The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-08-07
WHAT 1T Is LIKE TO-DAY.
The Tower Of Babel and the Palace
Of SCmiram,S.
A Caravan Of Pilgrims Forty
Miles in Length.
MEMORIES OF A FAR-0FF PAST.

The readers of the HERALD nesd not fear that
this letter is simply condensed summary OF what
Sir James Rich and the score or more of arch
biologists who have succeeded him In that par
ticular field Of research have written about the
remains of Babylon. These gentlemen have, no
doubt, done good service to the world of letters
by settling satisfactorily what the various mounds
of earth were-which one was the Palace of
Semiramis and which the Tower of Belus- but the
accounts they have published of their labors are
altogether too profound for the general reader,
and in an abbreviated form would probably be
wholly unntelgible. II is quite possible how
ever, to visit the remains of Babylon, and to get
Interested in them, without spending years OF la
Dor in perfectly mastering their antiquarian as
poets. have Just returned from journey to the
mounds and shall give plain, unvarnished &C
count of what have seen. Perhaps | shall say
more about how got to Babylon and how got
back to Bagdad than about the ruins went TO
see. And ii do, it will probably be because, to
the general traveller the ruins are ofvery little
interest They appeal no doubt, very strikingly to
the ina inaiion, but are in themselves neither i'm
posing nor beautiful. Most people who come
here to make pilgrimage to Baby
lon, do so indeed for the same reason
that they visit coal mine, not because they want
to see it, but because they wish to be able to say
trutbfully that they have seen it. And just at the
present time it is, perhaps, well that 1t should be
clearly stated what there is to see at Babylon;
for, if Mejid Pacha is neither deposed by the
Sultan nor poisoned nor murdered by the Nakeeb,
the railroad to Kerbela, passing within couple
of hours ride of Babylon will be constructed in
the course Of the next two or three years, while
IN English engineer is at the present moment
making an examination of the country with the
view of deciding whether the Euphrates River
Railroad which is an inevitable certainty of the
near future had better follow the right or the left
bank of the Euphrates. When these railroads are
built the remains of Babylon will be accessible
as st. Petersburg or Jerusalem. Thirty-six hours
journey in railroad car will carry the ira
weller from Alexandretta to the site of the
ruins. And then, of course, there will be travel
ler's handbook to the antiquities of Babylona,
and the place will be infested with dragomans,
speaking many tongues and skilled in every posi-
bility of extortion.
HOW TO GET TO THE RUINS.
Bagdad is the natural point of departure for
the pilgrim to Babylon, and to get to Bagdad is
now not very difficult, as there is a steamship
lne--two of them, indeed--from Bombay. The
site of the ruins begins at point about fifty miles
southwest of the city Of the Caliphs and extends
through the town of Hiah to the Birs Nemropd,
some eight or nine miles beyond it. To get over
these last seventy miles is not by any means SO
easy as to come from Bombay to Bagdad; there
is no particular danger to be encountered-no
danger, that is to say, that well armed European
need fear-but small amount OF discomfort and
annoyance and "disagreeables" of various descrip-
lions has to be cheerfuy endured.
The trip must, of course, be made on horseback,
for never, even in the palmy days OF Haroun Al
Raschid, has wheeled conveyance been seen in
any part of what is now the pashalic OF Bagdad,
nor are there at the present time two consecutive
miles of road in the whole district over which the
strongest of buggies could be drawn with I'M
broken springs. And it is no simple matter to
get horses for the trip. Horses, asses, mules,
camels each and all can be hired in the bazaar by
the score, but there are few animals indeed that
man of Caucasian instincts would care to take SO
long journey. OF course one would prefer
horses, aud hint to servant that you wish to
hire q couple-one for yourself and one for your
cuide-will bring dozen candidates for your pat
ronage before you but they will all be Of one kind
sorry ill-conditioned, sore-backed, girth-galled,
spawned, broken-winded brutes-the kidish, or
hired horse Of the country. Despse them not,
however; they are the best you can get, they will
cost you only seventy-fve cents day, and, what
is more, bad as they are, they viii not break down
on the road, tri 49,
MY GUIDE.
For guide engaged Christian Bagdadee
named Elias, VINO was supposed to speak English,
but who really knew little more than yes and no,
and the coarser components of the vocabulary OF
Anglo-Saxon inyectiye. But he had been a couple
of years in the service of European and was
pretty we'll acquainted with civilized manners and
customs. In appearance he was decidedly I'M
prepossessing. his countenance being SCARED in
half dozen places with the 'boutonsn or "date
marks" of Bagdad. while he squinted hideously
His dress, too, added to the picturesque ugliness
of his appearance. kefeer, or huge handker-
chief, of startling hues, was bound round his
head by yard or 80 of brown woollon yarn; his
tunic of colored cotton, fitting pretty closely to
the body, was confined at the waist by belt, IN
which were stuck couple OF huge Arab pistols
a foot and half long, and with flint locks, to-
gether with large carved dagger, with hit
of chased silver; and loose blue cotton zouave
pantaloons with pair OF riding boots
many sizes too big, completed his costume
Sometimes. however, during the colder hours o.
the day, an Arab cloak, striped black and white
was thrown over his shoulders, which enhanced
the brigand-iike terrors of his makeup. AS q
guide and general attendant Elias was compare
lively useless but he was always good tempered
and did the best he knew how, and in Bagdad
no better cicerone is procurable. The era of the
dragomans has not yet been inaugurated.
PICTURESQUE OAvALcADE.
Having secured two such horses, and such q
guide as have now described we began to make
the necessary preparations for the journey-no
snail task in a country where one has to carry
with him his own bed, furniture, kitchen utensils
and most Of what he wishes to eat. just think o