The Sun. — London, England, 1815-11-18 00:00:00

stIN (Ye. C.! V, ) kemoir on the Ruin'lt 13.11,ff1".• By Cl'Avi"s trAmsc3 tsq. Resident f6r the Hon. East India Company at the Court of the Pasliti. of Bag•da(l. frith three Plates. svo. PP. 67. price 83. man,Lonz Hui'st; Rees, Orme, and Brown, l'at ernostee-row ; J. Murrav, Alberharle-street. • , (Concluded from our Pap& of Monday last.) i iaving; in the preliminary part of this Essay, a dated th e very favourable opinioti with which a rtisal of this e%cellent Tract has impressed us, 'Svc shall novv; almost entirely, confine ourselves to further seleetions, in Order to justify that ilion to the Public. The following introductory-, aragraph elucidaes the subject, (page 20.) t--- • " Before entering into a minute description of • 'the ruins, , to avoid repetition, it is necessary to State that they consist of mounds of earth, formed by the decomposition of buildintr f , channelled and In""°wed by the weather, and the-surface of ern strewed with pieces of brick, bitumen, and potte r y," • Such are the component parts of which the It "jos of Babylon consist, And such the appearance W hich they present to the eye of the Traveller. After describing several mounds, and lastly a *listinguiShed heap called the Kase;or . Palace, we 114- ve this description of a sin, h gu.ar_ tree Iva.c. "' l ands alone, almost as 'great a wonder in the na- Nral world of Babylonia, as the Ruins are among the works of human industry :1— " l h e " There are two paths near this ruin, made by workmen.who carry down their - bricks to the, 31 " r .Side, whence they arc transported by boats 1 9 e llah ; and a li tt l e to t h e N.N . E . o f it is the unions tree which the.:: natives call Athele, and, ilnaintain to have been flourishiug ancientßa- ., * Y l ° l 5, front the destruction of which the y'say' nAli od purposely ireserved it, that it might afford a convetdenit spot to tie up his horse after the, , mtt le of ! it stands on a kind of ridge, ' :Old nothing more than one side of its trunk re (by which it appears to have been of con siderable.girth) ; yet r -he branches at the top are Ptill erfeetl Y verdant, and gently waving in the prothice a melancholy rustlieg sound. It is e ` .er g r een ntr . soniethi resembling the lignum, 4 1 ; 1 ; aPd of a kind, Chelieve, not common in ' of the country, though I am told there 11; tree of the same description at Bassora." T he next remarkable description is of a vast Th Hi a called the Mukallihe or illtijdibb, which has lut'g been considered as the remains Of the Toe. er of Belos. 'We select this part as forming an. epi sodi. dea! uetail, hest adapted to the extent of a ewsliaPer Review : lnile to the. north of the Kasr, or full -five Fiver les distant from Hdl,th, and 950 yards from the bank 4 be , s , the. last ruin of thi s sei les, which li e n (teserib, d dell Valle, who de r)1 - 's ; ; lle s it to h ave b een the Tower of Befits, an ()1111 01) adopt e d n l edhy Rennel. Ihe natives call it (or, acco r di ng t o t h e vu l gar .rab pro 41:inci ation .- of these p a rts, Mujelibe). meaning 9tvVrturned sometimes al so a pply this term. s e't the. ilionts ul • f the Kasr. it is of an oblong oa t) , • tit venial- m its height mul the measure-- , ti of its sides, •vhi(l. face the cardinal points `e being 2,00 yards in ' length, the 13, r n- 9 19, the eastern 18 . 2, and the western 1 4.; the e l evat i on of the S.E. or highest angle, feVt. Th e western face, which is the least: `, e 4 : s the most interesting, on account of Lhe k;,; la nee of bAilding it presents. Near the ti n -in 't of it ap pears a l ow wall, with, interrttP t);l"). hnilt imburnt bri c k s mixed up with i ll () Piled straw oi• reeds, and cemented with clay t:,....tar of great thiLkn es s, h a vin g b e t we e n cl'ery a i 7' ' laytr of ree d s ; an d on the north side a rc ‘ ,. e stigeS of a s i m il ar construct i on . The ke ettorli:tte'e tern : ais crowned by something like a Wt.- the other angles are in less per- Vented"at but may originally have been orna in a similar manner. The western • face 11 1 Z i e t s ! and easiest of ascent, the northern the trt;lLutileult: All ' are worn into furrows by the I)e f - "e; and in some places, where several chan are' of rki ll h ave United together, these furrows of u at , great depth, and penetrate a considerable w ith lie Int ° the moitud. The summit is covered hll i.•cil alls of r u bbi sh, in digg i ng i nto some o f 1 1 / 4.ti ' layers of b ro k en b urnt brick -cemented ‘ v i th " Mortar are discovered, and whole bricks f ox , illSer'ptions on them, are here and there t _ 1 ' .th e whole is covered with innumerable ITa.g m ents of pottery, b r i c k, bi tumen , p e bbl es , t„ I f! , d bri c k . or. scoria, and even shells, bits of kty lie ' s, and Monie r of pearl. On asking a Turk in'agined these latter substances were t here, he replied, without the least he ' the deluge." There are many tvild beasts in various parts, in one of Ilti:l s , th I round the bones 'of sheep 'and other ani- Ai ° -' r i d Perceived a strong smell like that of a a rig 11130 found_ quantities'of porcupine quills, to most . of the cavities are numbers of bats oMs. I t is a curious coincidence, .that I I " j s . first be ar d the oriental account of satyrs.— hatl always in agiued the belief of their W exist-.: "te Ives ((molten to toe mythology Jmn e o of the est : tt a C hNdar, who was with e when 00 ' l 4. I m tine toot, mentioned by accident, that in s:desert an animal is found resembling a man : 11 ,the hea4l to the waist, but having the thighs A: ( 7egs of a si;eep or goat ; he said also that the a - i 1- s hunt it-with dogs, and eat the lower part*, 4 ctaini ug oin ._lie upper, on account of their th sell : ; 1 1 )1a l'ee to thOse of the human species. " But their beast of the desert shall' lie there, and antl 21"ses he full of doleful creatures ; clwi-°l4ll dwell there, and satyrs shall dance '-'ere•" Isail2, ah, xiii. 21. si t th e northern face of the Mojeli4„ for nil nit, is a niche or recess, high enongh. trlhi c iii to stand u p r i g ht i n , at the.baeli of , iow lt.n apert ure l ea di ng to a . s ma ll cayjty, s3til l i!.., J1, 1 1 ".5a.e branches oti to the right, slop .l . aza3 ja 7x Westerly directioni till it_ loses itself in the rubbish. Tice natives call this the serda n b or cellar ; -and a respectable person in formed me that four years ago some 'men .searehing in it for bricks, pulled out a quantity of marble, •and afterwards a coffin of mulberry wood, con taining a human body inclosed in a tight wrap per, and apparently partially covered with .hitn men, which crumbled into dust soon after ex posure to the air. This account, together with its appearing the most favourable . Spot to ascertain something of the original plan of the whole, in duced me to set twelve men to work 'to open a passage into the serdaub from above. They dug into a shaft or hollow pier, sixty feet square, lined, .with fine brick laid in bitumen, .and filled up with earth ; in this they found a brass spike, some . earthen vessels (one of which was very thin, and had the remain of 'fine white varnish on the out 'side), and a beam of date-tree wood. On the third day's work they wade their way into the opening, and disebvereda narrow passage nearly ten feet high half filled with rubbish, flat on the top, and exhibiting both burnt and nnburnt bricks; the former with inscriptions on them, and the latter, - as usual, laid with a layer of reeds be tween every row, except in one or two courses near the bottom, where they were cemented with 'bitumen ; a .curious and unaccountable eircutt stance. This passage appeared as if it originally had a lining of fine burnt brick cemented with bitumen, to conceal the unbitrnt brick, of which the body of the building was principally composed. Fronting it is another passage tor rather a mai-. natation of the same to the eastward, in which direct - ion it probably extends at considerable dis tance, . perhaps even all along the northern front of the ISlnjelibe,) choked up with earth, in dig ging out which I discovered near the top.a wooden coffin containing a skeleton in high preservation. Under the head of the coffin was a round pebble; attached to the coffin on the outside a brass bird, L and inside an ornament of the sione material, which had apparently been suspended to. some part of the skeleton. These, could any'doubt re main, place the antiquity of the skeleton !)eyoncl all dispute. This.being extracted,. a little further in the rubbish, the skeleton of a child was found ; and it is probable that the whole of the passage, whatever its extent may he, was occupied in .4. similar manlier. No skulls were found, either here or in the sepulchral urns at the bank of the river." Though our limits prevent us from making fnr ther extracts, we ought not to conclude our Re view without noticing that Mr. Ricn proceeds to take a survey of the Ruins on the LVestern Bank of the Euphrates, where he finds and most in, tercstingly describes another prodigious mass of Ruins, called by the Arabs Ilirs Nemroud, and by the Jews, Nebuchadnezzars Prison. This astonishing collection of the wrecks of httnow labour, the Author, we think with good reason, endeavours to prove, is the real 're sulutn of the mighty Tower to which sacred and prgane histories have attached so many legends, We cannot enter into the details on this subject, but only observing, that the plates illustrate, it, as well as the Mujeliba and general aspect of Haab and its surrounding won ders, b,eg to recommend it as a portion of the work peculiarly deserving the attention of the curious and the learned. WEST COAST OF AFRICA. [FROM CATT. TUCKEY'S GEOGRAPX Y.) Th.:. coast between the Volta and Benin is subject ,to the pow6rfol and barbarous king of Dobomey, whose body guard is composed of 800 'women, armed with, muskets, bows, and ;Arrows; whose chief officers approach him crawling on their bellies, and licking the dust of the ground ; the avenues to whose palace are paved with human , skulls, and its walls incrusted with the jaw-bones 'of his massacred subjects ; and who, on days of ;ceremony, sprinkles the graves of his ancestors with human gore, while fifty corpses, and 'as many heads stuck on poles, ,are placed round the royal sepulchre :—the wives of the deceased King mutually kill each other, until the new Monarch orders the massacre to cease ; and the people, more ferocious than tygers, in the midst of noisy rejoicing, tear the victims to pieces, for the mere pleasure of doing so, and without even the excuse of feasting on the flesh, for they are not cannibals. • " The negr•oes of Benin Are nearly as barbar ous as the Dahonteys. Their 'King, who can bring 100,000 fighting men to the field, is worshipped a s a d el ui.god, is supposed to live without fOod, and when he appears to die, is thought, like the Grand Lama, to revive under another human form. Here humtur victims are sacrificed to the erii principle; and in their feasts the King and Nobles dip their coral necklaces in the blood of the victims, and pray to the Gods that they may never be deprived of this mark of pre-eminence. " The nations between Beniu and Loango nre little known. A second ttibe of Biafers inhabit •the banks of the Formosa, and are said to sacri liCe their children to the Devil. To them suc ceed the Calbongas, occupyingthe country through Which runs the Rio del Rey and San BenitO: they are painted as - the least 'civilised of the Negro nations, going naked, and selling their children . and relations as slaves." The Archdukes Jot-tti and Louts, General Coma . ' St.Julk.n, General CountWeyna and Dr. Fischer, arrived at the Tontine Irn, Sheffield, on Satnrday• last. They have visited the Flat Rope Works, in the Paik, , Grinding Wheels, Screw Mills, Roseau 'Place, various Cutlery AlAnufactories, the Na tional and Lanciisterian Schools, 4c. and have 4peared highly delighted with what Sheffi e ld af fords worthy of the attention of strange rs . o n their rettiru from the north, we understand they willopass through this place.—(Donca,s;cr Ga.v:tte.) OftiGIAL POET Y. INIPROMPTU tO H. M. f. BELLEROPHON. Just is th . sy - rate, Be //ern/digit, • Since laid loathsome, at the Nore; No changr of character you ovtl— A Convict Ship now as Wore. ON A LATE FESTIVAL The Cits who attended the LORD MAYOR'S grand rout, And got at Gnildl►all all their jackets bloivn out, Say tic wine which they drank was the constrast to good, For 'tens not only had, but just out of tha Flood. ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES. ARRIVALS. His Royal Highness the Prince Esterbaiy, in Stratford place; Lady Monson, at the Earl of Essex's, in Stanhope 'street, May-fair; Earl of Stair, in -New-street, Spring-gar dens; Colonel Armstrong, in St. James's-street; Duchess of Manchester, in George-Street, Hanover-square; Colonel Cameron, in Brook-street; Marchioness Dowager of Lans downe, in Albeinarle-street; Colonel Murphy, in Albemarle street; • CountesS of Albemarle, in Berkely-square ; Colonel Welsh, in Hartford-street, May-fair; Countess of Morning ton, in . Henrietta-street; Earl and Countess of Thanet, from Appleby Castle, Westmoreland, at the Clarendon Hotel, llond-street.- . —At OSborne's Hotel, from the East Indies, General tales; General and Mrs. Adams and Family. DEPARTURES. Hon. Henry Grey Renne t , ; Earl and Coun tess- of 'Essex, for Cashiohury-park, IVatford; Lord Cran horn, to Hatfield ; the Right Hon. Charles Long, to Brom ; Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, to Cheltenham; Captain Mrs.Mrrrrice to Worthing; the Earl of Essex, to Cashio bury-pa.l; Mr. Fetberstun, from the Tavistock Hotel, for . Ireland. .AnatraLs AT TIATIL—Lord .Tames O'Brien, Lieut.-General Sir T. Aherermnbie,' Sir T. and Lady Agar, Sir H. Fletcher, Sir Samuel Hood. Sir H. Strachey, Admiral - Sir W. Young, Lady Bingham, Lady T. Hale, General Bradsh aw , General. Lee, Mal(r.General Marintt and family, Colonel and Mrs. Mansel, Colonel Maitland, Lieut.-Colonel and Mrs. Shaw; Major Bowyer ' Major Rosnana, (again Dowbiggi n , Capt a in Ellis, Captai n Green. Captain ', - Terbert, Captain Si Popham, Captain W. Popham, Captain Ratray, Captain Seymour, Captain Willis, Lieutenant Atkins. THE THEATRE. COvErtir-GAttmtrt.—The arduous part of Mat beth was assumed, for the first time, last night, at this Theatre, by Mr. CONWAY. The inherent difficulties of the part are sufficient. to bespeak a lenient consideration, but when the Adventurer is anavoidablybrought into comparison with the treat Actor of the day, whose profound kudw •ledge of his art, powerful talents; and long ex perience, enable him to afford a high gratification to CriticiSm, there is surely an additional claim to liberal animadversion. Such is the case with Mr. CoNwAv.' If 11 .- -s performance could be esti mated without this inevitable test of comparison, be would, at least, be admitted to have given a respectable representation of the part. • His chief fault was ft kind of languid solemnity, which was particularly observable in the earlier scene:, and ‘yhich, indeed, in some degree, accompanied his . . performance throughout ; but there were many flashes, which operated strongly on the feel ings of the, audience. On the whole; lijs performance, if not marked by the - 'vivid • characteristics of overbearing Genius, (Fs, played feeling, good sense, and judgment.-- The audience made up in zeal what they wanted in numbers, and if talents were to he estimated by applause, Mr. Co N WAY would have as much .rea...] son' to be satisfied with his reception as most,of the favourites of the . day ; but popular favonr is a very fallible criterion' of theatrical merit.—The''' rest of the performance requires no particular no tice. AMERICAN THEATRICALS. Extract of a Letter from a celebrated Son of Thespis, for merly a fas nitrite on the boards of Bath, Bristol, and Lon don, to a Brother Sock, dated " Quebec, Aug. 28, 1815. Holman and itis sweet girl have been twice et Albany, and did well ; the latter is just tuarried„ to a young man by the name of Guilfort, a tnu,i 'cal genii's of the first order, as a Leader, Instruc tor, and Composer ; they are both engaged for • next winter at New York ; though H. has taken a lease of the Charleston Theata e for seven years, and opens there in November. He must meet with success —he richly merits it. A little mad wag, Mrs. Williams (front the Dublin Theatre,) came just as we were closing at Albany this spring, and performed a lew nights at 30 dollars a night. Site is an excellent. actress, for this country at any rate. Mrs. Merry died at Alexandria, in ; and the Hon. Mrs. Twistleton had a miser able end at Burlingtou, on her Way to the States of Canada. Pour Caulfield (who for the last five years had been in the habit of taking too mach re freshment) fell down in a fit out the Kentucky stage, and expired ; another instance of the sad effects olirregularity to Thespians in this country. The Managements in America at present are as follow :—Cooper and Price at New York, the emporium of the United States ; Powell and Dick enson, Boston and Providence; Warren and Wood, Philadelphia and Baltimore ; Holman (as 1 saic before) has Charleston, $. C. and the Virginia cir cuit ; Bernard, A/butry and Canada. New York House holds 2,200 dollars ; Philadelpl ia, 1,600 Boston, 1,300 ; Charleston, 1,200 ; Albany, 700 ;:' Montreal ant) Quebec (poor theatres) about 1004" sterling. My eagagements all cease next winter," and then, if your accoants be favourable, huzza once more for Old England-1 With the Almighty's favour, I wish to enjoy a space of life in my dear native isle, and quit Iheatricals.for ever, in which Lh a ve 11;1(135 years hai! service. Well may I say with Davin GARRICK:— " In fire and thirty years the spirits cool ; " Is it not long enungli to play tilt foul ALSOP, according to report in the thea trical circles, reghired the same salary as Niiss, o'NEILL ; and as the Managers declined those terms, she withdrew trom the Theatre--a circuun Bbe regretted, as she po sses s es cui)4l- d7'rieabe to a leSitare of hereditary merits.. REDUCTION OF RENTS : Sr; THOMAS C( LLA) al, iiart. of ilory St. EI. titwttt's, in comsetioeficE of ti,e prtssizre ut (lite titi)rs, his redoccd his rents 20 pvr ectlt. ...Loi•ti 1? ENDLEsiIA3I has al sO recinceil tae `"cots Of his estates 20 per cent. A teiizint of W. .PETui•:ttoN, E,q. of Lyote, DorsetAlike; a few creeks since, titin•vd down by the expenses of alarge and the pressure of the times, fhilitei the fatal resolution of &own ing himself. lie treat to the sea-sic!c, and 5p:•,..n., i ; iron) a rock, but in the very Oct. of orownn; • , he was perceived by die boat's crew of his lamii!mi, who %I ere very providentially by at som' distance, and who rowed to the spoi just in time to save the unhappy 'man. l'EmasoN had no Svtmer recognised in the nnfOrtunate person his own.tenant, and learmil the cause it this despe rate resolution, than he sent hint a receipt to exo nerate hint from all his demands; athounting to .tspwaids of 4001., and afterwards provided for his future necessities, by stocking iittotha farm and. putting him into the full possession of an action needs no comment ; but we hope it may operate as an example on the Minds of- ouplent landlords in this season of great depression. UNIVERSI ry INTELLIGENCE. OXFORD, Nov. 7.-0.1 Thursday the following were admitted to Degrees : BACIthLORS OF.ARTS. Robert Hedley, Esq. of Oriel College, Grand Compounder. Mr. Charles Seruse Dichins, of Oriel Colirge, Mr. IViMani Riland Bedford, of University Coliee. Mr. James Betts, of Trinity Cargo. Mr. Francis Devi r s Grose, of Magdalen hall. Mr. William Coelison, Mr. Hairy Buckbery Faulkner,Brasenose. The sante day, in a Convoc3tion, the following ing Gentle Men, who Lad hten previouly com nated to succeed td the Office of Select Preacher at Michaelrutis next, 1 0 :ere approved by the House, viz.— The Rci. Frodshant Hodsbn, D. D. Principal of Brasenuse. -. College. The Rey. riomas Horne, B. D of Christ Church. The Rev. John Page, B. I).- Fellow of Braseno:Se College. The Rev. Peter Elmsley, M. A. of Christ Chnrch. TUC Rev. John Lightfoot, M. A. Fellow of Merton College. tit the same time the appointment of the Rev. Charles Barton, D..D. Fellow of 'Corpus Christi College, to be one of the SeleCt Preachers, in the room of the Rev. Charles Millman Mount, M. A. of the same College, who had resigned, was ap proved by the House. ROCEIESTER PEDESTRIAN.—(IBth Day.) Yesterday morning 13AKiut started at 10 minuteS before tour o'clock, and by eight, having rested only half- an hour, performed twelve miles and three-quarters, when he breakfasted. He set elf agai`n at nine, and by eleven, made up eighteen miles, when he took a little refreshment with Mr. NtcHot.s, clerk of the course, and a few friends, to whom he obsm - ved, in his_usual jocose manner, that as he had already accomplished 840 miles of .his undertaking, lie hoped that thete was every probability of his succeeding ultimately in his at tempt ; that this morning they would commence displaying in choir hats, as an emblem of the yet unconquered Kentish 'nett in Pedestrianism, a laurel leaf, in the same way he had in his -nearly the whole of his journey. At ditwer, ten minutes after one, twenty-five miles ; set off again in forty Minutes, and at seven minutes after five, when he . had tea,' thirty-six miles and three-' quarters ; and last night he completed 50 miles and 168 rods at.ten o'clock. THE BLACKHEATH PEDESTRIAN.—Egan con tinues his labours; and yesterday he had ‘valked. A6B miles. A man, named Sardeson, started on Tuesday morning, at. nine o'clock from T►tttershall, to go . root to Horncastle and back again (a distance of 1S miles) in two hours and a half, for a wager of one guinea. He performed the distance, and de livered a letter to a person residing in the centre of Horncastle, in two hours and 1 4 minutes, ap parently with great ease. '1 he first nine miles he performed in 61 minutes. IRELAND. few nights since a party of Carders from the borders of the county of Westmeath, made an • incursion into the neighbourhood of l'illamore, aid succeeded in plundering some .perstins of arms. They appeared to be of the very loWest class, badly clothed, and on an appearance of resistance, where they were preparing to commit scone depredation, they: made otf. Lord Chatle vine and General Kentinis hate, we imderstand, arranged a plan of communication in this part of the country, and carry on their measures with such activity, that the * best consequences are likely to result. HORRID MURDER NEAR BALLYNATIINCEL—On the niLz.ht of Thursday last, the 9th inst. as Jo seph Pool of Moneymabane, (the estate of Wheeler Barrington, Esq.) was -going from 11'.3 house to Dunbeg, the next townland, be was Murdered on the road. It appears he had been stoned to death. An inqnest was held On the body, by Edw. Caddell, Esq. the Coroner, and a respecY able Jury, who found avert!ict of wilful murder,b* persons unknown. The head and body was shock ingly mangled—the skull fractured, and the limbs broken : It is hoped a reward will be offered to bring about a discovery of the perpetrators of this horrid deed.—Poole, we are et edibly informed by a correspondent, was a very respectable, sober, quiet, and correct young man.—(Newry 7'ele- Er4ph.) Yesterday, at Queen-Square, John Coffin, ft French Cook in the service of Lord M--, rens charged by . several respectable housekeepers with being guilty of gieat indecencies in the public streets ; when he was called upon by Mr. CAPPER, of the Alien Otfice,• to produce his licence for re siding in this conuti y ; but nut baviiif, any, h e Was iminedihtely committed to Tuthill-fichts foe six months imprisonment. Study our Nobility can find servants enough amongst their coont; men, without the aid of French cooks and valets int rod tiCtiOn of the must obiecne manncrs to corrupt the morals of onrown servants ; and one half the robberies committed in various fumiiies are committed by foreignec.i aa,l their associate,.