Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-01-09
Ne,C- l oI'h, Jan. |.

~, NeIr- ORR, Jan. l.
The Editors of the Mercantile Advertiser ere
indebted to DIR. Samuel M. Mitchell for the
following Interesting communication
RUINS OF BABYLON.
Inc arrival OF Capt Henry Austen OF the ship Persia
from Asia has Afforded a most curious and unconnun
"edt to oar bibican antquarans and historians This
stneni4n j. equal intelligence and enterprise To any
traveller that ever went forth To foreign arts hiIr he
was navigating the Persian Calf lie conceived the hold
ueslsn " ascending he Euph;atee from Basora 10
bas'rd. Wan great eNpencc aud labor and at the risk
VI MS e from Tie difficulties uihe ascent, and the bar
naeus character oltc inhabitants, he penetrated Persia
ancicnt Babylon supposedtn have stood and succeeded
IN rng'ngaway fragments vi the ruins which oyesprcad
the grond These consist OF several the bricks which
are supposed to have been materials IN The Temple of
beihs some OF tie cement with which they were CON
nected and parcel Ofte broken reeds which were in
firm and durable.
rhe bricks are in good condition, after the lapse
OF thite Thousand years aud more. They Of large
SIZE being thirteen inches square aud loui inches thick
beis nov OF le soi'ef quality they appear have
c-lsvne some process o decay but they bear of
re, That IS Of having been kidLuTncd as well as sui-
burned Nearth middle OF each is parallelogTlm OF
81 Ihehes, by ., Impressed WIFE crai her0eyphca
characters ihey ppeI so have very regularly AMI
beautiful, done. I'll" characters different from ey-
known alphabet I'll tie liues are str.ioht and there
a!e no clopA'ns strokes Hey are evidently arranged in
peipendcnias coiuInns All tre bricks to he nar-
there are seven vertical rows aHd distinct marks in
tHch 1"" making o''y.rhe il tie whole. Some oftAem
arr ieFta "a scyera. times.
IL believed that tfy aGc not susceptible Of inernrc.
tati'n hy any nan living nW ilai they extend
searches l beyond the history, the period OF
known s. ibos THIS conclusion. derived from the
~ ne ailcies, confirm tie geEnenesS ofthc Offering
captain austen has made 20 the learned world BY brng
l4 Ohc nose wonderful remains. Tie scholar may re-
tha the materials survive both tie language spoken
10 the TINE They were mDided, and the cai acies Which
rep! e,en,cd me sounds Of tha language. He may even
loph h thi6ue tie vista Of the time when"
whole earth was ot one language" aud when the city
ara t0wero al Babel were begun when the Of men
sAio TO one ad0thci, " let make brick aud buIn them
thoroughly" AMI when they Lad brick for stone ai,d
Ine had they for mortar. All av. without any yolati.
on OF probability these relics parcels Of the
primitive brick, aud the Inscriptions rather pressi.
ons upon Their surfaces Ne the memorials Of that re-
mote time when the whole earth ofoue language
and 0i one speech" And he arheT coniecinrpth.
they, both language and writing egle aud lil-
browh because tie " Lord did confOund the au
guaec OF al tie ear;l. Monuments Of this kind are now
Submitted e. the view Of adurng Citizens with all
Then C0DhImaory evidence.
The pilgrims Of Persia, by permission, lately obtained
from the military dcpCs Of The country. made deyOn VIZ
s'is to Tue tonb OF the prophet Daniel, situated many
miles Ia the desert
Our intrepid aud intelligent counrynan has brought
to NeE-fofk brick, With IL inscription. from
The door of a resort Of the religions. pf sccOna-
~ moment whether the legend b. abous. such
place IS AZ us daj famous Ia lie East aud reflex Of
Al Is presented 10 the curio5Ity OF the west
There are various other remnants Of oriental antrui-
ties which the writer forbcdrs al this moment 81 men
Ton.