The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-02-12
OTTUMWA, IOWA. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12 1857.


valley Of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Ard
they said one to another-Go to, let MS make
brick, and burn them thoroughly; and they
had brick for stone, Cor instead Of stone,) and
SLIME had they FOR mortar.o Modern skeptics
may ask: Where could these builders obtain
oil this bitumen? for vast quantity must have
been demanded to meet the wants of so many
trowels. It /. singular coinc idence that Mr.
Place discovered fountain at a small distance
from the lower, whose waters flow in such
abundance as almost TO form river. The
stream forces its way into river in the vicini-
ty, did not the people hasten to stop it by set
ting the bituminous food on fire, when they
TRANQUILITY wait till the fire is extinguished for
the want Of a.iment. Thus the old fountain
still pours out inexhaustble quantities of btu
men, or slime, which supplied these old build
srs in their vast enterprise. Bitumen also
adds to the durability Of bricks, as well as
firmly consolidates them in masonry Could
anything be added to the marvel Of the coin
c:dence? Thus travels snd expeditions in As
syria became Biblical corollaries, and new
proofs are never wanting Of old truths.
Among the i.teresting discoveries Of Mr..
Place were certain Inscriptions on fllets of
gold, silver and copper, and also upon a metal
now unknown, and which has somewhat of the
appearance Of ivory. 1t has been submitted
to the experiments Of an Intelligent metalur-
gist, and its qualities will soon be ascertained.
Some very curious photographs, taken by
the expedition, completed their labors, one of
which was Of the ruins Of the palace Of the
famous Queen Ssmiramis. This ancient mon
unent situated on the height Of mountain
raised by the hands Of men, overlooks the aw-
full soiitudes which surround Lake Van--a
body Of water six or seven times larger than
Lake Geneva.
tits not strange that the gentleman who had
seen and handled seme of the articles brought
from the Tower of Babel by Mr. Place, should
be excited as he said he was "In relation to
archaeological news take the liberty to in
form you that have just seen the oldest
things Of the old world. Indeed, I do not
know that l should be more surprised at seeing
the fragments Of the ark itself. Fancy to your
self that have just touched and held in my
hand, and turned and turned again in every way,
alittle morcea1 of the Tower of Babel. This
trinket of moulded clay, illustrated and baked
by the sons OF Noah, has passed from the plain
Of Shinar to the chapel of St Mesmin, and i,
the fruit Of the strokes of the hammer in the
hand Of Place, our learned and enterprisine
Consul, to whom am indebted for sight Of
this precious little relic, about which cluster
SO many grand souvenirs"
Twill only add, that if your readers wish to
obtain distinct and accurate idea of the re-
gion referred to, in which lies the battlefield
Of Arbela, and the plain of shinar, the. should
open their Atlas and survey the country be-
tween Mosul on the Tigris, and Lake Van,
southeast of Mount Ararat. 1t was very natl-
raj that the sons of Noah, descending from Ara
rat, should commence their agricultural labors
in the fertile and well xatered plain of Shinar,
lying to the east where IN terrible remembrance
of the flood they vainly and impiously at
tempted work which should protect them
from the recurrence of the disaster. Recent-
ly ] met an English gentleman, Major Frazer,
who belonged to the staff of Gen. Williams,
the hero of Xars, who, with three or four 9TH
er Engiishmen, had gained the summit Of
Mount Ararat-the first feat of the kind since
the children Noah descended from it. Thus,
BY singular c,incidence, about the same time,
the sacred summit was reached where the ark
rested, and the tower discovered which was
erected on the plain at its base.