancient Orient
al Church to the Greek community, which means hing-
eraft, because their doctrine was supported by the em
perors of Constantinople.
"'Gabrius' (Chaldean, ' Gabria,' which means man of
Cod), mentioned in Herodotus as being an Assyrian fol
lower of Darius.
"'Rabshakah' (Chaldean, ' Rub-husheecka,' which
means the mighty lord, or the mighty prince), the As
syrian general who was sent by Sennacherib, and whom
Eliakim and his companions asked to speak to them in
the Syrian or Aramean language. Vide Isaiah xxxvi., 2.
"'Abram1 and 'Sarai' require no explanation, as they
are pure Chaldean words which mean, the first, the exalted
father; and the second, my lady.
" I might quote a hundred other words, besides the
names of the months, days of the week, and the heaven
ly host ; and find, Avith a few exceptions, the names used
to-day by the Chaldeans are the same as they were men
tioned before the Christian era, both by sacred and pro
fane writers.
" What greater proof can there be of the origin of a
people than their language? And certainly the Chal
deans are as much entitled to be called by that name as
the Jews, Armenians, Greeks, and Arabs, who now speak
the language of their forefathers. As the Assyrian or
Aramean language became the vernacular dialect of Mes
opotamia, Syria, and the Holy Land after the Assyrian
conquest, so also, when the Arabians took possession of
those countries, they established their language, Avhich
has been in use up to the present day. Then, again, all
the Chaldeans, whether Nestorians or Papal, still keep

382 THRONES AND PALACES OF
strictly the three days' fast of Avhat is called ' BaAvootha-
dnenway,' or Supplication of Nineveh, Avhich the Chal
deans assert to have been continued from the time the
Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah. The Syr
ians, who, as I said before, must have belonged to the
same stock as the Chaldeans, also keep the same fast, but
not with the same devotional observances.
" Though, as previously said, Arabic is the vernacular
language of Mesopotamia, Syria, and the Holy Land, yet
each ancient sect uses its national or mother tongue in
its rituals and other ecclesiastical rites ; but the Chal
deans in Upper Assyria and Kurdistan, as well as the
Kurds, can only speak their own tongue, Chaldean or
Kurdish ; whereas official work all over the Ottoman
dominions is carried on in Turkish.
"The language which is used by the Chaldeans is
knoAvn in Europe by the name of Syriac; but we our
selves call it Chaldean. We apply the word ' Syriac' to
the character used by the so-called Syrians or Jacobites.
It is true, there is very little difference betAveen the
Chaldean and Syriac, but there is some difference in the
pronunciation of certain letters, the vowel-points, and in
the formation of the letters, as much as there is between
the Old English and the Roman characters.
" Formerly all the so-called Syrians employed the same
writing, and pronounced every word the same as the
Chaldeans do noAv; but in the thirteenth century Bar
Hebraeus, a promoter of the Jacobites, wishing to make a
thorough distinction between the writing of the Mo
nophysites and that of the Nestorians, changed the char
acters and the voAvel-points.
" The Chaldean p and a are changed by the Syrians
into^7i and o; for instance, what the former pronounce
our Lord's Avord eppathaha, the latter would call epho-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 383
thoho. Then such words as ' maranatha,' our Lord's com
ing; ' &hba,\father ; ' talitha,' damsel; ' Maria,' Lord; %\-
laha,' God, the Syrians pronounce ' moronotho,' ' obbo,'
' toletho,' ' Mono,' and ' Olloho.'
" While every one knoAvs that the Avriting of the pres
ent Syriac Avas invented in the thirteenth century, the
Syrian scholars in England disdain to call the* old Avrit
ing of the Chaldeans by any other name than ' Syriac'
Indeed, some scholars have now gone so far as to give
to the old Chaldean character, which is said to have ex
isted three hundred years before the Christian era, the
extraordinary name of ' Syro-Chaldaic,' which is, in my
opinion, a far-fetched misnomer.
" With regard to the doctrine of the so-called Nesto
rians, their uncharitable enemies have so much exagger
ated certain dogmas which Avere promulgated by Nesto
iius, that really one would think that the present Nesto
rians are almost as great unbelievers as the Unitarians ;
whereas the only difference that exists betAveen them
and the Universal Catholic Church, and Avhich has sep
arated them from all other Christian sects for so many
centuries, is merely a play upon Avords. They believe as
much as any orthodox Christian in the Trinity in unity,
and the unity in Trinity, and that the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us.
"The fact is, the Eutychian heresy was#so obnoxious
to the so-called Nestorian Church on account of attrib
uting to our Redeemer only one nature, and confounding
the human with the Divine, tending thereby to the
blasphemous conclusion that the Godhead suffered, that
those Avho sympathized Avith Nestorius adopted such
Anti-monophysite views as were construed by the "West
ern Church into creating a too Avide distinction between
the DiAdne and human attributes. They confess that in

384 THRONES AND PALACES OF
our Lord Jesus Christ there are two natures and two
persons, but one Parsopa ; and although by attributing
two persons to our Saviour against one person, as pro
fessed by the rest of the Christian world, yet they add
the one Parsopa, which really means one person, in the
sense it is understood by those Avho call them heretics.*
"To give you a clearer and fuller account of the his
tory of the Nestorian Church, I do not think I can do
better than to quote some apposite accounts from a few
ancient and modern authors.
"I must begin with Assemani, who remarks (vide
Rich, ' Koordistan,' vol. ii., page 120), 'The Chaldeans,
or Assyrians, received Christianity in the time of the
twelve apostles — Peter, Thomas (Thomas, the incredu
lous, and the apostle of- India), Bartholomew, Matthew,
and Judas the son of James, and Thaddeus, also called
Lebbeus; also Thaddeus of the seventy, and Mark and
Alpheiis, are called the apostles of the Syrians and Chal
deans. Addus, or Adi, one of the seventy disciples, was
sent into the East by St. Thomas, one of the twelve, and
was martyred at Edessa, under the son of the celebrated
Abgarus, on his return from preaching in Persia, Assyria,
and Babylonia. Mark, a disciple of Addus, proclaimed
the Gospel in Babylonia, Assyria, and Persia. He fixed
his residence at Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was called
the first Bishop of Seleucia, and became the head of the
Oriental Church. He died after a ministry of thirty-
three years (from a.d. 48 to 82). St. Thomas, whose
surname, according to some, was Jude, not only was the
apostle of the Syrians and Chaldeans, but also of the
* The Nicene Creed is one of their articles of faith, and I think this is
sufficient evidence of their belief in the unity of the two natures. With
regard to the procession of the Holy Ghost, however, they agree with the
Greek Church.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 385
Parthians, Persians, Medes, and Indians. It has been
doubted Avhether St. Thomas himself ever penetrated
into India.'
"Assemani again remarks (vol. iii., p. 177) : ' The Chal
deans constitute a large Christian community, which has
no connection Avith others. They have their own forms
of worship, their- OAvn bishops, and their own ecclesias
tical councils. Their church extends through all Asia,
and exists partly in the Persian, partly in the Turkish,
and party in the Mogul empire. The patriarch resides
in a monastery not far from Mosul, and has a great many
bishops under him. The enmity of the Persians, and aft
erward of the Mohammedans and Saracens, against the
Romans, contributed much to further the spread of this
sect ; for they received refugees from the Roman empire,
and extended full protection to such Christians as were
not tolerated in the Roman provinces, and whom, of
course, they could not suspect of any understanding with
the Romans. Ibas, Bishop of Edessa, was one of the
greatest defenders of the Nestorians among the Orient
als; and on that account his epistle to Marin, the Persian
bishop of Ardaschir, was rejected by some councils. But
the chief persons among them were Barsumas and his as
sistant, Maanos. After the death of Barsumas, the Arch
bishop of Seleucia, Babacus, became the head of the
party; and from this time onward the patriarchs re
sided at Seleucia, until, under the caliphs, Bagdad and
Mosul were selected for that purpose. This Babacus
held a council in the year 499, in which not only the
whole Persian Church professed itself to belong to the
Nestorian community, but regulations were also made
that all bishops and priests must be married, and that
second marriages of the clergy were not merely permit
ted, but declared to be necessary.' 25

386 THRONES AND PALACES OF
" Mosheim, in his ' Ecclesiastical History,' cent, v., book
ii., part ii., says : ' To pass by the minor errors which
were attributed to Nestorius, he is said to have divided
Christ into two persons, and to have held that the Di
vine nature joined itself to the full form of man, and
only aided him during his life. But Nestorius himself,
as long as he lived, professed himself utterly opposed to
such sentiments. Nor were such sentiments ever di
rectly stated by him, but only inferred by his adversa
ries, from his rejection of the epithet, " Mother of God,"
and from some incautious and ambiguous terms which
he used. Hence very many, both among the ancients
and the moderns, think that he held the same senti
ments that the Ephesian fathers did, though he ex
pressed himself in a different manner ; and they cast the
whole blame of this most destructive contest upon the
restless spirit of Cyril, and his malignant disposition to
ward Nestorius. Allowing these to judge correctly, still
Nestorius must be pronounced guilty of two faults ; first
that he was disposed, rashly, and Avith offense to many,
to abolish the use of a harmless term which had long
been current; and, secondly, that he presumed to ex
press and explain, by unsuitable phrases and compari
sons, a mystery which exceeds all human comprehension.
If to these faults be added the excessive vanity and im
petuosity of the man, it will be difficult to determine
which was the principal cause of this great contest, Cyril
or Nestorius.'
"Then, again, in cent, v., book ii., part ii., Mosheim
says : ' The Nestorian faith is indebted to no one, of all
its friends, more than it is to Barsumas, Avho was ejected
from the school of Edessa, with his associates, and cre
ated, in the year 435, Bishop of Nisibis. From the year
440 to the year 485, he labored with incredible assidu-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 387
ity and dexterity to procure for Nestorianism a perma
nent establishment in Persia. Maanos, Bishop of Ardas-
chir, was his principal coadjutor. His measures were so
successful that all Nestorians in Chaldea, Persia, Assyria,
and the neighboring countries, deservedly reverence this
Barsumas alone, to this day, as their parent and founder.
He persuaded the Persian monarch, Pherozes, to expel
the Christians who adhered to the opinions of the Greek
fathers, and not only to admit Nestorians in their place,
but to allow them to make the first cities in Persia, Se
leucia and Ctesiphon, their primary seat, Avhich their
patriarchs occupied even down to our times. He also
erected the famous school at Nisibis, from which issued
those who, in this and the following centuries, carried
the Nestorian doctrines into Egypt, Syria, Arabia, India,
Tartary, and even to China. Before this sect became
fully formed and established, there Avas some difference
of opinion in it. Some said that the manner in which
the two natures in Christ were combined Avas wholly
unknown ; but others denied any other connection than
that of will, operation, and dignity. But this disagree
ment wholly disappeared from the time that the Nes
torian community became duly consolidated. For it
was decreed by the synods assembled at Seleucia that
there were in the Saviour of mankind tAvo persons, or
«iro<T-a(7Eie — namely, a divine, that of the Word, and a hu
man, that of Jesus ; yet that both persons constituted
but one aspect, or, as they (following Nestorius) ex
pressed it, one Barsopa; that is, that this union of the
Son of God Avith the Son of man took place at the mo
ment of conception, and would never end ; but that it
was not a union of natures or persons, but only of will
and affection. Christ, therefore, must be carefully distin
guished from God, who dwelt in Christ as in his temple

388 THRONES AND PALACES OF
(as Nestorius had said); and that Mary should never be
called the mother of God, but only the mother of Christ.
They reverence Nestorius as a holy man, and Avorthy
of everlasting remembrance ; but they maintain that his
doctrine was much more ancient than he, being derived
from the earliest ages of 'the Church ; and therefore they
wish not to be called Nestorians. And it appears, in
fact, that Barsumas and his associates did not inculcate
on their followers precisely the doctrines taught by Nes
torius, but they in some measure polished his imperfect
system, enlarged it, and connected with it other doctrines
which Nestorius never embraced.'
" I also quote the following interesting account of the
origin of the Chaldean Church from the Rev. W. Badger's
work, entitled 'Nestorians and their Rituals' (vol. i.,
page 136): 'According to ecclesiastical tradition, Mar
Addai and Mar Mari were the founders of the Christian
Church in Chaldea and Mesopotamia. The latter is re
garded by the Nestorians as their first patriarch. From
him they derive the ATalidity of their present sacerdotal
orders in an unbroken line of spiritual descent; and to
him and Mar Addai, his companion in the work of evan
gelization, they ascribe the authorship of one of their
three liturgies, or communion offices. The following is a
summary of the labors of Mar Mari, taken from the his
tory of Sleewa Ibn Yohanna, a Nestorian author, who
lived in the early part of the fourteenth century. After
founding the Eastern see at Ctesiphon, then the seat of
the Persian monarchy, and inhabited chiefly by Ma-
gians, Mar Mari discipled Doorkan and Cashgar, and
traveled on the same mission through the two Iraks, Ell-
Ahras, Yensen, and the islands of the Arabian and In
dian seas, converting many heathen to Christianity by
his preaching, and by the signs and miracles which he

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 389
wrought, and forming them into churches. On his re
turn to Ctesiphon, he ordained that that city should be
raised into a patriarchal see ; and before his death, which
took place a.d. 82, he intimated that his successor was at
Jerusalem, and should be sought for there. According
ly, after the decease of Mar Mari, the company of the
faithful sent to the Holy City to Simon, who succeeded
James, the brother of the Lord, as head over the church
there, requesting him to send them a patriarch. The
person elected was Abrees, who was consecrated at Je
rusalem, and sent to Ctesiphon, a.d. 90. Abrees died
during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, having filled
the Eastern see for the space of seventeen years.
" 'After the lapse of twenty-tAvo years, Abraham, a kins
man of James, the brother of our Lord, was appointed to
succeed Abrees, and ruled over the church in the East
from a.d. 130 to a.d. 152. During his supremacy, the
Christians were sorely persecuted by the Persian king,
who was instigated thereto by the Magians. His suc
cessor was Yaakoob (James), who also was of the kin
dred of Mary, the Blessed Virgin. Previous to his death,
he gave directions that two of his disciples, Kam-Yeshua,
and Aha d'Abhooi, should go to Antioch, in order that
one of them might be consecrated patriarch there. They
accordingly went, but were seized as spies of the King
of Persia, who condemned them, together with Saleeba,
the Patriarch of Antioch, to be crucified before the church
in that city. Aha d'Abhooi, however, escaped to Jeru
salem, and Avas consecrated there by Mattias, the occu
pant of that see, in the Church of the Resurrection. He
reached Ctesiphon a.d. 205, and presided over the Chris
tians of the East for fifteen years. After another patri
arch had been set over Antioch, it was agreed upon by the
patriarchs of the four great sees that, the Eastern patri-

390 THRONES AND PALACES OF
arch elect should not again come to Antioch to be conse
crated, but that the metropolitans, bishops, elders, and
faithful should choose him who was to' fill the see, and
ordain him thereunto, in the church at Ctesiphon.
" I can not do better than to conclude with the follow
ing true and generous remarks made by the great eccle
siastical historian regarding the purity and simplicity of
the primitive Nestorian Church : ' The Nestorians, who
are also called Chaldeans, reside principally in Mesopo
tamia and the adjacent countries. These Christians have
many doctrines and customs peculiar to themselves ; but
they are chiefly distinguished from all other sects by
maintaining that Nestoiius was unjustly condemned in
the Council of Ephesus, and by holding with him that
there were not only two natures but also two persons in
our Saviour. In ancient times this was regarded as a
capital error; at this day, it is considered by the most
respectable men, even among the Roman Catholics, as an
error in Avords rather than in thought. For these Chal
deans affirm, indeed, that Christ consists of tAvo persons,
as well as two natures; but they add, that these two
persons and natures are so closely united as to consti
tute one aspect, or, as they express it, one Barsopa; which
is the same with the Greek wpoawirov, person. From which
it appears clearly that by aspect they mean the same as
we do by person; and that what we call natures, they
call persons. It is to the honor of this sect, that, of all
the Christians resident in the East, they have preserved
themselves the most free from the numberless supersti
tions which have found their Avay into the Greek and
Latin Churches ' (Mosheim, cent, xvi., book iv., chap. ii.).
"Although the unfortunate Nestorians have been per
secuted, harassed, and even massacred by the thousand,
from the time they.embraced Christianity, and very often

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 391
their bitterest enemies were, what I am ashamed to call,
Christians, yet their former exploits in preaching the Gos
pel of salvation to the heathen far and wide, and their
courage and foi'titude hitherto in keeping themselves
from the superstitious practices of different Christian
sects around them, have well earned for them the title
of ' Protestants of the East.'
" Believe me, my dear Dr. Newman, yours, most sin
cerely, H. Rassam.
"The Rev. J. P. Newman, D.D."

392 THRONES AND PALACES OF

CHAPTER VIII.
Departure from Mosul. — Horseback Ride of Six Hundred Miles. — Last
View of Nineveh.— First Day's Ride.— A Night with the Devil-worship
ers. — Hills of Kurdistan. — The Kurds.— Stuck in the Mud. — Xenophon's
Retreat. — Sabbath of Feshapoor. — Crossing the Tigris.— Traveling in
Mesopotamia. — Girls of Uznaoor. — Beautiful Scenery. — Nisibeen and the
Nestorians.— Roman Ruins at Dara — The True Ararat.— Heights of Mar
deen. — American Mission. — Jacobite Christians. — Missionary Meeting. —
Dance of the Devil-worshipers.— Attacked by Robbers.— Great Caravan.
—No Water.— Beautiful Orfah. —Abraham's Pishes and Birthplace.— Ur
of the Chaldees. — Armenian Christians and their Creed. — A Letter to
Christ. — American Church. — Roman Roads and Reservoirs.— Milking
Sheep.— Picturesque Town of Birijik— Crossing the Euphrates.— Travel
ing in Syria. — American Petroleum. — Three Hundred Camels, and their
Habits. — Aleppo and its People. — A Funeral. — Commerce. — American
Mission. — A Beautiful Lady. — Charming Scenery. — The Flood. — Roman
Roads.— Wild Pass of Bey Ian. — First View of the Sea. — End of the
Journey. Before us was a horseback ride of six hundred miles.
It was a journey from Mosul to the sea. It was a tour
through Western Kurdistan, through Central Mesopo
tamia, through Northern Syria, to Iskenderoon, on the
Mediterranean. En route, we were to pass through the
land of the Yeziclis (the DeviLworshipers) ; through the
country of the Nestorians, whose missions had blessed
the East; and through Christian villages of the Greek
and Latin churches. We were to linger at Uz, where
Job suffered and triumphed ; at Orfah, Avhere Abraham
was born ; and at Padan-aram, where Jacob found his
beautiful Rachel.
There was a shorter route, west of the Tigris and di
rect to Damascus; but the certainty of being attacked
by robbers on the desert Avas a sufficient reason why we

•srvAVjraiHxnx v

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 395
should choose the longer way. We had discarded the
clumsy hhajawah, and taken to the English saddle. For
our " elect lady " Ave had secured a tuhhteravan, an idea
of Avhich is best expressed by the accompanying picture,
which is true to life. As we had found it necessaiy to
change dragomans, we Avere fortunate enough to employ
Khidthurs, who was a member of the Protestant Chris
tian community of Mosul, Avho had been in the employ
ment of the English consul, and who had attended Doc
tor Leonard Bacon in his tour through Mesopotamia.
Khidthurs was a Syrian, standing over six feet high, in
telligent and brave, an excellent cook, a polite and oblig
ing servant, and thoroughly honest.
Thursday dawned without a cloud, and at 7 a.m. we
were at the river, waiting for the boat. An immense
croAvd gathered to witness the departure of the Ameri
cans. As usual, the Oriental's love of money was mani
fested, but with intensified greed. Every body expected
a present, not for its intrinsic value, but to propitiate
Providence to be kind to the travelers. We, hoAvever,
were willing to bestoAv a few presents for their intrinsic
value, and to trust Providence from other considerations.
A " fareAvell " to Mr. Rassam, who had accompanied us
to the river, and we were again on the Tigris, stemming
its tremendous current. Safely over, we prepared for
our long journey. It required an hour to load the
mules, to put our " elect lady " in her tuhhteravan, and
to adjust our English saddles on Arabian horses.
Our path lay along the river, with the mounds of Ku
yunjik on our right. It was a temptation not easily re
sisted to mount the ancient walls of Nineveh and ride
thereon, where war- chariots were once driven abreast.
We lingered for a moment at the old North-west Gate,
and for the last time looked upon those mysterious hu-

396 THRONES AND PALACES OF
man-headed bulls, whose vast proportions and admira
ble workmanship never failed to excite our wonder and
admiration. During the morning, we rode through an undulating
country where shepherds were feeding their flocks, and
native women were working in the fields. On our right
were low mounds, whose summits were covered with
grass, and whose sides were stratified with white marble,
similar to that found in the ruined palaces of Nineveh.
Above the marble mounds rose the deep-gullied hills of
Kurdistan, and far away were the snow-capped mount
ains of Media. At noon the scenery grew picturesque,
and added to the pleasure of the tour. The fields on
either side were as rich and well cultivated as any in
England or America. At 4 p.m. we halted for the night
at the small town of Tel -el -Addis, pleasantly located
among the low hills. The villagers gathered to see us,
for our like had never been seen in their town before.
They Avere tidy and well-dressed, and demeaned them
selves in a modest manner. We occupied a clean house,
for which we paid seven piastres.
At five o'clock the next morning we were again in the
saddle. The weather was delightful, and the landscape
beautiful. The soil was rich, and productive of grass
and grain ; but nowhere could be seen a tree or a bush.
It is a treeless land. We crossed several mountain-
streams, and met one caravan bound for Mosul. We
lunched at the Fountain of Feida, near which are the
ruins of some unknown town. An hour's rest, and we
were again in motion. A ride of three miles brought us
to the village of Semail, to reach which we had to cross
a rapid stream, and climb a narrow, steep, and rough
pass through red hills. Situated on a fertile plain near
the mountains, Semail is thirty-six miles from Mosul, and

'•««& *

\ff ft

Fib v
mm

58

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 399
contains a khan, a military station, and seventy dwell
ings. But the place has a peculiar interest to the trav
eler as being one of the many villages of the Yezidis.
They constitute a community, and have tAvo principal
settlements — one in the hills of Kurdistan, and the other
on the plains of Sinjar. They are a politico -religious
body, and have chiefs temporal and chiefs spiritual.
The head-quarters of the Eastern branch of the tribe are
at Baadir, in the Kurdistan mountains. They Avere once
a powerful tribe, brave and thrifty, but have been much
reduced in numbers and resources by their Turkish mas
ters. Of their origin there is no certain knoAvledge, but
some regard them as the descendants of the " lost tribes
of Israel." In their ordinary habits they are clean, quiet,
and industrious. In their physiognomy and general
cast of appearance they resemble our American Indians.
Their forms are lean and lank ; their features are small,
sharp, and expressive ; their color is not the rich olive
of the Turk, nor the glowing sunburned brown of the
Arab,but of a deadly or sickly olive of the deepest hue.
Their hair is long, black, silky, and glossy, and their
beard is thick and full.
Their chief saint is Sheikh Adi, and his tomb is their
most sacred shrine. It is in a lonely but lovely valley,
and thither the tribe goes once a year to celebrate the
annual feast. They believe in one God, but him they
never worship. They aceept the Old Testament as di
vinely inspired, and have some knowledge of Jesus,
They hold that Christ is a great angel, and that he will
come again. It is their custom to baptize their children
seven days after birth, and they also practice circumcis
ion, which suggest their Jewish and Christian origin.
They . reverence fire, into which they never spit; and
through the flame they pass their hands, and then kis?

400

THRONES AND PALACES OF

them. When they worship, they turn toward the east,
and they invariably place the face of their dead toward
the rising sun. When they gather around the tomb of
Sheikh Adi, at their annual feast, they dance to the mu
sic of voice and flute, and abandon themselves to the
wildest excitement. The tomb is visited at dead of
night. The devotees form in procession, each with a

CHIEF OF THE DEVIL-WORSHIPERS.

blazing torch, and approach the holy shrine and march
around it, chanting and dancing till the morning light
appears. But their chief peculiarity is their respect for
Satan. They never mention his name, and put to death
those of their number who dare to do so. They rever
ence him, not from love, but from fear. They dare not
offend him, and seek to propitiate him by never taking

SI o

26

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

403

his name in vain. On their annual feast-day, they place
a bouquet of scarlet anemones over the entrance to their
houses, and hope thereby to please him whose name they
never speak. They believe Satan is the chief of all the
angels, and that Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael are less
than he. Although he now suffers for his disobedience,
yet he is still powerful. He is the prince of this world,

HIGH-PRIEST OF THE DEVIL -^WORSHIPERS.
and owns all the kingdoms thereof; he is the dispenser
of all evil which comes to man, and is, therefore, to be
propitiated. They believe that he will be finally re
stored to his former greatness, and they wish so to de
mean themselves toward him that he will remember
them when he comes into his kingdom. Their symbol
of the Evil One is a bronze peacock, around which they

404

THRONES AND PALACES OF

march on their festal days, and a duplicate of which their
priests carry when they go on missions to raise money.
As we had concluded to keep to the plains and avoid
the mountain-passes, where the snow was deep, and as
the Turkish soldier from Mosul was not allowed to leave
the post -road, we were compelled to take a Devil -wor
shiper to escort us on our way. He was a young man,
of kind and obliging manners, and we felt safe in his
company. A short distance beyond Semail, Ave met a

TEZIDI WOMEN.

party of gayly dressed Kurdish soldiers, Avho are the
sworn enemies of the native Christians, and for whom
we had a more respectful fear than we had for Satan.
Toward evening, and after having been in the saddle
eleven and a half hours, Ave stopped for the night at the
small village of Barsufkee, where we saw fences for the
first time during all our tour. The sheikh was absent,
but his wife bade us Avelcome to her ne,Av house, built of
stone. The tuhhteravan was placed within the entrance,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

405

in Avhich our " elect lady " slept, while we spread our
blankets on the cement-covered floor, surrounded by our
men. We were now in Kurdistan, and the villagers were
Kurds, brave, fierce, and thievish. They were part of a
vast community Avhose territory extends from near Mo
sul to the mountain fastnesses of Diarbekir, and from
the Desert of the Arabs on the west to their own mount
ain-range on the east. They are naturally mountaineers,
but descend to the plains in quest of pasture. In their

KURDISH WOMEN.

pursuits, they are shepherds and farmers, soldiers and
robbers. They are all Moslems, but of the Persian
school, and therefore hated by the Turks. They love
independence, and are not easily brought into subjection.
Like all mountaineers, they are a free, brave, and happy
people. They delight in showy costumes, and in the
number and brightness of their weapons. Their women
are agile as gazelles, but not half so gentle. They pride
themselves on their ornaments and the bright colors of
their attire. As the men have a passion for war, the

406 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Avomen have a passion for love. Their written language
is Persian, their oral language is Arabic; their dialects
are a corruption of both. They are the bitter enemies
of the Chaldean Christians, and in their persecutions
they are relentless and blood-thirsty to the last degree.
No age, or sex, or condition awakens their sympathy or
secures their mercy. In their Mohammedan fanaticism,
they have butchered the aged, the infirm, nor spared the
helpless infant ; they have plundered churches, murdered
the priests, robbed and burned the towns, slaughtered
the men, and captured the women. They are the ene
mies of all, the friends of none.
The night passed ; the day dawned ; the journey was
resumed. All promised well for the day. But evil
lurked in the air. In exchanging soldiers we were com
pelled to take one who was sickly, without animation,
and indifferent to our comfort. He was a Kurd, and
knew that we were Christians. In descending from the
hill whereon the town stood, he should have kept to the
left, and followed the crest of the hills, and all would
have been well ; but he led us across a meadow into the
thick mud of which our mules and horses sunk to their
haunches. In their struggles to rise, the mules capsized
the tuhhteravan, broke the glass windows, and greatly
vexed our " elect lady." But she was soon extricated
from her . embarrassment by good Hadji Merridj, who
carried her on his back to where the land was high
and dry. But her companions were not so fortunate.
Mr. Collins was thrown from his floundering horse, and
sprained his knee, which quite disabled him for several
days. I had dismounted, and was aiding my horse to
get out of the slough, Avhen, in one of his frantic plunges,
he nearly crushed my foot. The baggage mules wan
dered here and there, and floundered in the mud. The

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 407
Kurdish soldier contemplated the scene with evident
satisfaction. It required tAvo hours before we could re
sume our journey. The mules had to be unloaded, and
each piece of baggage carried by hand to the hill-side
The tuhhteravan had to be detached and carried by the
men to the same place. Nor had our troubles ended
When the men had raised the tuhhteravan to their shoul
ders, they disagreed as to which way to go, and then fol
loAved a war of words. One party pulled this way and
another party pulled the other, and in the struggle all
sunk into the mud, upset the tuhhteravan, and broke
a few more panes of glass. Then all swore by their
prophet, and gesticulated more vehemently than a stump
orator. But the Arabs rarely come to blows, if they
only have time to scream and room to gesture. I had
to interfere, and take direction of affairs, as neither party
was disposed to yield his right of judgment.
Once out of the " Slough of Despond," we followed
the ridge of the hills, and passed the first and only tree
we had yet seen in the open country. In less than two
hours we were opposite the Zakoo Pass, through which
Xenophon led his " ten thousand Greeks." We had fol
lowed him in his " Retreat," step by step, from the Za-
bates to the Bumadus, where he defeated Mithridates;
from the banks of the Bumadus to Larissa; thence to
Mespila, and over the foot-hills to the Kurdistan range,
to the Zakoo Pass, through which he fought his way to
the higher fords of the Tigris. We here left the historic
path to cross the Tigris at the Christian village of Fesha-
poor. As we drew nearer to the hills of Kurdistan, we could
observe their characteristics more distinctly. Their sides
are deeply gullied, and resemble the color of ashes. The
higher portions are steep and rugged, and often covered

408 THRONES AND PALACES OF
with snoAV. As Ave advanced, there was a beautiful open
ing to the Avest, through which we saw the Tigris. On
our right, and far away, were the high Median mount
ains, whose snowy peaks were brilliant in the sunlight.
Here and there were well-cultivated fields, AA'herein peas
ants were plowing with an ox and a donkey yoked to
gether. During the succeeding hours, we forded many
rushing mountain -streams, and for miles our path was
a series of ascents and descents among steep hills and
deep valleys. It was a relief to dismount at Mazareh, a
Kurdish town with thatched roofs, and where the chil
dren came and sat doAvn on the grass to observe the
strangers lunch.
During the afternoon we passed many small farm vil
lages located on the hill -tops, around which, and near
the streams that dashed down the ravines, many trees
were growing. Later in the day, we rode through a suc
cession of deep valleys and up rugged hills, and caught
some pretty landscape views, whose beauty was height
ened by sparkling, cascades. At 3 p.m. the gray hills of
Kurdistan abruptly ended, the north-west end sloping
down to the plain. But now appeared a' grander range,
clad in wintry robes, and beyond was Mount Ararat, a
high, long, rounded ridge, white with snow. An hour
later we looked down on the green velvet banks of the
Tigris, where stands the Christian toAvn of Feshapoor,
sixty-six miles from Mosul. We Avere received by the
head-man of the village, and invited to occupy the lower
apartments in his two-storied stone house. His resi
dence resembles a fort, and was built for self-defense. A
Kurdish chief had threatened him with SAvift destruc
tion, and he had to pay a ransom of twenty-five hundred
dollars. Having completed his stone house, with barred
windows and port-holes, he bids defiance to the Kurds,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 409
and intends to fight them from his strong castle. The
village is well located on the bluffs on the east bank of
the Tigris, and on its western side is a rushing mount
ain-stream, Avhich drives a flour-mill and cherishes a mul
berry grove. There is a ferry here over the Tigris, which
is a source of revenue to the governor of the town.
Never Avas the Sabbath of rest more welcome to trav
elers, sick and weary. Happily it had dawned upon us
in a Christian town. The people of Feshapoor are Chal
dean Christians, and their better faith was apparent in
their thrift, cleanliness, and intelligence. On the banks
of the river they have a large stone church, with broad
aisles and ornamented chancel. On the walls are pict
ures of Christ, of Mary, and of the apostles. The high
altar is plain, but was brilliantly illuminated. An hour
after sunrise the early service began. A hundred men
and as many women were present ; the former were well
dressed, and the latter were richly ornamented. All sat
on the floor, the men in front. As the worshipers en
tered the church, they sprinkled holy water on the
brow, and made the sign of the cross. A native priest
officiated, whose white beard contrasted with his brown
visage. He was robed in white, and on the scapular
Avas embroidered the Greek cross. Six assistants at
tended him. The services consisted of Scripture read
ings, of psalms chanted, and responses by the people.
The host was elevated amidst the sound of instrumental
music. Priest and people smote their breast three times,
and all bowed the knee when the name of Christ was
pronounced. Clouds of incense rose continually, and
surcharged the air with a sweet aroma. At the close of
the service, the priest gave his blessing to an attendant,
who gave it to a layman near the altar, Avho in turn
gave it to his nearest neighbor, and so it was passed to

410 THRONES AND PALACES OF
all the congregation. During the celebration of mass, a
European priest was in the confessional, but only two
persons were confessed. Originally this was a Nestorian
church, but through the zeal of papal missionaries it was
transferred to Rome.
Nowhere else in the East had I observed the Sabbath
so strictly kept as at Feshapoor. All business was sus
pended, and no labor was performed. From sunrise till
noon, the people attended church. Toward evening
they gathered on the house-tops — the men in groups
and the women in circles, chatting and laughing in a
gleeful manner. Several of the ladies of the place called
on Mrs. Newman, and gratified their curiosity by exam
ining her wardrobe. They were excessively adorned with
silver ornaments and with mother-of-pearl beads, which
the merchants had brought from Bethlehem.
At six o'clock the next morning we were at the river,
ready to cross ; but the religious boatmen were in church,
and could not be induced to leave, notwithstanding their
promise of the previous night. After an hour and a
half they came; and, to make up for their delay, pro
posed to crowd into one boat all our mules, horses, and
ourselves. They, however, heeded our protest ; and, hav
ing appropriated one boat to ourselves, we were soon in
the strong and rapid current of the Tigris. It was ever
a subject of devout thanksgiving to God when we had
safely crossed to the other side. The boat returned for
the horses and mules, and it was 9 a.m. before all was
ready for a start. Had we been Catholics, we might
have had an earlier departure ; but Rome has made big
ots of these simple-minded people, and taught them to
hate Protestants.
As Ave were not on the post-route, and as Turkish sol
diers are not allowed to escort travelers on any other

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 41 1
road, we Avere compelled to pay one hundred piastres for
two Christian soldiers of Feshapoor to guide us on our
way. They Avere father and son. The former was an
old man, who had crossed the plains many times, but
Avas now of little use but as a mentor to his son, Avho
was Avell mounted, and bore a spear twenty feet long.
The old man's mare Avas as decrepit as himself, and it
was a question AAhether either could endure to the end.
We soon entered the hills, and passed many small vil
lages and Arab encampments surrounded with herds
and flocks. In an hour we turned westward, and rode
through green valleys and over green hills. The hours
passed in solitude, during which we met no one on the
road, nor saw a human abode. The silence of an unin
habited region reigned unbroken. But beauty held
sway in numberless flowers of every hue, and in mur
muring brooks of delicious water. Occasionally we saw
a deserted village, and after a ride of four hours we
lunched near a pretty stream not far from a ruined
town. At 5 p.m. we reached Ghoonduck, on a steep
mound, containing two houses and twelve persons, who
lived amidst a deserted village. The old man and his
wife were venerable and pleasant, and their home was
extremely humble. Declining to sleep in their hut, we
spread our blankets on Jacob's bed, and slept sweetly
under the starry sky.
The sun rose on a glorious plain to the south-west, and
caused the white crest of Ararat to blush in his earliest
light. . Our path was over rough hills and through stony
valleys. Here and there was a cluster of huts, near rich
pasture -fields, wherein were large flocks. At noon we
halted at Deroonah, a post-station, but a miserable town.
Our Christian soldiers left us here, and in their stead we
obtained one soldier, who proved to be an excellent man.

412 THRONES AND PALACES OF
He was a Circassian, and, with thousands of his coun
trymen, had been conscripted for the Turkish army for a
period of four years. He wore a long surtout and a high
fur cap. His complexion was bright and his features
were regular. He was a splendid horseman and an ex
cellent guide. He informed us that the Sultan had
forced a large number of his people to emigrate to this
section of Mesopotamia, to be a barrier against the
Arabs; but the plan had failed, as many of the emi
grants had died.
We were now in Mesopotamia, vast, rich, and beau
tiful. Extending from the fountains of the Khabour
about Mardeen and Nisibeen to Birijik, on the Euphra
tes, and thence southward, between the Euphrates and
Tigris, to Bagdad, it was divided into Upper and Lower
Mesopotamia. Since we crossed the Tigris at Feshapoor,
our route lay through Upper Mesopotamia, Avhose fertil
ity is inexhaustible, and whose population is dense and
thrifty. From the time we left Deroonah, we had passed
on an average a town an hour, and nowhere else had we
seen such apparent prosperity. The pastures were rich,
the flocks were large and numerous, wheat and barlejr
were abundant, the streams and fountains were frequent,
and the water was clear and delicious.
As the shepherds Avere folding their flocks, and after a
ride of eleven hours, we entered the Christian village of
Uznaoor. The inhabitants are Jacobite Christians, who
have not bowed the knee to Rome, and on the hill in the
rear of the town is their little church. We estimated
the population at five hundred, and were impressed with
the apparent difference between a Christian and a Mo
hammedan village. In their apparel, their intelligence,
their cheerfulness, their thrift, their freedom, their archi
tecture, and comfortable style of living, the Christians are

CHRISTIAN GIRLS OF UZNAOOR.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 415
the superiors of their Moslem neighbors. The head-man
of Uznaoor Avas a splendid specimen of physical man
hood, and Avas hospitable as he was polite. His beauti
ful daughter, a girl of fourteen, was attractively attired.
Her attire consisted of a pair of shalwar, and a red robe
resembling a surplice, the long sleeves whereof were tied
together and throAvn behind the shoulders, and secured
to the Avaist by a narrow girdle with tAvo large ornament
al silver clasps. Her head-dress was like an archer's hel
met, made of a pointed cap, and covered with bright sil
ver coins, laid on like scales, and over it was thrown a
veil of thin gauze. The helmet weighed three pounds,
and Avas the maiden's dower. Nearly all the women of
the place wore a similar head-ornament, but not half so
costly. At a trifling expense, we Avere furnished with fresh-
baked " barley loaves," with SAveet and sour milk, with
poultry and eggs, with apricots and pomegranates. As
we preferred to spread our blankets on the high veran
da rather than to sleep even in a Christian Oriental's
house, we passed the night unmolested either by vora
cious animals or the smoke of the Eastern pipe. During
the evening the neighbors gathered in the large room to
smoke and talk and laugh. Near us two women Avere
churning in a very primitive style. They had erected
three poles, and from the centre of the triangle they had
suspended a goat's skin filled with milk. One woman
took hold of the head, and the other woman took hold
of the tail, and churned away to the music of some stir
ring chant.
The daAvn was delightful, and at 6 a.m. we were in
the saddle. As we passed through the thrifty toAvn,
women were spinning the finest wool, and men were
weaving cotton cloth. It was in this same land that

416 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Job wrote those plaintive words : " My days are swifter
than a weaver's shuttle." Turning to the north-west, our
path lay over a beautiful plain bounded on the north
and south by picturesque mountains. The noble plain
is dotted with mounds, which may be artificial, having
been erected by the Persian Fire- worshipers, and where
on they built their altars; but, Avhether natural or artifi
cial, these mounds are peculiar to this plain. Either at
the base or on the summit of each mound is a village,
and during a ride of a few hours we counted not fewer
than twenty towns, and all within sight of each other.
Three years ago, most of these villages were destroyed
by the Mohammedan Arabs, who hate the Christians;
but since then the Turkish Government ordered the re
building of the houses, which are again occupied by
those who had been driven from their homes.
In six hours from Uznaoor, we entered the ancient
city of Nisibeen, around which cluster so many historic
associations. In strength and grandeur it was the fore
most city of the Romans in all their Eastern empire. To
capture it, the Persian emperor Shapoor besieged it
thrice betAveen a.d. 338 and a.d. 350 ; but each time he
failed in the attempt. Thirteen years later, and after the
retreat and death of the Emperor Julian, it was surren
dered by the feeble Jovian; and was never retaken by the
Romans. Around its walls thousands have fallen in the
bloody struggle, and its ruins of to-day are the mournful
memorials of defeated armies. Two marble columns, an
ancient bridge, a portion of a noble church, are all that
remain of its former magnificence. Within the church is
a marble sarcophagus, said to have contained the ashes of
Saint James, one of the Fathers, who was present at the
Council of Nice, and who witnessed the third and mem
orable siege of the city by the Emperor Shapoor. But

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

41",

GREEK AND ROMAN REMAINS AT NISIBEEN.
it is now an empty tomb. It was ruthlessly opened and
partly destroyed by the conquerors, who had hoped to
find therein buried treasure.
There is, however, another and higher historic inter
est connected Avith this once renowned city of the East.
For centuries it was the ecclesiastical metropolis of the
Nestorians, whose missions extended from the Gulf of
Persia to the Caspian Sea, and from Jerusalem to the pal
aces of Ecbatana. Here were their grandest churches ;
here flourished their schools of learning ; and from here
went forth their missionaries to the pepper-coast of Mal
abar, to the spice- groves of Ceylon, and to the walled
cities of China. But all now is changed. There is
neither church nor college within the precincts of the
town. Of the three hundred families of Nisibeen, only
twelve are Christian, of which half are Jacobites and
27

418 THRONES AND PALACES OF
half are Armenians, without a church and without a
priest. But while they have no memorial in this their
former centre of power, yet elsewhere in the East the
Nestorians claim to have 7 metropolitans, 7 bishops, 188
priests, 249 churches, and 11,378 families, or a total com
munity of 70,000 souls.
Few cities in Mesopotamia can boast a situation more
beautiful than that of Nisibeen. The ancient Mygdo-
nius, noAv the Jaghjagha of the Arabs, flows clear and
rapidly between verdant banks. Across the river is a
stone bridge supported by twelve arches. Above the
town towers the tall and graceful minaret of the mosque,
and toward the west is the residence of the pasha, and
near it a large structure used as a military station. The
bazaars are considerable, and furnished us with all nec
essary supplies. We lunched on the grassy banks of the
running waters, and, while there, received a call from the
military officer in command. He was dressed like a Eu
ropean, except his red fez cap. He was polite and frank,
and requested us to write him from Iskenderoon as to
the conduct of the soldiers who were our escort. The
pretty lawns along the river are the pleasure-grounds of
the villagers, and many richly attired ladies were linger
ing there with their children and domestics, enjoying the
music of the running waters.
After a ride of three hours, through a rich farming re
gion, we halted for the night at the miserable Moham
medan village of Kasr-el-Buderveel. It Avas one of the
outposts of the Roman empire in the East, and there
still remain two square towers, strongly built of large
white stones, and also sections of the wall which inclosed
the Roman barracks. It was a relief to leave a place so
desolate as that, and in the early dawn we were again
on the road. The tedium of the journey was relieved

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 419
by the coming of the Turkish post. The mail-bags were
thrown across the backs of five mules which were in
front, and behind them were the mail-agent, three sol
diers, and tAvo attendants, mounted on horses, and who
urged on the mules to the top of their speed.
During the morning we passed the most remarkable
of all the remains of the Roman empire in Mesopota
mia. On our right was the famous " Dara in the Mount
ains," AAThich Avas built by Anastasius, but improved and
strengthened by the Emperor Justinian. Its double
AAralls, its triple ditches, its strong towers, its immense
reservoirs, its palace, combined to make it a monument
of strength and beauty. It was the pride of the Romans
and the dread of the Persians. In the year 529, it was
defended by twenty-five thousand Romans under Beli-
sarius,who was attacked by forty thousand Persians. The
Romans maintained their position, and the besiegers re
tired, leaving eight thousand dead upon the field of bat
tle. At a later period the triumphant Chosroes suc
ceeded in reducing this stronghold after it had resisted
the floAver of his army during a siege of five months.
Although now a ruin, yet in its ruins Dara is great. Its
remains represent the military architecture of the Ro
mans, and are a monument of their wealth and power.
The broken arch, the prostrate column, the fallen wall,
the empty tanks, the ruined palace, the two hundred or
namented tombs, proclaim a history as eloquent as it is
sad. And where once the Roman Eagles triumphed,
and the " standard of Persia " was raised on high, there
are now fewer than .one hundred and fifty native fami
lies, whose huts stand amidst the ruins of ancient Dara.
As we advanced, Jebel Judi Avas seen on our right — a
vast, elongated, rounded mountain, white with snow from
base to summit. It is the Mesopotamian Ararat, the ri-

420 THRONES AND PALACES OF
val of the Ararat in Armenia. Both Christians and Mos
lems believe that it is the mountain whereon the ark
rested after the Deluge ; and near it is a village called
the " Market of the Eight," referring to the number of
Noah's family who were preserved from the Flood. This
tradition is sustained by the local topography, by the
early settlement of Noah's descendants in Lower Meso
potamia, and is not contradicted by any historic facts we
now possess. On our left was the large town of Ar-
moodah, and a feAV miles beyond is the most delicious
spring in Asia. Around its crystal waters we rested,
and from the bubbling spring we drank, and sung, and
laughed, and thanked the Creator. for "pure cold water."
Again in motion, we passed men on donkeys and Avomen
on camels. A\vay to the north-east Avas the Mardeen Gap,
through which the road passes to Diarbekir. Around
us were large and splendid farms, and rich pasture-lands.
Just beyond the Mohammedan town of Harreen is one
of the most beautiful rivers in the world. Clear, deep,
and rapid, it was the image of the " River of Life." An
hour farther on, we came to the Christian village of Goe-
ley, which contains a brick- yard, and one hundred and
seventy houses. The head-man of the place gave us his
new residence, wherein we rested for the night, and most
of the next day.
Mounted on a mule and guided by a peasant, I started
at an early hour for Mardeen, the Mount Masius of the
ancients. It required an hour to reach the base of the
mountain, and then, for half an hour, I ascended the most
crooked, rough, and intolerable road in Asia. The zig
zag path enters a narrow ravine, and thence turns to ev
ery point of the compass. Over ledges of sharp rocks,
through narrow cuts in some projecting cliff, along the
very edge of the precipice, the -sure-footed mule struggled

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

421

till we reached the summit, two thousand four hundred
feet above the level of the sea. By the wayside are
sweet and brackish fountains, whose waters are con
veyed by a series of conduits to the terraces, Avhere the
almond-tree was in blossom, and where the vine and the
fig-tree Avere putting forth their tender leaves. On the
road, I passed an aged Avoman, loaded with fire- wood.
She was small of stature ; her locks were gray ; but her
Grecian features Avere worthy the pencil of an Apelles.

CITY OF MARDEEN.

As I reached the summit, the American College bell rang
merrily in the clear mountain air, calling the students to
their classes ; and in honor of my visit, the flag of our
country was unfurled to the breeze on Mount Masius.
The Rev. Doctor Andrus and Miss Parmley gave me a
cordial greeting, and welcomed me to their mission. It
Avas refreshing to be in a Christian home once more, and
again look upon the faces of my countrymen. The mis-

422 THRONES AND PALACES OF
sion property is well located, and consists of four large
buildings, used for residence and school purposes. Un
der the faithful labors of the missionaries, the mission
has proved a success. There is a church of fifty mem
bers, and an average congregation of one hundred and
thirty persons, in charge of a native pastor. Through
the zeal of a Bible reader, one hundred and fifty native
women have been induced to study the Scriptures. There
are two training schools — one for the education of can
didates for the ministry, and the other for the educa
tion of their wives. There were ten students in attend
ance, who seemed to be intelligent and earnest men.
The institution is furnished with a philosophical and
chemical apparatus and a superior telescope. In the fe
male department there were eleven girls and eight wom
en, who had made commendable proficiency under the
care of Miss Parmley. From the theological department
several efficient native pastors have gone forth to teach
their countrymen the way of life.
Mardeen has a population of tAventy thousand, of
whom one-half are Moslems, and the other half are Chal
dean, Jacobite, Papal Syrian, and Papal Armenian Chris
tians, and a few JeAvs. The principal streets are so many
terraces cut in the side of the mountain, and rise one
above the other; and the small streets which run at
right angles to the former are a series of steps in the
native rock. The buildings are of stone, and, being the
color of the gray rocks, it is difficult to distinguish them
at any considerable distance from the place. Around
the toAvn is a wall two miles in circuit. On the highest
peak is the ruin of an old Roman castle, uoav a military
station. The view from the citadel is vast and com
manding. The Moslems are in power, and have eight mosques.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 423
They are fanatical in the extreme, and have the well-
earned reputation of being the greatest quarrelers in
Mesopotamia. Their Christian neighbors are more pa
cific, but not less bigoted. Mardeen is a religious centre.
It is the head -quarters of the Syrian Papal patriarch;
the residence of the Papal Armenian bishop; the home
of the Chaldean bishop, and the stronghold of the Jaco
bite Christians. To the south of the town, and amidst
scenery wild and grand, is the YelloAv Monastery of the
Jacobites. The structure is plain and roomy, but gloomy
as a prison. The adjoining church is small and filthy,
and in a side apartment are the tombs of the patriarchs
and bishops. In the library is a Syriac copy of the Gos
pels, as old as the year a.d. 1150. The supreme spirit
of the monastery is the patriarch, who is not allowed to
eat flesh, drink wine, use tobacco, nor have a wife. The
priests are allowed the last-named luxury, and their fam
ilies reside with them in the dark monastic halls.
That night we slept at Tel-Ermine, twelve miles from
Mardeen. It is a small Jacobite village near the ruins
of a large Mohammedan toAvn, whose ruined mosque and
two square minarets are seen from afar. It is located
at the base of one of the many mounds which dot this
great plain. Near it is a stream of crystal water, wherein
we enjoyed a delightful bath. Although these villages
are so near each other, yet the people of each speak a
different language, which made it probable that we were
near the place where the "Lord did confound the lan
guage of all the earth." We Avere entertained by a fam
ily, superior in comforts, cleanliness, and politeness. In
the evening we were joined by Doctor Andrus and Miss
Parmley from Mardeen, and by Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Bell,
and Miss Sears, just from America, who were to devote
themselves to the work of missions. It was a joyous

424 THRONES AND PALACES OF
meeting, and the evening was passed in pleasant conver
sation, in hymns of praise, and in earnest prayers. After
their long and fatiguing overland journey, the new mis
sionaries were cheerful and hopeful. The ladies espe
cially had endured much to reach their field of labor,
and were not unmindful of the toil and self-denial be
fore them. The Master had demanded much of them,
but he had highly honored them in calling them to his
work, and their future reward will be great.
In the gray of the morning we were in the saddle,
and for hours rode through rich meadow-lands without
a flock or a herd. Near Meshkoke the ground is cov
ered with volcanic rocks, or perhaps cinders from another
planet. At 5 p.m. we reached Hellalu, and pitched our
tent on the grassy banks of a flowing stream. Near us
were the tents of Kurdish shepherds, from whom we
purchased milk, eggs, and poultry. They wrere gayly
dressed, and wore their hair long and flowing.
The rain-clouds, which had threatened us all the
night, were driven before a north-west wind, and the
Sabbath dawned in beauty upon earth and sky. The
sweet rest of the holy day was thrice, welcome to the
weary travelers, whose ears were banqueted by the mu
sic of running Avaters, whose senses were perfumed with
the odor of the lovely floAvers, whose vision was en
tranced by the glorious landscape of snow-capped mount
ains, of far-extending valleys, and of a sky as soft and
pure as that of Eden. The pleasures of the hour were
interrupted by the coming of a band of wandering mu
sicians, who belonged to the sect of Devil -worshipers.
Each had a donkey, and they traveled from place to
place in quest of a few piastres. They approached our
tent, and played, and danced, and begged. Their music
was as simple in composition as it Avas rude in execution,

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 425
and Ave gladly gave them a feAv coins as the price of
their departure.
As the sun Avas declining, Ave crossed the Hellalu
River, and rode over the hills to Deda, five miles be
yond. In passing, a peasant woman, loaded with fire-
Avood, looked inquiringly upon our "elect lady," and
tartly asked, " Why does she ride in a tuhhteravan, and
I go on foot with this load on my back?" It was in
substance the old question which has agitated humanity
from the beginning, and Avhich has never been satisfac
torily answered. On the hills were many encampments
of shepherds, and also of muleteers whose beasts were
bearing grain to the Mediterranean. On our left was
the small tent village of Deda, and near it an octagonal
tomb of some Moslem saint, much revered by the faith
ful. The Deda river is broad and deep, and flows
through a glen of limestone rock, bold and rugged. The
steep sides of the glen were as a vast wall, fringed with
a few young pines. The shades of the evening rendered
the deep chasm more gloomy, and we paused to enjoy
the solemnity of the hour. Our Circassian soldier at
tempted to ford the river, but found the water above
his horse's neck. Lower down are the five remaining
piers of an old Roman bridge, and there Ave successfully
crossed. Ascending the hill beyond, we encamped for
the night. It was a bold venture, and so it proved. At
one o'clock in the morning, the cry* of "Robber! Rob
ber!" resounded through our camp. In that dread hour
of the night, when weary men sleep most soundly, some
Kurdish robbers had forded the stream, and had crept
stealthily up the slope where our animals were tethered.
Jebarah first discovered the approaching thief, and gave
the alarm. Shots were exchanged in quick succession ;
and in the excitement our servant rushed into our tent,

426 THRONES AND PALACES OF
and shouted, "Shall I shoot one?" "No, you must not
kill any one." " But if I shoot one, all will run." What
the honest fellow meant was, to discharge one barrel of
the revolver. When his meaning was clearly compre
hended, permission was given, and he blazed away in a
most soldierly manner. The robbers had failed to sur
prise us, and, having been detected, they were content
to give us a parting shot, which was returned with in
terest. We waited patiently for the morning, and, " while it
was yet dark," we started across a vast and rich meadow.
On our left was a solitary tree, to be known hereafter as
" The Robber's Shrub." ' There were many streams to
ford, the broadest and deepest of which was the beauti
ful Bussameer. At night we halted beside the deeper,
broader waters of the Oslonchi, or the " Lion Water."
Here is an immense limestone glen, the sides of which
are alternately concave and convex. The deep chasm
curves in all directions, now almost in parallel lines,
again in a majestic sweep. In the sides of the glen are
immense caves, wherein one hundred persons could lodge,
and Avherein travelers often sleep. This deep stream is
fed by the rains and the melted snow on the Taurus
range. On the west bank of the glen we encamped, and list
ened to the music of the rapids. As I stood on the verge
of this great chasm, one hundred horses, mules, and don
keys came down the opposite side, with bells on their
nose, bells on their neck, bells on their breast, bells be
hind, and bells before, which tinkled on the evening air.
The animals were loaded with wheat for the Mediterra
nean, where it was in great demand. It is a slow method
of transportation, as they travel but four hours a day, or
tAvelve miles. The custom is to travel tAvo hours and

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 427
rest four hours, so that the Avhole distance is equally di
vided betAveen the moraine; and the afternoon.
At 5 a.m. the tents were struck, the animals loaded,
and the caravan was in motion. Then came the sound
of bells, from the smallest sleigh-bell to the largest cow
bell. Poe should have heard those bells and added an
other stanza. Inspired by the music of the bells, we
joined the caravan. In an hour we came to a Roman
reservoir, fifteen feet Avide and sixty feet long, and well
preserved. During four mortal hours thereafter, we trav
eled through a succession of interlaced limestone hills,
rocky and barren. In some places the deep glen was
not tAventy feet Avide, while on either side, like cyclopean
walls, the rocks rose above us one thousand feet perpen
dicularly. At times we seemed completely shut in, and
our only outlook was up to the clear blue sky. There
was a rugged grandeur in the scene, and the silence was
impressive. It was ours also to know by experience
what is meant by a " dry and thirsty land where no
water is." Faint and weary, we would have rested in
the "shadoAV of a great rock;" but there was no water
for man or beast. We stopped from sheer exhaustion.
There was but one small jug of water, while seven per
sons and seven animals were sorely athirst. A passing
traveler informed us of water half a mile beyond. All
hastened to the spot, where we found a pond of muddy
rain-water, but of which all were glad to drink. Five
miles farther on were the ruins of a Mohammedan khan,
and near it was another Roman reservoir half full of
impure rain-water. Around it the shepherds gathered
with their scanty flocks. As we advanced through the
glen, we observed the remains of a Roman road paved
with round stones, and flanked with well-dressed blocks
of limestone. Other reservoirs were passed, some in

428 THRONES AND PALACES OF
ruins, some in good condition. . In the days of the em
pire, this was one of the military roads of the Romans,
who made ample provision to supply their armies and
caravans with water.
At length Ave emerged from the " valley of the shadow
of death," to traverse " wide extended plains," where the
fields were green Avith grass and grain, and whereon
murmured a hundred rivulets. It was here Ave witness
ed the sport of the natives. To relieve the tedium of
the journey, the muleteers of a large caravan threw their
sticks high in the air, each attempting to hit the first
one throAvn ; and when done, it was the signal of a wild
shout. After having been in the saddle thirteen hours,
Ave halted at Tel-el-Merdge, near a pretty stream, where
Ave pitched our tent, and were soon fast asleep.
The rainless weather continued. The dawn was cloud
less. A ride of half an hour brought us to Jellab, a
charming spot. On either bank of the river are the
cottages of the Syrian Christians, around which the apri
cot was in blossom, and near Avhich were long avenues
of young poplars. As far as the eye could reach, the
land was in a state of cultivation. An hour from Jellab,
and beautiful Orfah was in vieAV. The approach there
to was singularly picturesque. The intervening space
of twelve miles was rich in the variety of its landscape.
The young grain of spring, the flowers of the field, the
winding stream through grassy banks, the distant mount
ains, the city on the hills, with dome and minaret and
castellated towers looming up from out groves of the
apricot, the fig, and the pomegranate, with, here and there,
the dark and graceful cypress, contrasting with the red
tower and white minaret, delighted the eye and anima
ted the soul. A broad mountain-stream flows along the
base of the hills, and is spanned by a well-constructed

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

429

¦ ytUHA

CITY OF ORFAH.

stone bridge. We preferred to ford the stream, and fol
low the wall to the north-east gate, where we encamped.
The people gathered in crowds to see the strangers, nor
were the veiled women the least curious to see us. We
were courteously received and entertained by the Rev.
Mr. Hagap Aboohagatian, of the American mission. He
was educated in Germany, and is reputed a good scholar.
The mission premises are admirably located on the hill
side, and the church is spacious and accessible. There
is a membership of one hundred and fifty, and a congre
gation of seven hundred. A large school is supported
by the church and community. We occupied the apart
ments wherein the American missionaries reside, when

430 THRONES AND PALACES OF
in town ; and here we rested for a day and a night, and
thanked God for a Christian bed.
For beauty of situation and for historical associations,
Orfah is one of the most interesting cities of Mesopota
mia. It rivals Damascus in garden scenes and in archi
tectural ornamentation. From the plain the town rises
in terraces up the gentle slope of the mountains on the
west, surrounded with gardens which cover an area of
ten miles beyond the walls on the east and south-east.
Through the city flows the pretty Kara Kozoon, which
is spanned by three bridges, and which runs through the
gardens to the open country beyond. The city walls
are high and penetrated by three imposing gates. The
streets are narrow but clean, and paved on either side,
with a causeway for pedestrians. The buildings are con
structed of limestone, and not a feAV are substantial and
ornamental. The bazaars are tastefully arranged, and
are well supplied with native and foreign goods. The
manufactures of India, Persia, Cashmere, and Europe are
displayed for sale. The domestic articles are cotton and
woolen cloths, Avhich are purchased by the poor. In the
numerous coffee-houses the traveler is served with iced
milk, sherbets of honey, cinnamon-water, and a variety
of rich perfumes. In the markets may be had the deli
cious white mulberry, the apricot, the quince, the fig, the
grape, the pomegranate, and the pistachio-nut, together
with oranges, lemons, and melons.
The population of Orfah is about equally divided into
Moslems and Christians. Of the fifty thousand people
who reside within the walls, some are Chaldeans, some
are Armenians, some are Arabians, and not a few are
Syrians. They display toward each other the fanaticism
peculiar to the sects in the East, and are intolerant one
toAvard the other. There is a display of wealth and re-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 431
finement in the street apparel of both men and women
not seen in toAvns to the south and south-east. The av
erage thrift of the people is greater than at Mosul or
Bagdad, and the standard of education is proportionably
higher. The ladies excel in beauty and in the richness
of their ornaments, and delight to display both in the
lovely gardens and on the shaded terraces.
As a historic place, Orfah presents many points of in
terest. Traditions, antiquities, and names indicate its
great age. It is, no doubt, the " Ur of the Chaldees,"
and a very ancient tradition makes it identical with the
" Land of Uz." Near the Haran Gate is " Job's Well,"
from Avhich the patriarch drank, and which is a sacred
shrine with the people. The tradition seems to be con
firmed by the fact that Job dwelt among a people called
Sabeans and Chaldeans,* who plundered him of his flocks
and herds, and the descendants of Avhom reside here now
in the persons of the Yezidis, some of whose doctrines
and rites are connected with Sabeanism and Magianism.
But if their religious tenets ai;e not proof of their de
scent, their thievish propensities are, as they are ready to
plunder Job, or any one else they may chance to meet.
There is, however, much stronger evidence for the tra
dition that Orfah is the birthplace of Abraham. It is
recorded in Genesis that "Terah took Abram his son,
and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his
daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife ; and they went
forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the
land of Canaan ; and they came unto Haran, and dAvelt
there. And the days of Terah Avere two hundred and
five years: and Terah died in Haran."f The site of
Haran is less than twenty miles to the south-east, and
* Job i., 15-17. t Genesis xi., 31-32.

432 THRONES AND PALACES OF
within its now ruined walls is the traditional grave of
Terah, the father of Abraham. On the two hills are the
remains of the Roman castle where the Parthians de
feated the Romans, and where occurred the death of
Marcus Licinius Crassus. Somewhere between these two
cities was the Padan-aram where the beautiful Rebekah
lived before she was wedded to Isaac, and where Jacob
served Laban, and received Leah and Rachel as his wives.
To the people of Orfah the name of Abraham is a
household word. They point to his birthplace with ev
ident pride, and have reared monuments to his memory.
To the south-east of the toAvn, and at the base of the
mountain, is the cave wherein he was born, and over it
is a mosque so holy that only Moslems are allowed to en
ter therein. And not far from the cave, and within the
most lovely portion of the city, is a pool of crystal water,
filled Avith Abraham's fishes. It is called "Birket-el-
Ibrahim el Khaleel " — "Abraham the Beloved, or Friend
of God." It is one of the most enchanting spots on
earth. The clear water is conducted from a perennial
spring into a marble basin, three hundred feet long,
twenty feet wide, and six feet deep. At the eastern end,
where the waters are allowed to escape, there is a rus
tic bridge ; at the opposite end is a pretty marble kiosk,
from beneath which the waters Aoav; on the. south side
are green lawns, and gardens of flowers, and groves of
the white mulberry, the tall and sombre cypress, the
drooping avUIoav, the bright oleander, the lofty syca
more, and the shady fig and pomegranate. From out
the grove rises a mosque, and above the mosque towers
a graceful minaret. On the opposite side is a well-paved
causeway for promenades, Avhose very edge is washed by
the waters of the lake. Above this noble path is the
grand facade of the Mosque of Abraham, whose name it

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

433

bears. This marble mosque' is croAvned with three domes
of equal size, surmounted Avith gilded crescents, and a
lofty minaret, springing up from amidst a cluster of tall
and solemn cypress-trees. Within the sacred inclosure,
silver lamps, filled Avith the choicest olive-oil, burn night
and day in honor of the Father of the Faithful. The
sylvan lake is filled Avith fine carp, to the number of not

Abraham's mosque and *ool.
less than twenty thousand. They are sacredly called
"Abraham's fish," the descendants of those cherished by
the patriarch. As the water in which they swim is
beautifully transparent, they are seen to good advan
tage ; and, as they are not allowed to be caught or in
any way molested, they multiply exceedingly. It is
deemed an act of piety to feed them ; it is considered a
28

434 THRONES AND PALACES OF
crime to eat them. To prevent any person from catch
ing these fish, the Moslems have invented the supersti
tion that he who purloins from the sacred waters will
be smitten with idiotcy. But the Christians of Orfah
have such a reverence for Abraham that they are never
so happy as when they can feast on a dish of his fish,
cooked with wine-sauce, and eaten as a royal dainty.
From this enchanted spot, Avhere turbaned Turks and
veiled women repose in the music of its waters, and be
neath the shade of its trees, we passed to examine the
old Roman castle seated on the summit of the adjacent
mountain, and whose walls are two thousand feet in ex
tent. In the outer wall, as if to mark the entrance to a
palace, are two Corinthian columns crowned with beau
tiful capitals, and on each the stork had built its nest.
Around the Avails is a moat, fifty feet deep, cut in the
solid rock. Within the walls reside a few poor families,
where once Roman emperors dwelt. The view from the
castle is commanding and grand. Far away on the plains
were the groves of the fig, the apricot, and the pomegran
ate; at our feet were the gardens around the Pool and
Mosque of Abraham ; and above them rose the swelling
dome, the slender minaret, the square red tower of some
early Christian church, and the tall, dark cypress that
gave shade to the beautiful picture.
Few cities in Mesopotamia are richer in Greek, Roman,
and Christian antiquities than Orfah. It is the Edessa
of the Greeks, and the Antoniopolis of the Romans. It
was here that Macrinus assassinated Antoninus Bassia-
nus Caracalla, son of the Emperor Severus. It was en
larged and beautified by the Emperor Justinian, who
may be regarded as the great church-builder in the East.
It was so highly esteemed as a military centre that,
around its walls, Greeks and Romans, Persians and Par-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 435
thians, Saracens and Crusaders, fought for its possession.
But its chief historic significance is in connection with
early Christianity. Here Avas the residence of King Ab-
garus, Avho Avrote a letter to Christ, and requested there
in that the artist Avho bore the letter might be permitted
to paint a portrait of Our Lord. According to the pious
tradition, the Saviour declined to sit for his picture, but
condescended to make a miraculous impression of his
countenance upon a napkin, which he sent to the King
of Edessa. For centuries this image was esteemed the
palladium of the city, and was finally worshiped by a
deluded people.
Although Orfah early became a Christian city, yet it
is notorious for its religious errors and factions. During
the time of Julian the Apostate it became a stronghold
of the Arians, whose disorders led to the confiscation of
their church property ; and one hundred years later the
heresy of the Nestorians was accepted as Divine truth,
notwithstanding it had been driven from Ephesus and
Chalcedon. At present the Christian community is di
vided into Syrian Jacobites and Armenians. The former
are feAV in number and weak in influence ; but the latter
are strong in numbers, in wealth, and social position.
Their community is estimated at fourteen thousand, and
annually increasing. On our return from the castle, Ave
visited their large and imposing church. It stands in a
spacious court, and connected therewith is the episcopal
residence and the parish school. The church is one hun
dred and fifty feet long and seventy-five feet wide. The
interior is divided into three aisles by a double roAV of
Saracenic columns, which support graceful arches. One
of the aisles is partitioned off by a trellis-wouk, to screen
the female portion of the congregation. From the ceil
ing depend large la'mps, and the floor is covered with

436 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Persian carpets. The high altar is exceedingly impos
ing. Fifty feet high and thirty feet broad, it is a Gothic
arch, richly gilded. In the centre is a representation of
the Holy Family, and on either side are images of the
apostles, Avhile above them all is Christ sitting in judg
ment. On the right of the altar is an image of Mary
and her Son, encased in silver, and said to have been
painted by Thaddeus, one of the Seventy. A lamp ever
burns before that image, and a contribution-plate is ever
there to receive the gifts of the people. Although ves
pers were ended, yet many worshipers were present. It
is customary for the working people, before they return
home, to stop at the church and offer their prayers.
Some stood like statues, others touched their foreheads to
the ground and breathed forth their devotions. Around
the church are the graves of the sainted dead, and over
some of the tombs are tasteful monuments.
The Armenians have communities in nearly all the
principal towns, from Bagdad to the Black Sea, and from
Kurdistan to the Mediterranean. They trace their ori
gin back to apostolic times. In the fourth century of
our era they accepted as truth the Nicene and Athana-
sian creeds, and continued in this belief for two hundred
years. But in the sixth century they were induced to
change their religious views by Jacob Baradgeus, who
taught that the human nature of Christ had been ab-
sorbed by his Divine nature ; and that the procession of
the Holy Ghost Avas from the Father alone. In these
false doctrines they still abide, and are to-day a formal
and poAverless church. They invoke the saints and Avor-
ship images ; they practice a triune immersion in the ad
ministration of baptism; and they believe in transub-
stantiation in the holy eucharist. They have patriarchs,
bishops, and priests ; they have monasteries and convents

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 437
and parochial schools. At present their community is
divided into Monophysites and Roman Catholics; but
the Papists have had less success in perverting Arme
nians than in converting Nestorians. The American mis
sionaries are noAv exerting a wholesome influence over
the Armenian youths by extending to them the privi
leges of education.
The storm of the previous night had been succeeded
by a charming morning, and at 8 a.m. Ave were again in
motion. On the outskirts of the town were extensive
Mohammedan cemeteries, and beyond- them were large
graperies and fig orchards. Our path lay up an as
cent tAvo thousand feet high, from the summit of which
we obtained a glorious vieAV of the plains below and of
the siioaa'- capped mountains that rose above us on the
north. Fragments of an old Roman road appeared here
and there as Ave advanced, and now and then Ave saw the
remains of ancient reservoirs. After leaving the summit
of the ridge, and for eighteen miles beyond, Ave traveled
through a rough and hilly region. About 5 p.m. we
halted for the night at Charmelik, and encamped at the
base of a mound, near which is a Roman reservoir, one
hundred feet long, six feet Avide, and fifty feet deep. The
huts of the villagers are of mud, with roofs of sun-dried
bricks, which resemble bee -hives. In the dusk of the
evening I strolled through the toAvn, and examined these
ingeniously constructed dwellings. " The entrance is a
descent into an under-ground apartment, above which is
the conical roof. Upon the earthen floor was spread
the coarse rug whereon the occupants sleep, and on the
Avails Avere suspended the sword and gun for protection
against the midnight thief. There Avas a hum of busy
life in the little village. Youthful shepherds were re
turning with their flocks; the men were feeding their

438 THRONES AND PALACES OF
camels and donkeys; and the women were carrying wood
and water for the night. One poor girl, who had lost
the use of her lower limbs, moved over the ground by
aid of her hands, and seemed to be pitied and caressed
by her companions.
The night was severely cold. The thermometer indi
cated a change from seventy-eight to forty degrees in
less than twelve hours. We were near the Taurus range,
which was covered with snow; and as the wind blew
from the direction of the snowy mountains, it was in
tensely cold. But the sun came forth clear and bright,
and his earliest rays were welcomed by the icy peaks,
which blushed in the rosy light. Nearly all the morn
ing we folloAved the line of the telegraph, which impart
ed to the soul a sense of home. Having lunched near a
small stream, we resumed our tour, and rode over chalk-
hills so white as to be exceedingly painful to the eyes.
Here in this dry region the Romans had constructed im
mense reservoirs for the accommodation of their armies
and for the comfort of caravans ; and so admirably were
they made, they have suffered but little from the lapse
of the ages, and the constant neglect by the subsequent
occupants of the country. At 1 p.m. we passed the wa
ter-shed, and an hour thereafter we saw the Euphrates.
The large town of Birijik was now full in vieAV, and the
prospect, thereof was the most picturesque we had seen
in Mesopotamia. The toil of the journey was relieved
by the pleasant approach to the city through extensive
graperies, and fig and apricot orchards. On either side
of the road, the clear Avater flowed rapidly in its descent
to the Euphrates. In the rocks are large caves where
travelers repose during the night, and in the quarries
natives were at Avork dressing the soft stone for build
ing purposes. Passing through the crowded bazaar, we

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

439

reached the ferry with difficulty. Large quantities of
grain in sacks were there to be ferried over the river,
and an immense throng of people were waiting to cross.
We applied to the authorities for permission to cross,
but, after a tedious delay of an hour, we Avere informed
that Ave must Avait till morning. This was a disappoint
ment, as Ave preferred tenting on the green banks beyond
to remaining in a Turkish town. We dispatched our

TOWN OF BIRIJIK.

servant to the pasha, but that placid dignitary consoled
us by affirming that there Avould be less water in the
river in the morning, and that it would then be much
safer crossing. This polite reply Avas to cover his pur
pose to detain us till the morrow. Reluctantly we re
turned through the narrow, crowded streets, and stopped
for the night in a large khan, where all manner of ani
mals had their abode.
In the light of the setting sun, and in the light of

440 THRONES AND PALACES OF
the full moon, we viewed with delight the terraced
streets, the embattled towers, the dome and minaret of
many a mosque, and the Avhite dwellings, rising in tiers
to the summit of the bluffs, which combine to make Biri
jik the most picturesque town on the banks of the Eu
phrates. It is, no doubt, the Birtha of antiquity, and
near it has been a ferry across the Upper Euphrates, be
tween Syria and Mesopotamia, from the days of the pa
triarchs to the present time. The toAvn is built upon
three white chalk bluffs, Avhich are from five hundred to
one thousand feet high. The streets are so many ter
races cut. in the rocks, and extend from the water's edge
to the summit of the hills. The buildings are of the
same materials as the hills, and it is difficult to distin
guish them apart at any considerable distance from the
place. The sight was pleasing as we looked up from the
margin of the river and saw the people on the flat roofs
of their dwellings enjoying the beautiful sunset. Of the
twenty thousand inhabitants, some are Turks, some are
Arabs, some are Christians, and a few are Jews. The
Moslems have five mosques, the Armenians haATe one
church, and the Jews have a synagogue. The people
speak Turkish and Arabic, and most of them are mer
chants and craftsmen. In the fantastically excavated
caves, both Avithin and without the city Avails, the Arab
shepherds live and fold their flocks. On the summit of
the most northern bluff, whose base is Avashed by the
river, is an old castle, now shattered, but still imposing.
Rising two hundred feet above the Euphrates, the old
Roman toAver is oblong in form, Avith a double roAV of
apartments on the eastern side, croAvned Avith a parapet,
and beneath them are tAvo tiers of galleries cut in the
solid rock, with loop-holes for archery. The entrance is
through a narroAv gate-way, and Avithin is a covered pas-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 441
sage-way which leads to the river. Some of the larger

chambers remain in good condition, and in one of the

arched apartments is a bass-relief. A few Corinthian
columns and a broken frieze indicate the former elegance
of the place.
At six o'clock the next morning Ave were at the ferry.
At our feet rushed and foamed the ancient Euphrates.
Having its source in the mountains of Armenia, its vol
ume is increased in the spring by numberless tributaries,
and swollen by the melting snoAvs on Mount Taurus.
Larger than the Orontes and the Jordan, about equal in
breadth to the Thames at Blackfriars Bridge, it is not
wider than the Hudson opposite West Point. It is of
the color of the Nile, and the dull yellowish earth Avhich
discolors its Avaters is borne southward, to form alluvial
plains around the ruins of Babylon. Where the banks
are steep, they are here composed of a chalky soil ; and
where they are flat, they are covered Avith trees and verd
ure. Both to the north and south of the town there are
woods and green fields and extensive groves. Looking
northward, it wras a pleasing sight to watch the classic
river as it flowed toward us, meandering as it does among
the distant hills. It is one of the few rivers mentioned
in the Bible Avhich still retain the Scriptural name. It
Avas familiar to the patriarchs, for it is said, "In that
same day the Lord made a covenant Avith Abram, say
ing, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river
of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates."*
Where Ave stood, the eastern bank was steep, and the
opposite one was flat, covered with dark sand and peb
bles of Avhite quartz. As the recent rains had melted the
snows on the Taurus Mountains, the river was SAVollen
* Genesis xv., 18.

442 THRONES AND PALACES OF
beyond the memory of man. The current was strong,
not less than twenty feet deep, and rushed by with a ra
pidity equal to six miles an hour. The boats in which
we were to cross were rude and unwieldy. Each one
was forty feet long, ten feet broad, fifteen feet high at
the bow, and only two feet high at the stern. These
boats have neither keel, stem-piece, nor stern-post ; the
bottoms are formed by planks nailed beneath the cross-
timbers of the flooring; and the stern gradually rises
from the bottom till above the level of the water. On
the high bow is a long oar, formed of a trunk of a young
tree, with its thickest end inboard, and so fastened as to
nearly balance. By this Oriental arrangement the rud
der is in the bow of the boat. At the stern and on
either side were immense oars, each pulled by three men.
When ready to cross, the boat is pushed upon the beach,
stern on, and then loaded.
During the night many caravans had arrived, and the
excitement at the ferry was intense. Thousands of sacks
of grain had been brought there for transportation, and
the impatient merchant was furious at the delay. Horses,
mules, camels, donkeys, cattle, sheep, men, women, and
children, were there to be ferried across, and the neigh
ing of the horse, the groaning of the camel, the braying
of the ass, the bleating of the sheep, mingled with the cry
of the child, the scream of the women, and the harsh gut
tural of the men. We were detained in this noise and
crowd for more than an hour ; not from necessity, but
from sheer love of money. In addition to the ordinary
ferriage, we were required to pay fifty piastres for the
privilege to cross at once, or otherwise we must wait the
pleasure of the ferry-masters. We paid it, and thought
" What thieves these Turkish officials are !"
The amount Avas given, and we Avere soon out in the

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 443
poAverful current, which swept us down the river, despite
the efforts of the boatmen. It was an anxious moment.
The men lost control of the boat; our horses became
restive ; the Arabs grew pale ; and the boatmen shouted
and screamed, as if blowing were better than roAving.
We had been carried half a mile beloAV the proper land
ing, but thanked God that the crossing was over.
We were now in Syria, which extends from the Eu
phrates to the Mediterranean, and from Armenia to Pal
estine and Arabia. We were to cross its rugged mount
ains and folloAV its narroAv, tortuous valleys. We were
to scale the heights of its Libanus and Antilibanus, and
look upon the icy crown of Hermon. We were to visit
Aleppo, its chief commercial inland city, and embark at
Iskenderoon, one of its largest sea-port towns. Our tour
through Mesopotamia had been completed ; Ave had look
ed upon the Euphrates for the last time; and we Avere
noAv to traverse Northern Syria, through which had so
often marched the proud armies of the Assyrians, of the
Greeks and Romans, of the Persians and Parthians, and
over Avhich Solomon had swayed his mighty sceptre.
All were ready for a start at 9 a.m. ; but, at the mo
ment of starting, our Turkish soldier proved himself a
rogue. He pretended that the pasha had commanded
him to take us by the longer route to Aleppo ; this,
however, Avas but a pretense to get a present to go the
shorter road. We dismissed him at once, and an hour
beyond Ave saw him lying by the wayside awaiting our
coming, and still hoping that we would employ him.
Having acquainted the pasha with the facts, he sent us
an excellent guide, and also his apology for what had
occurred. Our path was among the dark hills, and in
three hours we crossed a new bridge that spans a pretty
stream, near Avhich is a beautiful cascade.

444 THRONES AND PALACES OF
On the way we met three hundred camels, loaded
with English dry-goods and with American petroleum,
bound for the inland towns as far south as Mosul. We
halted to see them pass. It^vas a grand sight. There
was majesty in the slow, measured movement of the
three hundred, as each waved its head on high as if
conscious of the review. Each was a noble specimen of
its kind ; each had a bell suspended around its long
and curving neck ; each had its name, and knew the
voice of its driver. They recalled the patriarchal past,
for "Job had six thousand camels,"* and they formed in
part the great wealth of Abraham. As beasts of bur
den they are indispensable in a country like this, and are
here esteemed of great value. They are domestic ani
mals, and are never found Avild. In their structure, they
are adapted to the climate, to the soil, and to the condi
tion of society in the East. Their feet are adapted to
the sands of the desert, and to the plains of Syria and
Mesopotamia. Consisting of two long toes, a hard, elas
tic cushion, and a tough, bony sole, the camel's foot be
speaks the wisdom that formed it for a purpose. Where
they are compelled to make long journeys, and often
through dry and barren regions, their power of endur
ance is wonderful. They can travel for twenty days, a
distance of six hundred miles, without food ; and al
though they require ordinarily as much water as other
animals, yet they are furnished with a series of cells
into which the water runs, and Avherein it is preserved
for future use. Sometimes the camel is killed to supply
the famishing owner or diiver with water. When first
taken from the cells it is of a greenish color, but soon
becomes fresh again. A camel can drink as much as
* Job xlii., 12.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 445
twenty gallons at one time. They are so endowed that
they can scent Avater a great Avay off, and many a thirsty
traveler has been encouraged to hope by the motion of
his camel. As beasts of burden their strength is great.
They can carry from five to six hundred pounds, and
travel on for many days. Although they are revengeful
and never playful, yet they become attached to their
driver, and seem charmed Avith his song, of Avhich this is
a specimen : "Dear unto me as the sight of mine eyes
Art thou, O my camel.
Precious to me as the health of my life
Art thou, O my camel.
Sweet to my ears is the sound
Of thy tinkling bells, O my camel;
And sweet to thy listening ears
Is the sound of my eveuiug song."
While the ordinary camel is sIoav of pace, yet the
deloul is exceedingly swift. In appearance, the deloul is
lank, gaunt, and ungainly, but it can go ten miles an
hour, and can endure a continuous journey of five hun
dred miles. The color is light broAvn and Avhite, and the
limbs seem formed for rapid motion. Delouls are em
ployed by Turkish and European officials in the East,
to carry a special messenger when business requires dis
patch. To this the prophets allude : " Thou art a swift
dromedary traversing her Avays ;"* and, " The multitude
of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian
and Ephah ; all they from Sheba shall come : they shall
bring gold and incense; and they shall sIioav forth the
praises of the Lord."f
There is a very marked difference between the camels
of Mesopotamia and those of Bactria. The Bactrian cam-
* Jeremiah ii., 23. t Isaiah lx., 6.

446

THRONES AND PALACES OF

el is adapted to a colder climate by the thickness of its
hair, and to a mountain region, by a long, projecting toe,
which enables it to climb the rocky passes. Those of
Bactria are draught-camels, employed to draw huge carts
and lighter vehicles. To these Isaiah refers : "And he
saw a chariot of camels."* Some suppose that the dis
tinction between the camel and the dromedary is in the

THE DROMEDARY.

supposition that the former has one hump, and the latter
has two humps. But such is not the case. The double-
humped camel is found only in Bactria, and in countries
north and east of Persia ; and is shorter, thicker, more
muscular, covered with a dark and shaggy hair, and is
heavier and stronger than the single-humped camel found

* Isaiah xxi., 7.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

447

in Mesopotamia, Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and Africa. The
latter are taller, more slender, of a paler color, lighter in
form and in flesh, and are covered with a short, sleek
hair. From the single-humped camel comes the drome
dary, which is trained for speed, and holds the same re
lation to other camels that the race-horse holds to other
horses. Having passed the great caravan, we rode on, and
lunched at Saracosh. During the afternoon our path

^ !

ARAB CAMELS.

lay through a beautiful section of country, where the soil
was red, rich, and well cultivated. * Crossing the charm
ing Sarjure, we halted for the night at the small village
of Karaguz. From the peasants we replenished our ex
hausted larder, and after a good supper on what the
dairy, the hennery, and the flock could furnish, we rested
for the night.
The morning was bright, but a strong north-west wind
blew hard all day, Avhich detracted from the pleasure of

448 THRONES AND PALACES OF
traveling. At noon we rested for two hours at Chobom-
begjee, where is a small mosque shaded by three young
trees. The pretty maidens of the place were milking the
sheep, which their youthful brothers had driven in from
the fields. Both men and women were engaged in brick-
making, and the bricks produced resembled in size and
color those I had seen at ancient Babylon and Nineveh.
After our too brief rest, we were again in the saddle,
and, during the afternoon, rode through a rich country,
and more thickly settled than any other portion of Syria
Ave had -yet seen. As the sun declined, we pitched our
tents for the night at the village of Barazur.
Cheered by the prospect of reaching Aleppo by noon,
Ave started the next morning at four o'clock. At 6 a.m.
we forded a stream whose waters flow to the sea, Avhich
clearly indicated that Ave had commenced our descent to
the Mediterranean. The road was stony, and rougher
than on any previous day. While resting for an hour
near a half-ruined toAvn, a caravan of Persian pilgrims
passed us, who Avere returning from Mecca to their dis
tant homes. In an hour beyond, the Castle of Aleppo
was seen to the south-east, aud the sight thereof filled
our hearts Avith gladness.
The approach to the city was through extensive sub
urban gardens, wherein the vine, the fig, the pomegran
ate, the apricot, the lemon, and the orange blended their
foliage and their blossoms, producing a pleasing scene.
Above the groves rose the domes and minarets, the walls
and toAvers, of the most elegant city in inland Syria. On
our left Avas the old Roman castle, crowning the highest
of the surrounding hills, and which has been the scene
of many bloody struggles for the conquest of the place.
From its geographical position, Aleppo represents the
older civilization of the East and the better civilization

BABYLON AND NINEVEH.

449

of the West. A fortified town, its walls are forty feet
high, penetrated by seven gates, and defended by towers
ten feet higher than the parapet. The buildings within
are of stone, and many of them are superior in construc
tion and ornamentation. The city contains two hun
dred fountains, sixty baths, one hundred coffee-houses,
one hundred mosques, and many schools and churches.

HALT OF A CARAVAN.

Of the one hundred thousand inhabitants, three-fourths
are Moslems, and the remainder are Syrian, Greek, Chal
dean, Armenian, Catholic, and Protestant Christians, to
gether with native and foreign Jews. The Catholics
have divided the Greeks, the Armenians, and Syrians,
and greatly outnumber those who have remained stead
fast in the faith of their fathers. In commercial impor
tance and wealth Aleppo is second to Damascus. Being
29

450 THRONES AND PALACES OF
but three days from the sea-port town of Iskenderoon,
the trade of Europe passes through its gates to all in
land towns as far south as Mosul ; and through it flows
the return commerce of Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, and
North - eastern Syria, for shipment at Iskenderoon for
Egypt, the Levant, Europe, and America. In refinement
of manners, in style of living, in social intercourse, the
citizens of Aleppo are the most polished people in the
East. Those who are rich reside in spacious dwellings,
which are furnished in a manner representing the ele
gance of the West and the luxury of the East ; and
around such dwellings are gardens _ wherein flowers
bloom, fountains sparkle in the sunlight, and orchards
yield the most luscious fruits.
During our stay of three days in Aleppo, we were en
tertained at the American mission. The property is
well located, and is admirably adapted to the purposes
for which it was purchased. Within is a paved court
with fountain, vines, and flowers. On one side of the
quadrangle is the church, capable of seating four hun
dred persons; adjoining it is the school -room, wherein
were thirty boys and girls under the care of a native
Christian lady ; on the other sides of the square are the
residences of the missionaries, for the accommodation of
two families. The membership of the mission is fifty,
and the congregation averages one hundred. Some of
the most enterprising young men of Aleppo are mem
bers of this community, whose influence is a power for
good. The pastor in charge is a native, and is highly
esteemed for his piety and learning.
While a guest at the mission, I was invited to attend
the funeral of one of the most wealthy and influential
members of the congregation. A walk of twenty min
utes brought me to the residence of the departed, where

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 451
a large concourse of people had assembled. The coffin
Avas placed on the floor, and around it sat the relatives
and friends of the dead, singing hymns appropriate to the
sad occasion. The deceased was wrapped in a Aviuding-
sheet, and about his head was a napkin. In the absence
of the pastor, one of the elders of the church offered
prayer, and then invited the mourners to take a farewell
look of the beloved dead. The voice of Aveeping and
lamentation touched all hearts present with deep sympa
thy for the afflicted family. At the head of the proces
sion were four swordsmen, who were followed by four
hired pall-bearers, dressed in red. The coffin Avas borne
by four coolies, who were alternately relieved by four
others. The officers of the church marched in front of
the coffin, and sung hymns full of Christian hope, which
seemed a cheerful way to bury the pious dead. The
procession increased in numbers as it advanced to the
tomb, and all joined in the funeral song. Women in
white thronged the streets, and preceded the solemn cor
tege to the grave. The cemetery is near the English
consulate, and covers an area of many miles. When the
coffin was lowered into the grave, a human skull and
arm-bones were placed on the casket as the ghastly em
blems of death. Then the great congregation sung a
hymn, the officiating elder offered an affecting prayer,
and the dead Avas left in peace.
In company with Mr. Frederid Poche, the American
consular agent, and Doctor Hagopian, the consular drago
man, we strolled through the large bazaars, which were
filled with English, French, Swiss, American, and native
goods. Among the latter were elegant silk and gold-
embroidered robes, such as are worn by the Syrian la
dies, and which would be highly prized by the ladies of
our own country. During our stroll we passed several

452 THRONES AND PALACES OF
places where American petroleum was sold, and which
is in great demand throughout the East. In the even
ing we were the guests of Mr. Poche at dinner. He and
his brother are the most extensive and successful Euro
pean merchants in Aleppo. His style of living indicates
his • wealth and the refinement of his taste. Madam
Poche is a lady of great personal beauty, in whose com
plexion blend the lily and the rose, and Avhose large,
black, lustrous eyes shone like resplendent diamonds.
At 2 p.m. the next clay, Ave resumed our journey to the
sea. According to a beautiful Oriental custom, Messrs.
Poche and Hagopian accompanied us to the gardens to
the north-west of the city, from Avhich point is obtained
the most imposing vieAV of elegant Aleppo. After a ride
of four hours through a hilly region and over a rough
road, we halted for the night at Auwaggeal, a village
that had seen better days.
The rainless weather continued. The sun rose in a
cloudless sky. The balmy breath of spring Avas laden
with the odor of wild floAvers. The birds carroled the
melody of their song from their sylvan coverts. The
sparkling waters of the cascade leaped Avith delight, and
the murmuring brook flowed musically by. The fresh
grain imparted beauty to the hills, and the rich mead
ows Avere teeming with herds and flocks. Amidst such
pleasures of nature we rode on, hour after hour. We
had passed Tarkot on the left, and at noon A\'e lunched
in a charming valley near a well of delicious Avater.
Late in the afternoon Ave entered a glorious valley,
bounded by lofty mountains and smaller hills, dotted
with towns and encampments, rich in grain and grasses.
In the meadows, hundreds of camels Avere browsing, and
near them were their burdens of foreign goods en route
for Aleppo. On our left were hot sulphur-springs, where

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 453
bath-houses had been erected for invalids. Here Ave met
the only European traveler in all our journey of forty
days. He was bound soutliAvard, and had a military es
cort. In the stillness of the evening hour, we stopped
for the night at the little village of Inonabarsh, in the
north-Avest end of the valley. We had been in the sad
dle eleven hours, and rest Avas sweet. The peasants re
ceived us kindly, and supplied us Avith fruits and eggs,
with milk and poultry. The cottages are constructed of
reeds, and are cool in summer, but cold in winter. They
were furnished Avith more comforts than any we had yet
seen. The family of our hostwas large and interesting.
The mother and daughters were gayly attired, and their
head-dress was high and ornamental. Our comfort was
increased by clean beds and mosquito-bars, rare luxuries
in the East.
As the rosy light of the dawn appeared, Ave Avere de
scending the foot-hills, and soon entered the north-Avest
branch of the magnificent valley we had crossed yester
day. On our right, and far away, appeared gray mount
ains capped with white clouds ; on our left, and before
us, were meadows, rich and vast. Across the head of
the valley extended a stone causeAvay built by the Ro
mans, and repaired by the Turks ; but the recent rains
and the melting of the snows had rendered it useless.
The Avhole meadoAv was submerged to the depth of three
feet. Our soldiers led the way, and we rode for miles
through the water to reach the high ground on the east.
During the morning we regained the broad and well-
made road, constructed of blocks of limestone ; and, as
part of the same, we crossed four bridges, the largest
of which is twelve hundred fee,t long, twenty feet wide,
and is supported by twelve arches. We subsequently
traced this road as far as Beylan. But it is now a ruin.

454 THRONES AND PALACES OF
Under the present sultan, there is neither public spirit
in the people nor official honesty enough in the country
to keep such a road in good condition.
Once out of the wet meadow-lands, we were again on
the highway to the sea. As we approached the coast,
caravans were larger and more frequent. We passed not
fewer than one thousand camels ; some were at rest, oth
ers were in motion. In one caravan were three Syrian
ladies, who rode Avith graceful ease, and whose beautiful
faces could be seen through their light gauze veils.
At noon we entered the grand pass of Iskenderoon,
and halted at Khan Diarbekir, where a Teuton and
his Syrian wife provided us with luncheon. Here the
mountain -streams met, and our ears were banqueted
with the music of running waters. We now began the
ascent of the magnificent but difficult pass. In two
hours Ave reached a broad plateau covered with the fig,
the olive, and the oleander. Another ascent was before
us, but neither so rough nor dangerous. Here and there
could be traced the old Roman road, that ansAvered well
enough for the valley, but not for this steep pass. Up
the Avinding Avay we toiled, the wind sighing softly
through the mountain pines. In three and a half hours
Ave had gained the summit, and had therefrom a noble
vieAV of the near ravines, the distant mountains, the val
ley we had left behind. Here the telegraph crosses the
ridge ; here a new khan has been erected for travelers ;
here a broad macadamized road was in process of con
struction. As the sun went down, we halted for the
night at Beylan. Like a Swiss village, Beylan is in the
mountains, where the valleys are deep and the peaks are
high. The nine hundred houses. are of stone, Avith flat,
thatched roofs, and are built on the side of the mountains
from base to summit. The streets are narrow and tort-

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. 455
uous. The six thousand inhabitants are Moslems, Jews,
and Armenian Christians. DoAvn the mountains rush
cascades Avhose united Avaters forni in the deep gorge a
stream of much power, but Avhich the villagers fail to
utilize from lack of mechanical skill. Our stopping-
place was a coffee-house overhanging the deep valley,
and therein Ave spent the last night of our memorable
journey. Amidst the charms of another bright morning we
.commenced the descent of the Beylan Pass. A train of
camels loaded with Syrian avooI blockaded the narrow
path, and compelled us to halt. Patience conquers all
things, camels and Arabs included. Permitted at length
to pass, Ave were soon beyond the limits of the town.
An hour's ride, and we saw the sea, a sight long antici
pated, and now realized with gratitude to Him "who
is over all, and God blessed forever." All nature sym
pathized Avith the joyfulness of the moment. The wild
scenery ; the deep gorges ; the high mountains ; the tu
multuous rush of the waters ; the fresh foliage of the
pine, the cedar, the oak, and oleander; the scream of the
eagle, and the song of birds, delighted the senses, and
enhanced the joy of the soul. Having accomplished the
descent in tAvo hours, in less than an hour thereafter we
were at Iskenderoon, in Avhose placid bay lay the steamer
that was to bear us on our homeward voyage.

THE END.

VALUABLE BOOKS

Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.

* Harper & Brothers will send any of tlie following works by mail, postage pre
paid, to any part of the United States or Canada, on receipt of the price.
'For a full List of Books suitable for Libraries, see Harpkb & BROTnicne' Cata
logue, xohich may be had gratuitously on application to the publishers person
ally, or by letter enclosing Ten Cents.

THE BIBLE LANDS.

BIBLE LANDS: their Modern Customs
and Manners Illustrative of Scripture.
By the Rev. Henry J. VanLennep, D.D.
Illustrated with upward of 350 Wood
Engravings and two Colored Maps. Svo,
833 pp. Cloth, $5 00 ; Sheep, $6 00 ; Half
Morocco, $3 00.
REMAINS OF LOST EMPIRES. Sketch
es of the Ruins of Palmyra, Nineveh,
Babylon, and Persepolis, with some
Notes ou India and the Cashmerian
Himalayas. By P. V. N. Mybiib, A.M.
Illustrations. Svo, Cloth, $3 50.
THE LAND AND THE BOOK : or, Bi
blical Illustrations drawn from the
Manners and Customs, the Scenes and
the Scenery of the Holy Land. By W.
M. Thomson, D.D., Twenty-five Years a
Missionary of the A.B.C.F.M. in Syria
and Palestine. With Two elaborate
Maps of Palestine, an accurate Plan of
Jerusalem, and Several Hundred Engrav
ings, representing the Scenery, Topog
raphy, and Productions of the Holy
Land, and the Costumes, Manners, and
Habits of th& People. Two Volumes,
12mo, Cloth, $5 00; Sheep, $6 00; Half
Calf, $S 50.
THE ROB ROY ON THE JORDAN,
Nile. Red Sea, and Gennesareth, &c. A
Canoe Cruise in Palestine and Egypt,
and the Waters of Damascus. By J.
Macgukguk, M.A. With Maps and Il
lustrations. Crown Svo, Cloth, $2 50.
"FROM DAN TO BEERSHEBA;" or,
The Land of Promise as it now appears.
Including a Description of the Bounda
ries, Topography, Agriculture, Antiqui
ties, Cities, and Present Inhabitants of
that Wonderful Land. With Illustra
tions of the Remarkable Accuracy of
the Sacred Writers in their Allusions to
their Native Country. By Rev. J. P.
Newman, D.D. Maps and Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $1 75.

BABYLON AND NINEVEH. The
Thrones and Palaces of Babylon and
Nineveh, from the Persian Gulf to the
Mediterranean. A Thousand Miles on
Horseback. By the Rev. J. P. Newman,
D.D. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00.
THE LAND OF MOAB. The Result of
Travels and Discoveries on the East Side
of the Dead Sea and the Jordan. By H.
B. Tristram, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S. With
a Chapter on the Persian Palace of
Mashita, by Jab. Ferguson, F.R.S. With
Map and Illustrations. Crown 8vo,
Cloth, $2 50.
OBSERVATIONS IN THE EAST, chiefly
in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Asia
Minor. By Rev. J. P. Dobbin, D.D. 2
vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00; Half Calf,
$6 DO.
NINEVEH. A Popular Accouut of the
Discoveries at Nineveh. By Austen
Henuy Layauik Abridged by him from
his larger Work. Numerous Illustra
tions. l2mo, Cloth, $1 75.
FRESH DISCOVERIES AT NINEVEH
and Babylon ; with Travels in Armenia,
Kurdistan, and the Desert: being the
Result of a Second Expedition, under
taken for the Trustees of the British
Museun*. By Austen Henry Layam>,
M.P. With all the Maps and Illustra
tions in t.he English Edition. Svo, Cloth,
$4 00 ; Half Calf, $6 25.
TENT-LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND.
By Wm. C. Prime. Illustrations. 12mo,
Cloth, $2 00 ; Half Morocco, $3 75.
RUINS OF ANCIENT CITIES. With
General and Particular Accounts ot
their Rise, Fall, and Present Condition.
By Ciiableb Buoke. Illustratious. 2
vols., ISmo, Cloth, $1 50.

2 Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.

TRAVELS IN EGYPT, ARABIA PE-
TH2EA, AND THE HOLY LAND. Il
lustrations. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $3 00;
Half Calf, $6 BO.

THE ASCENT OF MOUNT ARARAT.
By Dr. Fbikdbtou Pareott. Translated
by W. T. Cooley. Map and Illustra
tions. 12mo, Cloth, $1 00.

NORTH AMERICA.

NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE
NEW ENGLAND COAST. By Samuel
Adams Drake, Author of "Old Land
marks of Boston," "Historic Fields and
Mansions of Middlesex," &c. With
numerous Illustrations. Square Svo,
Cloth, $3 50.
CALIFORNIA: for Health, Pleasure, and
Residence. A Book for Travellers and
Settlers. Illustrations. By Charles
Norphoff. 8vo, Paper, $2 00 ; Cloth,
$2 50.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, OREGON,
AND THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
By Chakles Noedhofe. Profusely Il
lustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50.
THE COMMUNISTIC SOCIETIES OF
THE UNITED STATES; including De
tailed Accounts, from Personal Visit and
Observation, of the Economists, Zoarites,
Shakers, the Amana, Oneida, Bethel!
Aurora, Icarian, and other existing So
cieties. With Particulars of their Reli
gious Creeds and Practices, their Social
Theories and Life, Numbers, Industries,
and Present Condition. By Charles
NoEimoFF. Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth,
$4 00.
PRAIRIE AND FOREST: a Description
of the Game of North America, with
Personal Adventures in their Pursuit.
By Parker Gillmoee. Illustrated.
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
NORTH AMERICA. Bv Anthony Trol-
i.ope. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF DAN
IEL ELLIS, the great Union Guide of
East Tennessee, for a Period of nearly
Four Years, during the great Southern
Rebellion. Written by Himself. Con
taining a short Biography of the Author.
Illustrations. 12mo, 'Cloth, Beveled
Edges, $2 50.
LIFE AND LIBERTY IN AMERICA;
or, Sketches of a Tour in the United
States and Canada in 1857-5S, By Cuas.
Maokay, LL.D., F.S.A. With Ten Il
lustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. By George
F. Roxton. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
LIFE IN THE PRAIRIE LAND. By
Mrs. Farnham. 12mo, Cloth, $1 00.
MOUNTAINS AND MOLEHILLS; or,
Recollections of California, Mexico, &c.
By Frank Mareyat. With numerous
Illustrations by the Author. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 25.

FORTS SUMTER AND MOULTRIE.
Reminiscences of Forts Sumter aud
Moultrie, S. C, in 1860-61. By Abner
DotnjLEDAY, Brevet Major-General,. U.
S.A. 12mo, Cloth. (In Press.)
TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES.
By Lady Emeline Woetley. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
ALASKA. Travel and Adventure in the
Territory of Alaska, formerly Russian
America— now Ceded to the United
States— and in various Other Parts of
the North Pacific. By Fef.deriok Whym-
pee. With Maps and Illustrations.
Crown Svo, Cloth,$2 50.
ADVENTURES IN THE APACHE
COUNTRY: a Tour through Arizona
and Sonora, with Notes on the Silver
Regions of Nevada. ByJ. RosbBeowne.
Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00.
CRUSOE'S ISLAND, CALIFORNIA,
&c. : a Ramble in the Footsteps of Alex
ander Selkirk. With Sketches of Advent
ure iu California aud Washoe. By J. Ross
Beowne. Ill's. 12mo, Cloth, II 75.
A SECOND VISIT TO THE UNITED
STATES. By Sir Charles Lyell. 2
vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
THE CITY OF THE SAINTS; and
Across the Rocky Mountains to Califor
nia. By Captain Rioiiark F. Burton,
Maps aud numerous Illustrations. Svo,
Cloth, $3 50.
THE NORTHWEST COAST; or, Three
Years' Residence in Washington Terri
tory. By James G. Swan. With numer
ous Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
THE CONQUEST OF CANADA. By
Eliot Warburton. 2 vols., 12mo,
Cloth, $3 00 ; Half Calf, $6 50.
JOURNAL OF A RESIDENCE ON A
GEORGIA PLANTATION. By Fran-
oes Ann Kemble. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
PARTISAN LIFE WITH MOSBY. By
Major John Scott, ofFanquier, Va., late
C. S. A. With a Portrait of Colonel
Mosby on Steel engraved by Halpin,
also one by Jewett, and nearly 50 Illus
trations, embracing Portraits of Field
Officers and Captains of the Battalion,
a Map of Mosby's Confederacy, and nu
merous spirited Illustrations of Fights,
Raids, and Humorous Incidents. Svo,
Cloth, Beveled Edges, $3 50.
OLD HICKS THE GUIDE : or, Advent
ures in the Camauche Country in
Search of a Gold Mine. By C. W. Web-
bee. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.

Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure. 3

THIRTY YEARS OF ARMY LIFE ON
THE BORDER. Comprising Descrip
tions of the Indian Nomads of the
Plains ; Explorations of New Territo
ry ; a Trip across the Rocky Mountains
in the winter ; Descriptions of the Hab
its of Different Animals fouud in the
West, and the Methods of Hunting
them ; with Incidents in the Life of dif
ferent Frontier Meu, &c, <Sc. By Bre
vet Brig.-iseneral R. B. Maeoy, U.S.A.
Svo, Cloth, Beveled Edges, $3 00.
THE PRAIRIE TRAVELER. A Hand-
Book for Overland Emigrants. With
Maps, Illnstrations,aud Itineraries of the
Principal Routes between the Missis
sippi and the Pacific. By Brevet Brig.-
Geueral R. B. Maeoy, U. S. A. Pub
lished by Authority of the War Depart
ment. lOmo, Cloth, $1 00.
BORDER REMINISCENCES. By Brevet
Brig.-General R. B. Maroy, U. S. A. Il
lustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00.
FOREST LIFE AND FOREST TREES.
Comprising Winter Camp-Life among
the Loggers, and Wild-wood Adventure.
With Descriptions ofLumbering-Opera-
tions on the various Rivers of Maine
and New Brunswick. By J. S. Spring
er. Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $15 0.
THE EXPEDITION OF CAPTAINS
LEWIS AND CLARKE ACROSS THE
ROCKY MOUNTAINS, aud to the
Mouth of the Columbia River. Illustra
tions. 2 vols., 18mo, Cloth, $1 50.
MARCO PAUL'S VOYAGES AND
TRAVELS IN THE PURSUIT OF
KNOWLEDGE. By Jacob Abbott.
Illustrations. Complete in 6 vols.,
16mo, Cloth, 90 cents each.
In New York.— On the Erie Canal.
— In the Forests of Maine.— In Ver
mont.— In Boston.— At the Springfield
Armory.
PICTORIAL FIELD-BOOK OF THE
REVOLUTION; or, Illustrations by
Pen and Pencil of the History, Biogra
phy, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of
the War for Independence. By Benson
J. Lossing. 2 vols., Svo, Cloth, $14 00 ;
Sheep, $15 00 ; Half Calf, $18 00 ; Full
Turkey Morocco, Gilt Edges, $22 00.
PICTORIAL FIELD-BOOK OF THE
WAR OF 1S12; or, Illustrations by Pen
and Pencil of the History, Biography,
Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the
last War for American Independence.
By Benson J. Lossing. With 882 Illus
trations, engraved on Wood by Lossing
& Barritt, chiefly from Original Sketch
es by the Author. Complete in One
Volume, 1084 pages, large Svo. Price,
in Cloth. $T 00 ; Sheep, $S 50 ; Full Roan,
$9 00; Half Calf or Half Morocco ex
tra, $10 00; Full Morocco, Gilt Edges,
$12 00.

OREGON AND CALIFORNIA IN 1S4S.
With an Appendix, including Recent
and Authentic Information ou the Sub
ject of the Gold Mines of California,
and other Valuable Matter of Interest
to the Emigrant. By Judge J. Qdinn
Thornton. With Illustrations and a
Map. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
JAMES P. BECKWOURTH, Mount
aineer, Soldier, and Pioneer, and Chief
of the Crow Indians. Written from his
own Dictation by T. D. Bonner. With
Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
FOUR YEARS IN THE SADDLE. By
Harry Gilmoe. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00.
MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. By
William Howard Russell, LL.D. 8vo,
Cloth, $1 00.
BRITISH AMERICA. Historical and
Descriptive Account of British Amer
ica ; comprehending the Canadas, No
va Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfound
land, Prince Edward Island, the Bermu
das, and the Fur Countries : their His
tory from the Earliest Settlement— their
Statistics, Topography, Commerce,
Fisheries, Social and Political Condi
tion ; also an Account of the Manners'
and Present State of the Aboriginal
Tribes. By Hugh Murray. Illustra
tions. 2vols., ISmo, Cloth, $150.
AMERICAN ADVENTURE BY LAND
AND SEA : being remarkable Instan
ces of Enterprise and Fortitude among
Americans ; Indian Captures, Ship
wrecks, Adventures at Home and
Abroad, &c. By Epes Sargent. 2 vols.,
lbmo, Cloth, $1 50.
EL GRINGO ; or, New Mexico and her
People. By W. W. H. Davis, late Unit
ed States Attorney. 12mo, Cloth,
$1 50.
MEXICO. Adventures in Mexico and the
- Rocky Mountains. By George F. Rux-
ton. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
MEXICO: our Next-Door Neighbor. Re
cent Sketches of Mexico. By the Rev.
Gilbert Haven, D. D., Bishop in the
M. E. Church. With Maps and Illustra
tions. Crown Svo, Cloth, $3 50.
VAGABOND* LIFE IN MEXICO. By
Gabeiei. Ferry, for Seven Years resident
in that Country. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
MEXICO : its Peasants and its Priests ; or,
Adventures and Historical Researches in
Mexico aud its Silver Mines during Parts
of the Yearsl 851, '52, '53, '54, with an Ex
pose of the Fabulous Character of the
Story of the Conquest of Mexico by
Cortez. By Robert A. Wilson, late
judge of Sacramento District, Califor
nia. With Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth,
$1 50.

4 Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.

CENTRAL AMERICA.

ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATU
RALIST. By Liioien Biaet. Edited and
Adapted by Parker Gillmoee. With
117 Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75.
EXPLORATIONS AND ADVENTURES
IN HONDURAS: comprisiug Sketches
ofTravelintheGoldKegionsofOlancho, and a Review of the History and Gen
eral Resources of Central America.
With Maps aud Illustrations. By Will
iam V. Wells. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50.
NICARAGUA: its People, Scenery, Mon
uments, Resources, Condition, and Pro
posed Canal. With One Hundred Maps
and Illustrations. By B. G. Squire.
Svo, Cloth, $4 00 : Half Calf, $6 25.
WAIKNA ; or, Adventures on the Mos
quito Shore. By E. G. Squiee. With
a Map of the Mosquito Shore, and up
ward of Sixty Original Illustrations.
12nio, Cloth, $1 50.

THE STATES OF CENTRAL AMER
ICA: their Geography, Topography,
Climate, Population, Resources, Produc
tions, Commerce, Political Organiza
tion, Aborigines, &c, &c. Comprising
Chapters on Honduras, San Salvador,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Be
lize, the Baylslands, the Mosquito Shore,
and the Honduras Inter-Oceanic Rail
way. By E. G. Squiee, formerly Chargo
d'affaires of the United States to the
Republics of Central America. With nu
merous Original Maps and Illustrations.
8vo, Cloth, $4 00.
TRAVELS IN CENTRAL AMERICA,
CHIAPAS, AND YUCATAN. By J. L.
Stephens. With a Map aud 8S Illustra
tions. 2 vols., Svo, Cloth, $6 00.
TRAVELS IN YUCATAN. By J. L.
Stephens. 120 Illustrations, from Draw
ings by F. Catherwood. 2 vols., 8vo,
Cloth, $0 00.

SOUTH AMERICA.

THE ANDES AND THE AMAZON ; or,
Across the Continent of South Amer
ica. By James Orton, M. A. Third
Edition, Revised and Enlarged, contain
ing Notes of a Second Journey across
the Continent from Para to Lima aud
Lake Titicaca. With two Maps and
numerous Illustrations. Crown 8vo,
Cloth, $3 00.
LIFE'IN BRAZIL; or, A Journal of a
Visit to the Land of the Cocoa and the
Palm. With an Appendix, containing
Illustrations of Ancient and South
American Arts, in recently discovered
Implements and Products of Domestic
Industry, and Works in Stone, Pottery,
Gold, Silver, Bronze, &c. By Thomas
Ewbank. Illustrations. Svo, Cloth,
$3 00 ; Half Calf, $5 25.
PANAMA IN 1S55: an Account of the
Panama Railroad, of the Cities of Pan
ama and Aspinwnll, with Sketches of
Life and Character on the Isthmus. By
Rouert To-mes, M.D. Illustrations.
lOmo, Cloth, 75 cents.

NEW GRANADA: Twenty Months in
the Ancles. By I. F. Holton. Illustra
tions. Maps, and a copious Index. Svo,
Cloth, $3 00 ; Half Calf, $5 25.
LA PLATA, the Argentine Confederation,
and Paraguay. Being a Narrative of
the Exploration of the Tributaries of
the River La Plata and adjacent Conn-
tries during the Years 1853, '54, '55, aud
'50, under the Orders of the United States
Government. New Edition, containing
Farther Explorations in La Plata, made
during the years 1 ^59 and 1SG0, under the
Orders of the United States Govern
ment. By Thomas J. Page, U. S. N.,
Commander of the Expedition. With
Map and numerous lllustratious. Svo,
Cloth, $5 00.
CHILI: the Arancanians; or, Notes of a
Tour among the Indian Tribes of South
ern Chili. ByEn.MUND Reuel Smith, of
the U. S. N. Astronomical Expedition in
Chili. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.

EUROPE.

OLD ROME AND NEW ITALY. By
Emu.io Castei.ae. Translated by Mrs.
Arthur Arnold. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75.
THE OLD WORLD IN ITS NEW FACE:
Impressions of Europe in 1807-186S. By
Henry W. Bellows. 2 vols., 12mo,
Cloth, $3 50.
A SUMMER IN SCOTLAND. By Jaooii
Abbott. Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth,
$175.

SWEDEN AND NORWAY : THE LAND
OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN. By Paul.
B. Du Chaillu. Magnificently Illustra
ted with Maps and Engravings by Mr.
Whymper, from the Author's Photo
graphs and Sketches. (In Preparation.')
THE KNOUT AND THE RUSSIANS : or,
The Muscovite Empire, the Czar, and his
People. By (ieemain oeLagny. Illus
trations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 25.

Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adveuture.

TRAVELS IN EUROPE. Random Sketch
es aud Notes of Eurouean Travel in
1S56. By Rev. John E. Edwards, A.M
ISmti, Cloth, $1 60.
THE AMERICAN IN ENGLAND. By
Alex.indee Slidem. Mackenzie, U.S N
2 vols., 12tno, Cloth, $2 50.
QUEEN VICTORIA'S JOURNAL OF
LIFE IN THE HIGHLANDS, FROM
1S4S TO 1S61. To which are prefixed
aud added Extracts from the same
Journal giving au Account of Earlier
Visits to Scotland, and Tours in Eng
land aud Ireland, aud Yatching Excur
sions. Edited by Arthur Helps.
1-Jnio, Morocco Cloth, Beveled Ed"es,
$1 T5. ¦
FRED MARKHAM IN RUSSIA; or,
The Boy Travelers in the Laud of the
Czar. By W. H. G. Kingston. Illus
trations. Small 4to, Cloth, 75 cents.
FREE RUSSIA. By W. Hepvvorth Dixon,
Author of "Her Majesty's Tower," &o
With Two Illustrations. Crown Svo,
Cloth, $2 00.
GLIMPSES OF SPAIN ; or, Notes of an
Unfinished Tour in 1S47. By S. T.
Wallis. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50 ; Half Calf,
$3 25.
A YEAR IN SPAIN. By Alexander
Slidei.l Mackenzie:, U. S. N. Illus
trations. 3vols., 12ino, Cloth, $3 75.
SPAIN REVISITED. By Alexandre
Slidei.l Mackenzie, U. S. N. Illus
trations. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 50.
LIFE IN SPAIN : Past and Present. By
Wai.tf.rTiioenbury. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
PILLARS OF HERCULES ; or, A Narra
tive of Travels in Spain and Morocco
in 1S48. By David Ukquiiart, M. P. 2
vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
MADEIRA, PORTUGAL, AND THE
ANDALUSIAS. Sketches and Advent
ures in Madeira, Portugal, and the An-
dalusias of Spain. By the Author of
"Daniel Webster" and his Contempo
raries. Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
AN AMERICAN FAMILY IN GER
MANY: By J. Ross Browne. Illus
trations. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00.
THE LAND OF THOR. By J. Ross
Beowne. Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth,
$2 00.
ENGLISH TRAVELERS AND ITALIAN
BRIGANDS. A Narrative of Capture
and Captivity. By W. J. C. Moens. Il
lustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $175.
MODERN GREECE; a Narrative of a
Residence and Travels in that Country.
With Observations on its Antiquities,
Literature, Language, Politics, and Re
ligion. By Henry M. Baled, M. A. Nu
merous Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. I

THE HUGUENOTS IN FRANCE AFT
ER THE REVOCATION of the Edict
of Names; with a Visit to the Country
of the Vandois. By Samuei.Smii.es, Au
thor of "The Huguenots: their Settle
ments, Churches, and Industries in Eng
land and Ireland," "Self-Help," " Char
acter," "Life of the Stepheusons," <fec.
Crown Svo, Cloth, $2 00.
FRANCE, Social, Literary, and Political.
By Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer. 12mo
Cloth, $1 50.
TRAVELS IN GREECE, Turkey, Russia,
and Poland. By J. L. Stephens. Illus
trations. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
ATHENS, ITS RISE AND FALL: with
Views of the Literature,Philosophy,and
Social Life of the Athenian People.
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
SIGHTS & SENSATIONS IN FRANCE,
GERMANY, AND SWITZERLAND;
or, Experiences of an American Journal
ist in Europe. By Edward Gould Buf-
fum. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
TRI-COLORED SKETCHES IN PARIS.
during the Years 1S51-2-3.- With numer
ous Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
ON THE TRAIL OF THE GERMAN
AND FRENCH WAR. By Alexander
Innes Shand, Occasional Corresp'onent
of the London Times. With illustrations.
Svo, Paper, 35 cents.
ITALIAN SIGHTS AND PAPAL PRIN
CIPLES SEEN THROUGH AMERI
CAN SPECTACLES. By James Jack
son Jaeves. Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth,
$1 50.
PARISIAN SIGHTS AND FRENCH
PRINCIPLES seen through American
Spectacles. By James Jaokson Jaeves.
Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
PARISIAN SIGHTS AND FRENCH
PRINCIPLES seen through American
Spectacles. Second Series. By James
Jaokson Jarves. Illustrations. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
MEN AND THINGS AS I SAW THEM
IN EUROPE. By Kirwan. 12mo, Cloth,
$150.
EUROPEAN ACQUAINTANCE: being
Sketches of People in Europe. By J.
W. De Borest. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
DORE\ By a Stroller in Europe. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
LETTERS FROM ABROAD TO KIN
DRED AT HOME. By Miss Catharine
M. Sedowiok. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth,
$3 00.
THE PRIVATE JOURNAL OF AARON
BURR, during his Residence of Four
Years in Europe ; with Selections from
his Correspondence. Edited by M. L.
Davis. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $4 00.

6 Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.

ASIA.

THE LAND OF THE WHITE ELE
PHANT: Sights and Scenes in South
eastern Asia. A Personal Narrative of
Travel and Adventure in Farther India,
embracing the Countries of Burma,
Siam, Cambodia, aud Cochin - China
(1871-2). By Frank Vincent, Jr. Mag
nificently Illustrated with Maps, Plans,
and numerous Woodcuts. Crown Svo,
Cloth, $3 50.
THE STRAITS OF MALACCA, INDO
CHINA, AND CHINA ; or, Ten Years'
Travels, Adventures, and Residence
Abroad. By J. Thomson, F.R.G.S., Au
thor of " Illustrations of China and its
People." With over 60 Illustrations
from the Author's own Photographs and
Sketches. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00.
THE MIKADO'S EMPIRE. By W. E.
Griffis. (In Press.)
CHINA AND THE CHINESE : a Gen
eral Description of the Country and
its Inhabitants ; its Civilization and
Form of Government ; its Religious and
Social Institutions ; its Intercourse with
other Nations ; and its Present Con
dition aud Prospects. By the Rev.
John L. Nevius, Ten Years a Mission
ary in China. With a Map and Illus
trations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75.
SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHINESE : with
some Account of their Religious, Gov
ernmental, Educational, and Business
Customs and Opinions. With Special
but not exclusive Reference to Fuhchau.
By Rev. Justus Doolittle, Fourteen
Years Member of the Fuhchau Mission
of the American Board. Illustrations.
2 vols.,12mo,Cloth, $5 00 ; Half Calf, $8 50.
HISTORY OF CHINA. A General De
scription of the Empire of China and its
Inhabitants. By John F. Davis, F.R. S.
Map and Illustrations. 2 vols., 18mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
THE CONSULAR CITIES OF CHINA.
A Narrative of an Exploratory Visit
to each of the Consular Cities of China,
and to the Islands of Hong-Kong and
Chusan, in Behalf of the Church Mis
sionary Society, in the Y'ears 1344-46.
By Rev. G. Smith. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE CHI
NESE EMPIRE. By M. Hno. With
Map. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
ARMENIA AND ERZEROOM. Arme
nia: A Year at Erzeroom, and on the
Frontiers of Russia, Turkey, and Persia.
By the Hon. Robert Curzon. Map and
Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 25.
YUSEF : or, The Journey of the Frangi.
By J. Rosb Browne. Illustrations. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 75.

CAMPAIGNING ON THE OXUS, and
the Fall of Khiva. By J. A. MacGahan.
With Map and Illustrations. Crown
Svo, Cloth, $3 50.
THE CAPITAL OF THE TYCOON : a
Narrative of a Three Years' Residence
in Japan. By Sir Rutherford Aloook,
K.C.B., Her Majesty's Envoy Extraor
dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in
Japan. With Maps and Illustrations.
2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 50.
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE
JAPANESE IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY. From the Accounts of
Recent Dutch Resideuce in Japan,
and from the German Work of Dr.
Ph. Fh. Von Siebold. 18mo, Cloth, 75
cents.
NARRATIVE OF THE EARL OF EL
GIN'S MISSION TO CHINA AND
JAPAN, in the Years 1857, '58, '59. By
Laurence Oliphant, Private Secretary
to Lord Elgin. Illustrations. 8vo,
Cloth, $3 50.
FANKWEI; or, The San Jacinto in the
Seas of India, China, and Japan. By
William Maxwell Wood.M.D., U.S.N.,
late Surgeon of the Fleet to the United
States East India Squadron. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
TRAVELS IN CENTRAL ASIA : being
the Account of a Journey from Teheran
across the Turkoman Desert, on the
Eastern Shore of the Caspian, to Khiva,
Bokhara, and Samarcaud, performed in
the Year 1863. By Arminius Vambep-y,
Member of the Hungarian Academy of
Pesth, by whom he was sent on this
Scientific Mission. With Map aud Wood
cuts. Svo, Cloth, $4 50 ; Half Calf,
$6 75.
MEMOIR OF THE REV. JOHN SCUD-
DER; M.D., Thirty-six Years Mission
ary in India. By the Rev. J. B. Water-
ihtry, D.D. Portrait. 12mo, Cloth,
$1 75.
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE AC
COUNT OF BRITISH INDIA. By
Hugh Mueeay, James Wilson, R. K.
Greville, LL.D..W. Ainslie, M.D.,Wm.
Rhind, Prof. Jameson, Prof. Wallaoe,
and Captain Clarence Dalrymple.
Illustrations. 3 vols., 18mo, Cloth,
$2 25.
ORIENTAL AND WESTERN SIBE
RIA : a Narrative of Seven Years' Ex
plorations and Adventures in Siberia.
Mongolia, the Kirghis Steppes, Chinese
Tartary, and Part of Central Asia. By
Thomas Witlam Atkinson. With a
Map and numerous Illustrations. Svo,
Cloth, $3 50.

Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.

TRAVELS IN THE REGIONS OF THE
UPPER AND LOWER AMOOR, and the
Russian Acquisitions on the Confines
of India and China. With Adventures
among the Mountain Kirghis, and the
Manjours, Mauyargs, Toungous, Tou-
zemts, Goldi, and Galyaks, the Hunting
and Pastoral Tribes. By Tuomas Wit-
lam A ikinson, F.G.S., F.R.G.S. With a
Map and numerous Ill's. Svo, Cloth, $3 50.
MARCO POLO'S TRAVELS: greatly
amended and enlarged from valuable
early Manuscripts published by the
French Society of Geography, and in
Italy by Count Baldelli Boui. With
copious Notes, Illustrating the Routes
and Observations of the Author, and
comparing them with those of more
recent Travelers. By Hugh Murray,
F.RS.E. Maps aud a Vignette. 18mo,
Cloth, 75 cents.

HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE AC
COUNT OF PERSIA, with a Detailed
View of its Resources, Government,
Population, Natural History, aud the
Character of its Inhabitants, partic
ularly of the Wandering Tribes : includ
ing a Description of Afghanistan and
Beloochistan. By J. Baillie Frasee.
18mo, Cloth, 75 cents.
HISTORY OF MESOPOTAMIA AND
ASSYRIA, from the Earliest Ages to the
Present Time. By J. Baillie Fraser.
ISmo, Cloth, 75 cents.
REINDEER, DOGS, AND SNOW-
SHOES : a Journal of Siberian Travel
and Explorations made in the Y'ears
1865-'67. By Rioiiaed J. Bush, late of
the Russo- American Telegraph Expedi
tion. Illustrations. Crown Svo, Cloth,
$3 00.

AFRICA.

THE LAST JOURNALS OF DAVID
LIVINGSTONE, in Central Africa, from
1S65 to his Death. Continued by a
Narrative of his Last Moments and
Sufferings, obtained from his Faithful
Servants Chumah and Susi. By Hoe-
eaoe Wai.lee, F.R.G.S., Rector of Twy-
well, Northampton. With Maps and
Hlustrations. Library Editi on, Svo,Cloth,
$5 00; Sheep, $6 00; Half Calf, $7 25.
Cheap, Popular Edition, Crown Svo,
Cloth, with Map and Illustrations, $2 50.
MISSIONARY TRAVELS AND RE
SEARCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA ; in
cluding a Sketch of Sixteen Y'ears' Resi
dence in the Interior of Africa, and a
Journey from the Cape of Good Hope
to Loaudo on the West Coast; thence
across the Continent, down the River
Zambesi, to the Eastern Ocean. By
David Livingstone, LL.D., D.C.L. With
Portrait, Maps by Arrowsmith, and nu
merous Illustrations. Svo, Cloth, $4 50 ;
Sheep, $5 00 ; Half Calf, ft! 75.
NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION TO
THE ZAMBESI AND ITS TRIBUTA
RIES ; and of the Discovery of the
Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa. 1858-1864.
By David and Chabi.es Livingstone.
With Map and Illustrations. Svo, Cloth,
$5 00 ; Sheep, $5 50 ; Half Calf, $7 25.
THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL
AFRICA. A Picture of Exploration.
By Captain Rioiiaed F. Burton, Fellow
and Gold Medalist of the Royal Geo
graphical Societies of France and Eng
land. Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth,
$3 50.
WESTERN AFRICA: its History, Con
dition, and Prospects. By the Rev. J.
Leighton Wilson, Eighteen Years , a
Missionary in Africa, and now one of
the Secretaries of the Presbyterian
Board of Foreign Missions, with nu
merous Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.

ISMAILIA: a Narrative of the Expedi
tion to Central Africa for the Suppres
sion of the Slave-Trade, organized by
Ismail, Khedive of Egypt. By Sir
Samuel White Baker, Pasha, F.R.S.,
F.R.G.S. With Maps, Portraits, and
upward of 50 full-page Illustrations by
Zwecker and Dnrand. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00.
THE HEART OF AFRICA; or, Three
Years' Travels and Adventures in the
Unexplored Regions of the Centre of
Africa. Fom 1868 to 1871. By Dr.
Georg Soiiweinfueth. Translated by
Ellen E. Frp.wer. With an Introduc
tion by Winwood Reade. Illustrated
by about 130 Woodcuts from Drawings
made by the Author, and with Two
Maps. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $8 00.
WESTERN AFRICA: being the Narra
tive of a Tour in Equatorial, Southwest
ern, and Northwestern Africa : with
Notes on the Habits of the Gorilla ; on
the Existence of Unicorns and Tailed
Men; on the Slave-Trade; on the Origin,
Character, and Capabilities of the Ne
gro, and on the Future Civilization of
Western Africa. By W. Winwood
Reade, Fellow of the Geographical and
Anthropological Society of London, and
CorrespondingMember of the Geograph
ical Society of Paris. With Illustrations
and a Map. Svo, Cloth, $4 00 ; Sheep,
$4 50; Half Calf, $6 25.
TRAVELS IN EGYPT, ARABIA PE-
TR^EA, AND THE HOLY LAND. By
3. L. Stephens. Illustrations. 2 vols.,
12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
COOMASSIE AND MAGDALA : a Story
of Two British Campaigns in Africa. By
Henry M. Stanley. With Maps and
Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50.
DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE IN
AFRICA. Bv Professor Jameson, James
Wilson, anil Hugh Murray. ISmo,
Cloth, 75 cents.

8 Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.

EXPLORATIONS AND ADVENTURES
IN EQUATORIAL AFRICA : with ac
counts of the Manners and Customs of
the People, aud of the Chase of the
Gorilla, the Crocodile, Leopard, Ele
phant, Hippotamus, and other Animals.
By Paul B. Du Cuaillu, Corresponding
Member of the American Ethnological
Society ; of the Geographical and Stat
istical Society of New York ; and of the
Boston Society of Natural History. Il
lustrations. Svo, Cloth, $5 00.
A JOURNEY TO ASHANGO LAND, and
Further Penetration into Equatorial Af
rica. By Paul B. DuChaii.lu. New Edi
tion. Illustrations. Svo, Cloth, $5 00.
STORIES OF THE GORILLA COUN
TRY. By Paul B. Dc Chaillu. Illus
trations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR.
By Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrations.
12m o, Cloth, $150.
LOST IN THE JUNGLE. By Padi. B.
Du Chaillu. Ill's, initio, Cloth, $1 50.
MY APINGI KINGDOM: with Life in
the Great Sahara, and Sketches of the
Chase of the Ostrich, Hyena, &c. By
Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
THE COUNTRY OF THE DWARFS. By
Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
SUB -TROPICAL RAMBLES IN THE
LAND OF THE APHANAPTERYX :
Personal Experiences, Adventures, and
Wanderings in and about the Island of
Mauritius. By Nicholas Pike. Hand
somely Illustrated. Crown Svo, Cloth,
$3 50.
AFRICAN HUNTING, from Natal to the
Zambesi, including Lake Ngami, the
Kalahari Desert, &c, from 1S52 to 1860.
Bv William Chas. Baldwin, F.R.G.S.
With Map, 50 Illustrations by Wolf and
Zwecker, and a Portrait of the Great
Sportsman. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
FIVE YEARS OF A HUNTER'S LIFE
IN THE FAR INTERIOR OF SOUTH
AFRICA. With Notices of the Native
Tribes and Anecdotes of the Chase of
the Lion, Elephant, Hippopotamus, Gi
raffe, Rhinoceros, &c. Illustrations. By
R. Goedon Cumming. 2 vols., 12mo,
Cloth, $3 00.
BOAT-LIFE IN EGYPT AND NUBIA.
By William C. Prime. Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $2 00 ; Half Morocco, $3 75.
TRAVELS AND DISCOVERIES IN
NORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA.
Being a Journal of an Expedition un
dertaken under the Auspices of H.B.M.'s
Government in the Years 1849-1855. By
Henry Baetii, Ph. I)., D.C.L. Profusely
and Elegantly Illustrated. Complete in
3 vols., Svo, Cloth, $12 00 ; Sheep, $13 50 l
Half Calf, $1S 75.

LAKE NGAMI ; or, Explorations and Dis
coveries du ring Four Years' Wanderiugs
in the Wilds of Southwestern Africa. By
Charles John Andersbon. With numer
ous Illustrations representing Sporting
Adventures, Subjects orNutnral History,
Devices for Destroying Wild Animals,
&c. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75.
THE OKAVANGO RIVER : a Narrative
of Travel, Exploration, and Adventure.
By CnARLi'S John Andersson. With
Steel Portrait of the Author, numerous
Illustrations, and a Map showing the
Regions explored by Andersson, Cum-
mihg, Livingstone, and Du Chaillu. Svo,
Cloth, $3 25.
CARTHAGE AND HER REMAINS:
being an Account of the Excavations
aud Researches on the Site of the Phoe
nician Metropolis, in Africa and other
Adjacent Places. Conducted under the
Auspices of Her Majesty's Government.
By Dr. N. Davib, F.R.G.S. Profusely
• Illustrated with Maps, Woodcuts, Chro-
mo- Lithographs, &c, &c. Svo, Cloth,
$4 00 ; Half Calf, $6 25.
THREE VISITS TO MADAGASCAR,
during the Years 1853, 1S54, 1S56. In
cluding a Journey to the Capital, with
Notices of the Natural History of the
Country, and of the Present Civilization
of the People. By the Rev. William
Ellis, F.H.S. Illustrated by a Map and
Woodcuts from Photographs, &c. Svo,
Cloth, $350; Half Calf, $5 75.
NILE NOTES OF A HOWADJL By
George Wm. Curtis. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
JOURNAL OF A VISIT TO EGYPT,
Constantinople, the Crimea, Greece, &c,
in the Suite of the Prince and Princess
of Wales. By the Hon. Mrs. William
Grey. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
SANDWICH ISLAND NOTES. By a
Haole. With Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth,
$150.
JOURNAL OF AN EXPEDITION to Ex
plore the Course and Termination ofthe
Niger. With a Narrative of a Voyage
down that River to its Termination.
By R. and J. Lander. Illustrations. 2
vols., ISmo, Cloth, $1 50.
TRAVELS OF MUNGO PARK. With
the Account of his Death, from the Jour
nal of Isaaco, and later Discoveries rela
tive to his lamented Fate, and the Ter
mination of the Niger. ISmo, Cloth,
75 cents.
LIFE OF BRUCE, the African Traveler.
By Sir F. B. Head. ISmo, Cloth,75 cts.
JOURNAL OF THE DISCOVERY OF
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. By
John Hanning- Sprue, Captain H. M.
Indian Army, Fellow and Gold Medalist
of the Royal Geographical Society, &c.
With Maps and Portraits and numerous
Illustrations, chiefly from Drawings by
Captain Grant. Svo, Cloth, $4 00 ;
Sheep, $4 50 ; Half Calf, $6 25.

Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure. 9

WEST INDIES.

SANTO DOMINGO, Past and Present ;
with a Glance at llayti. By Samuel
Hazard. Maps aud Illustrations. Crown
Svo, Cloth, $3 50.
AT LAST: a Christmas in the West In
dies. By Chaeles Kingsley. Illustra
tions. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
CAPTAIN BRAND, of the Centipede. A
Pirate of Eminence in the West Indies;
his Loves and Exploits, together with
some Accouut of the Singular Manner
by which he Departed this Life. By
Haeey Geingo (H. A. Wise, U. S. N.).
With Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $2 00;
Paper, $1 50.

THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPAN
ISH MAIN. Bv Anthony Teollope.
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
THE ORDEAL OF FREE LABOR IN
THE BRITISH WEST INDIES. By
William G. Sewell. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
SHIPWRECK OF SIR EDWARD SEA
WARD, aud consequent Discovery of
certain Islands in the Caribbean Sea,
with Details of his Residence there, and
of various extraordinary and highly in
teresting Events of his Life. Edited by
Miss Jane Porter. ISmo, Cloth, 75
cents.

PACIFIC OCEAN.

THE MALAY ARCHirELAGO : the Land
of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Para
dise. A Narrative of Travel, 1854-02.
With Studies of man aud Nature. By
Alfri-d Russet. Wallaoe. With Maps
aud numerous Illustrations. Crown 8vo,
Cloth, $2 50.
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MUTINEERS
OF THE BOUNTY and their Descend
ants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands.
By Ladv Belouee. Illustrations. 12mo,
Cloth, $i 50.
THE EXPEDITION TO BORNEO OF
H. M. S. Dido, for the Suppression of Pir
acy; with Extracts from the Journal of
James Brooke, Esq., of Sarawak, Agent
for the British Government in Borneo.
By Captain Henry Keppel, R.N. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 00.
TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIP
PINES. By Paul de la Gironieee.
Revised and Extended by the Author
expressly for this Translation. Illustra
tions. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
TYPEE; a Peep at Polynesian Life,dn ring
aFour Months' Residence in the Marque
sas. By Herman Melville. The Revised
Edition, with a Sequel. 12mo, Cloth,
$150.
LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN THE
SOUTH PACIFIC. By Joneb. Illus
trations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, OREGON.
AND THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
By Chaeles NoRDHOfT.Author of "Cali
fornia: for Health, Pleasure, and Resi
dence," &c. Profusely Illustrated. 8vo,
Cloth, $2 50.
THE ISLAND WORLD OF THE PA
CIFIC: beiug the Personal Narrative
and Results of Travel through the Sand
wich or Hawaiian Islands, and oilier
parts of Polynesia. By Rev. II. T. Ch sev
er. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
MARDI.aud a Voyage thither. By Herman
Melville. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00.
MOBY-DICK ; or, The Whale. By Her
man Melville. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75.
OMOO : a Narrative of Adventures in the ,
South Seas. By Herman Melville.
l'2mo, Cloth, $1 50.
PIERRE ; or, The Ambiguities. By Her
man Melville. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
RED BURN; his First Voyage. Being the
Reminiscences of the Son-of-a-Gentle-
man in the Merchant Service. By Her
man Melville. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
PITCAIRN'S ISLAND AND ITS IN
HABITANTS. With an Authentic Ac
count of the Mutiny of the Ship Bounty,
and of the Subsequent Fortunes of the
Mutineers. By Sir Joun Barrow, F.R.S.
18mo, 016th, 75 cents.

POLAR SEAS AND REGIONS.

ARCTIC EXPERIENCES : containing
Captain George E. Tyson's Wonder
ful Drift on the Ice-Floe, a History of
the Polaris Expedition, the Cruise of
the Tigris, aud Rescue of the Polaris
Survivors. To which is added a Gen
eral Arctic Chronology. Edited by E.
Vale Blake. With Map and numerous
Illustrations. Svo, Cloth, $4 00.

THE ARCTIC SEARCHING EXPEDI
TION : a Journal of a Boat - Voyage
through Rupert's Land and the Arctic
Sea, in Search of the Discovery Ships
under Command of Sir John Franklin.
With an Appendix on the Physical Ge
ography of North America. By Sir John
Richardson, C.B., F.R.S. Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.

io Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.

ARCTIC RESEARCHES and Life among
the Esquimaux: being the Narrative
of an Expedition in Search of Sir John
Franklin, in the Years I860, 1861, and
1862. By Charles Franoib Hall. With
Maps and Illustrations. A New Edi
tion, beautifully printed. 8vo, Cloth,
Beveled, $5 00 ; Half Calf, $7 25.
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY AND RE
SEARCH within the Arctic Regions,
from the Year 1818 to the Present Time
(1840) ; under the Command of the sev
eral Naval Officers employed by Sea and
Land in Search of a Northwest Passage
from the Atlantic to the Pacific; with
two Attempts to reach the North Pole.
Abridged and arranged from the Official
Narrative, with Occasional Remarks.
By Sir Joun Barrow, F. R. S. Map.
12mo, Cloth, $1 00.
SEASONS WITH THE SEA-HORSES;
or, Sporting Adventures in the Northern
Seas. By James Lamont, F.G.S. With
Map and Illustrations. Svo, Cloth, $3 00.
THE WHALE FISHERY"; or, Conversa
tions with the Children about the Whale
Fishery and the Polar Seas. 2 vols.,
18mo, Cloth, $1 50.

THE LAND OF DESOLATION: being
a Personal Narrative of Observation and
Adventure in Greenland. By Isaac I.
Hayes, M.D., Author of " The Open
Polar Sea," &c. With Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $1 75.
NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION
TO THE POLAR SEA, iu the Years
1820, '21, '22, aud '23. By Admiral Fer
dinand WRANGELL.Russian Navy. ISmo,
Cloth, 75 cents.
THREE VOYAGES for the Discovery of
a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, aud^Natrative of au At
tempt to reach the North Pole. By Sir
W. E. Paeey, R.N. 2 vols., ISmo, Cloth,
$1 50.
LIVES AND VOYAGES OF DRAKE,
CAVENDISH, AND DAMPIER ; in
cluding an Introductory View of the
Earlier Discoveries in the South Seas,
and the History of the Buccaneers.
ISmo, Cloth, 75 cents.
DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE IN
THE POLAR SEAS AND REGIONS.
By Professors Leslie and Jameson, and
Hugh Mueeay. Illustrations. 18mo,
Cloth, 75 cents.

AROUND THE WORLD.

AROUND THE WORLD. By Edwaee
D. G. Prime, D.D. With numerous Il
lustrations. Crown Svo, Cloth, $3 00.
VOYAGES ROUND THE WORLD. From
the Death of Captain Cook to the Pres
ent Time: including Remarks on the
Social Condition of the Inhabitants in
the Recently Discovered Couutries, their
Progress in the Arts, &c. ISmo, Cloth,
75 cents.
AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE
GLOBE, and of the Progress of Dis
covery in the Pacific Ocean, from the
Voyage of Magellan to the Death of
Cook. Illustrations. 18mo, Cloth, 75
cents.
WILD SPORTS OF THE WORLD : a
Book of Natural History and Adventure.
By James Greenwood. Illustrations.
Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 50.
ROUND THE WORLD : including a Resi
dence in Victoria, and a Journey by Rail
across North America. By a Boy. Ed
ited by Samuel Smiles. Illustrations,
12mo, Cloth, $1 50.
STORIES OF THE ISLAND WORLD.
By Charles NoRDuoifF. Illustrations.
12mo, Cloth, $1 00.
THE LAST TRAVELS OF IDA PFEIF-
FER: inclusive of a Visit to Madagascar.
With an Autobiographical Memoir of the
Author. Translated by H. W. Duloken.
Steel Portrait, 12mo, Cloth, $1 50.

NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY ROUND
THE WORLD. Comprising a Winter
Passage across the Andes to Chili ; with
a Visit to the Gold Regions of California
and Australia, the South Sea Islands,
Java, &c. By F. Gehstaeokee. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
A LADY'S SECOND JOURNEY ROUND -
THE WORLD : from London to the Cape
of Good Hope, Borneo, Java, Sumatra,
Celebes, Ceram, the Moluccas, &c, Cali
fornia, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and the
United States. By Ida Pfeiffer. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 50.
NIMROD OF THE SEA ; or, The Ameri
can Whaleman. By Willtam M. Davis.
With many Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth,
$2 00.
VOY'AGE OF A NATURALIST. Jour
nal of Researches into the Natural His
tory and Geology of the Countries vis
ited during the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle
round the World, under the Command
of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. By Chaeles
Daewin, M.A., F.R.S. 2 vols., 12mo,
Cloth, $2 00.
THE WHALE AND HIS CAPTORS;
or, The Whaleman's Adventures and
the Whale's Biography, as gathered on
the Homeward Cruise of the Commodore
Preble. By Rev. H. T. Cheevee. Illus
trations. 18mo, Cloth, $1 00.
FORECASTLE TOM; or, The Landsman
turned Sailor. By Mrs. Mary S. B.Dana.
18mo, Cloth, 75 cents.

Valuable Books of Exploration, Travel, and Adventure. 1 1

GREATER BRITAIN : a Record of Travel
in English speaking Couutries during
l$GliandlSG7. BvCijarlkb Wentworth
Dilke. Maps aud Illustrations. 12mo,
Cloth, $1 00.
PERILOUS ADVENTURES; or, Remark
able lustjmce&of Courage, Perseverance,
aud Suffering. By R. A. Daveisport.
ISino, cloth, 75 cents.
THROl'GII AND THROUGH THE
TROPICS. Thirty Thousand Miles of
Travel in Oceanica, Aus-tralasia, aud In
dia. By Frank Vinoeni', Jr. [In Press.)
SEA-KINGS AND NAVAL HEROES.
A Book for Boys. By Joun G. Edgar.
Illustrations by C. Keeue and E. C.
Johusou. lCmo, Cloth, $1 20.
TRAVELS IN EUROPE AND THE
EAST. A Year iu Euglaud, Scotland,
Ireland, Wales, France, Belgium, Hol
land, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Syria, Palestine, aud Egypt.
By Rev. Samuel Ikenjsds Prime, D.D.
Illustrations. 2 vols., Large 12mo, Cloth,
S3 00; Half Calf, $6 50.
TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES: being
a Condensed Narrative of his Journeys
in the Equinoctial Regions of America,
and in Asiatic Russia; together wjth
Analyses of his more Important In
vestigations, by W. Maogillivray, A.M.
Illustrations, bmo, Cloth, 75 cents.

VOYAGES OF C A PTAIN COOK ROUND
THE WOULD. With an Account of his
Life during the Previous and Interven
ing Periods, by Dr. Kippib, F.R.S. ISmo,
Half Roan, yf) cents.
ODD PEOPLE: beiug a Popular Descrip
tion of Singular Races of Man. By
Captain MaYnk Reih. With Illustra
tions. lOmo, Cloth, 75 cents.
PERILS OP THE SEA. Beiug Authentic
Narratives of remarkable and affecting
Disasters upon the Deep. Illustrations.
ISmo, Cloth, 75 cents.
LIVES OF CELEBRATED TRAVEL
LERS. Containing Memoirs of William
de Rubruquis, Marco Polo, Ibn Batata,
Leo Africauus, Pietro Delia Valle, Jean
Baptiste Taveruier, Prancoise Bernier,
Sir John Chardin, Englebert Ksempfer,
Henry Maundrell, Joseph Pitton de
Tuurnefort, Dr. Thomas Shaw, Frederick
Hasselquij-t, Lady Wortley Montague,
Richard Pococke, John Bell, John Led-
yard, George Furster, James Bruce, Jouas
Hauway, Antonio de Ulloa, Muugo Park,
Peter Simon Pallas, Carsten, Niebuhr,
Choisseul-Guuftier, John Lewis Burck-
hardt, Volney, Edward Daniel Clark,
Francoisele Vaillant,Belzoni, Dominique
Vivant Denon, Reginald Heber. By
James A. St. Joun. 3 vols., 18mo, Cloth",
$2 25.

Hakpee's Magazine and Weekly
Contain the most interesting and valuable articles of
Exploration, Travel, and Adventure.
HARPER'S MAGAZINE, HARPER'S WEEKLY, or HARPER'S BAZAR will be
sent for one year to ami Subscriber in the United States or Canada, POSTAGE
PREPAID by the publishers, on receipt of Four Dollars.
HARPER'S MAGAZINE, HARPER'S WEEKLY, and HARPER'S BAZAR, for
one year, $10 00; or any two for $7 00: postage free.
A Complete Analytical Index to the first Fifty Volumes of Harper's Magazine has
just been published, rendering available for reference the vast aud varied
wealth of information which constitutes this periodical a perfect illustrated lit
erary cyclopedia. Svo, Cloth, $3 00; Half Calf, $5 25. Sent postage prepaid.
INDISPENSABLE BOOKS TO TRAVELLERS.

HARPER'S HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST:
being a Guide through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland,
Germany, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Spain, Russia,
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. By W. Pembroke Fetripge. With Maps and
Plans of Cities. In Three Volumes. 12m n. Leather, Pocket-Book form, $3 00
per Vol. ; or, the Three Volumes iu One, with similar binding, $7 00.
HARPER'S PHRASE-BOOK ; or, Hand-Book of Travel-Talk for Travellers and
Schools. Being a Guide to Conversation in English, French, German, and Italian,
on a New and Improved Method. Intended to accompany " Harper's Hand-Book
for Travellers." Bv W. Pembroke Fetridge, assisted by Professors of Heidel
berg University. With concise and explicit. Rules fur the Pronounciation of the
different Languages. Square 4to, Flexible Cloth, $1 50.

HARPER'S CATALOGUE.

Harper's Catalogue comprises a large proportion of the standard and
most esteemed works in English and Classical Literature — comprehend
ing over three thousand volumes — which are offered, in most in
stances, at less than one half the cost of similar productions in England.
To Librarians and others connected with Colleges, Schools, &c, who
may not have access to a trustworthy guide in forming the true estimate of
literary productions, it is believed this Catalogue, with its classified and
analytical Index, will prove especially valuable for reference.
To prevent disappointment, it is suggested that, whenever books can
not be obtained through a bookseller or local agent, applications with
remittance should be addressed direct to Harper & Brothers, which will
receive prompt attention.

Sent by mail on receipt of Ten Cents.
Address
HARPER & BROTHERS, Franklin Square, N. Y.

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 02968 2243