Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-10-18

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resolve The many interesting questions connect
ed With these runs, Colonel RawlnsOu deter
mined 70 mSke . thorough examinatiOn.-
Trenches we're opened from top to bottom
and after two months labor. ProfIing BY bis
former eEperiense.hs was able in half an hours
examination after entering the opened ruins
a temple buiis. as It appears, by one Of the
Kings Of Babylon twelve hundred years be-
fore Christ discover the very spot where
the historical records were deposited, and to
extract, TO the utter amaEement Of the seTu
tinizing Arabs, from concealed cavities in the
walls, two large cylinders of baked clay,
which he exhibited to the meeting, and which
we're in as good a state Of preservation now,
as when NebuchadneEzar deposited them in
their hiding place, twenty Eve hundred years
ago The cylinders. inscribed with ehSrsOteFs,
were the records in which the great events Of
Ibe empire we're entered. The curiouA fact
was alsO.elisited, that the temple was nHmed
the Temple of the seven Spheres and was
constructed according 10 the Chaldean Planeta-
ry System, seven stages being erected, one
above another, according TO the order Of the
seven planets. and each being cOlored after the
hue Of the planet to which it was dedicated.
In several Instances these colCrs we're still
clearly to be distinguished. As to the differ
ent cOlors, the lower stage devoted to Saturn,
was black; the second 10 Jupiter, orange; the
third TO Mars, red; the 9TH to the Sun. golden
the 9TH to Venus, white; the 9th to Mercury,
blue; and the seventh, to the Noon, silvery
green, The mound was Of great height and
prOdiglOus extent, and large vitri6ed masses
Of brick work, on the summit of the mound,
presented the appearance Of having been sub,
Ijeeled to an intense heat 1t now appears that
these vitri6ed masses on the summit were the
result Of design, and not Of accident-the sixth
stage, or the one consecrated to Mercury,
having been subjected to an intense and pro.
lOnged fire, in order 70 produce the blue Stag
color, which was emblemstc to that planet.
To the peculIarity its construction the tenn
pie owes it's preservation, when Ill others a.
round il have perished, as the blue Stag cap at
the summit Of the pile, was able to resist the
action Of the weather. and at the same time
held together the lower stages; which others
wise would have crumbled and fallen; while Il
also served as an immoveable pedestal for the
upper or seventh stage, for the shrine which
8 supposed TO have crowned the whole. Il
was ascertained from the cylinder, that the
name BirS. which was givec to the mound wa,
only COntr action Of BOrsippa, the name of th,
city In which The temple was situated. It Il
surprising that with so much 10 mark the
mound as an object Of great importance and
promise. whose open depths could revea
mighty secrets, and when too, such success,
had crowned the enterprise Of opening The
heaps at Nineveh, no one had been sufficiently
adventurous to do, long ago, what Col. Raw
llnsou did the last autumn.
The earliest Chaldean historian, as is well
known, was Berosus; In regard to whom Col
RawlinSon stated an interesting fact. A IA
nous slab Of NebuChadnezzar is deposited in
the Museum ofthe India House, London which
contains description Of all the works execut'
ed BY Nebuchadnezzar, at Babylon and Borsip-
pa. which so nearly corresponds with the ac-
counts given by Berosus, as quoted by Jose
phus, that 1t cannot be doubted that the chal.
dean historian had consulted the original auto.
graphic record. Col Rawlinson adverted to a
most remarkable passage in the inscription on
the same slab. which seemed to be the Kings
own Interpretation Of the terrible visitation OF
madness which came upon him in the pride of
his career. Abruptly breaking off from the
narrative of the architectural decoration of
Babylon, the inscription denounces tAe Chalde-
an astrologers; he would grant no benefactions
for religious objects, he intermts the worship
of Merodach, and puts an end to the sacrifice
Of victims: and all this, as BerOsus states, is
the effect Of enchantmentl How obviously
does this refer to the insanity of God sent up
on the arrogant klng! And when the spell is
broken, the thread of the argument having re-
ference 10 the architectural adorung Of the
city, ia resumed again,
COlSpel RawlinsOn ended his address by re.
:erring to discovery of importance which he
had made, and it was the last one. 1t point
ed the way to the reconciling OF sacred and pro.
fame history, in regard to the capture Of Bah
ylon by Cyrus Ptoiane history states that
the name Of the king Of Babylon was Naboni.
dus. while the scriptures say thatit was Bel
shazzar. Profane history says that NabOnidus
met the Persians under Cyrus in the open
field, and being defeated, fed. and shut him
self up ip BOrsippa; while the Bible says the
Persian army Under Cyrus, besieged Babylon
and slew the King there. Strangely, Colonel