Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1830-03-04
THE TOWER OF BABEL.

lHE TOWER OF BABEL.
AT day light departed for the ruins. with
a mind absorbed by the objects which had
seen yesterday. An hours walk. induced ~
intense reflection, brought me 10 The Grand.
est and most gigantic northern mass. on The
eastern bank oithe Euphrates. and distant ).
bout four miles and bali from The eastern
suburb of fiillah II IS called by the natives.
III MuJelhbah, 1.-THE oyerturned;H alsoIgarroo,
and Maroot. from tradition handed down.
WIN little deviation, from time immemorial
una. near INC loot oil the ruin there is we'll,
invisible to mortals, in which those rebeIlio,,s
angels were condemned to be huna with thc;r
heels upwards. until the day OF judgement. 81
punishment for their wickedness This
solid mould, which consider from its situa-
hon aud magnitude to be the remains Of the
lower oil Babel, an opinion likewise adopted
by that venerable and highly distinguished
geographer, Major Rennell Is a vast oblonw
square, composed of kiln burnt and sun. dried
bricks, rising rregalarly TO the height OF one
hundred and thirty nine feet at the south
west; whence it slopes towards the north east
to depth of one hundred and ten feet. liz
sides face the four cardinal points. | meas
ured them carefully, and the following is the
fall extent OF each face:--That TO The north
along the Visible face. is 27i yards; 10 the
south, 259 yards; to the east, 2a6 yards; and
to the west, $40 yards. The summit is an
uneven Hat, strewed with broken and unbro-
ken bricks, the perfect ones measuring tl,ir-
teen inches square by TIN . thick Many ex
hlbied the arTow-headcd character. which
appeared remarkably fresh Pottery .bit,men.
vitrIiied and pctrficd brick. shells and glass.
! were equally abundant The principal ma
i terials composing this ruin are doubtless mad
Dicks, baked IN the sun, and mixed no with
straw II Is not difficult to trace ,rick-work
along each front, particularly at the south
west angle, which it faced by a wall ro,npo
scd partly of kiln burnt brick. that in shape
| exactly resembles watch tower or small
turret. On its summit there was considerable
traces of erect building: at the western end is
J circular mass Of solid brick-work. sIopiog
towards the top, and rising from confused
heap OF rubbish. The chief material forming
tins Fabric appeared similar to that eo,npa.
sing the ruin called Akercoun--a mixture OF
chopped straw, with slime used as cement
and regularlayers of u1broken reeds between
the horizontal courses of the bricks The
base is greatly injured by time and the Gle
ments; particularly to the south east, where il
IS cloyen in "A deep furrow from top to bot
tom. The sides Of the ruin exhibit hollow.
| worn partly by the weather, but more gcner
| ally formed by the Arabs, who are lncessant
| ~ digging for bricks, and hunting for anti
qaities. Severaiof these excavations enter
ed. ana have no reason to suppose they are
inhabited by such ferocious animals as tn.
generality Of travellers assert There certain
~ was an offensive smell, and the caves wer,
strewed with the bones OF sheep and goats
devoured most probably by the jackals tina
resort thither in great numbers; and thousand
Of bats and owls have filed many of thes,
cavities The natives arc very reluctant I,
follow the yisiter into these dens, s. dislike re
naming near the ruins after sunset, rattle
from the fear OF demons and evil spirits, thai
from any attack OF lions or other wild beasts
Indeed, by their own account, there are no
half dozen lions within thirty miles roun,
Babel; though about sixty miles below Hillah
on the banks of the river, in a considerable
patch OF brushwood, those animals are yer
numerous. IL appears that the only risk al
tendant on entering the recesses in all tn
mounds, is the liability Of being stung b
| venemous reptiles, which are very numerou
throughout tho ruins This circ amstance
an apt illustration of the prophecies OF Jers
miah:--"And Babylon shall become heaps,
dwelling place for dragons. an astonishmer
and an Kissing, withouta an inhabitant n--(Je
chap. ii. v. 27)-Cpt. .Miysans 1Sarsis
| Chaliea.
/ Six Richmonds have already entered III
field in the adjoining county Of Frederick &
! | the Assembly at the Spring Election. Berg'
lev is more tardy--none, as vet, have put
, for the plate. Perhaps an old friend, ii sol
cited, might be prevailed upon to moui
White Surray-and try it.
Definition Of Dentist--The folloscstag
The only epigrans furnished By the srboie IF u
.4nnaals for 1880. IL appears ia 2 The g..
and Is q tya,sialioa from the F.~ac,
| -ss.---
"a dentist, love.
Foe lbe-- sceth OF zone.
(. A. &c W ..,n fate has left witnoats
--..a fn.s.s provision for bis even,
m BY pulling other peoples OUT,