, 1876-02-19
An English Etcher, and Some Costly
Etch'ngs.-.Longevity an In.
heritance.
Expectation Of Books from Great Brit
ain: The United States tho
Heaviest Customer.
Tho Flora Of Angola, In Africa: Tho
Baobab, Oll.Pa!m, CasheW-Nut,
Ground-Nut, Wclnitschia MI
rabilis, Etc., Etc.


LITERATURE.
cHAtpEAh LEGENDS.
Tbx CNAEpRAN ACCOUNT or GENESIS, CONTAINING
TuE pxaon1rT1ox or Thx cAKAT1oA, rns FAIL or
MAN. rnk DzLuoE, TIRE TowEn or DAnE1. ETC,
enal Antiquities. nritIsh siusaum, Author Of A.
syrian Dscovertes.1 c.c. With Illustrations Byo..
Eies' FL s,yi Il. 80" 1'f<' ''''''''' A'~'''DS w.
II Ia but short limo ainco Mr. Smith pub.
lished . history Of the excavations In Nineveh
By which he recovered q portion Of tho Royal
Assyrian Library from tho rufus Of tho palaces
Of Bonnacherib and Aesurbanipol, tho Hardat,-
apalua Of tho Greeks. In that account lia gave
some information concerning the legends Of the
Creation, tho Doluge, tho Tower OF Babel, and
tha Times OF tho patsiarehs, Which he was then
aecpboring from the broken and fragments
ary tablets discovered aud conveyed To
tho British Muaoum. sinco tho Issue
Of the records Of his "Assyrian Discover
ies," he has boon industriousiy engaged In unit
ing auch of the various fragments OF the legends
~ have been preserved. and In reading aud
transiasiug thctr mystical inscriptions. Having
brought tic work OF Interpretation ae near to
conclusion ~ may be with tho material now In
hia possession, Mr. Smith presents, IN answcr
10 general donuud, tho results OF Ills iuvcsti-
gatlouh. With characteristic modcsty. ho pro-
nounccs hiB renderings proviBfonaf and asks
bis readera to accept them with tito sans rcaerve
that he llaB used In Offering thom.
Flo profaces tho transcript Of the legends With
\ brief sketch Of sho circumstances In which the
Assyrian Library Was found, and Of the lttcra-
sure Of BabyloniA and Assyria which has thus
boen recovered. Tho books OF the Assyrihns
wero printed In cunieform charactcru upon torra-
Gotta tablots, OF ali Blxes, from inch long to
aboyo u inches square. It is Sup
posed that tho collection forming tho Royal
Library at Niuovoh was kept In the upper
rooms Of the King's palace, undos the charge Of
regular Lbrsriana. The tablesB seem to havo
been ARRANGED In orderly sequence, and to have
boon labeled and cataloguod for convenient rof-
etenco. Judging from tie fragments discovered,
It ie catima!ed that tho library contained up
Soss: o r5is odses ssst asnR ' ho tn .hss
Aseutbanipol, B. @, 870. who Was muni1cent
patron Of learning. Ills agents searched hls
domintonH for treasuros OF literature and, bring
iae them to Nla.seh copied them for tho bcneat
Among tho works thus gathered together Nero
traatges upon Astronomy. Astrology, History.
Mathematics, Grammar, Le1icography, Natural
History, and Geography. "A III most Libraries
in tho department OF Literature and ntorics,
legends, and myths wero present IN liberal
measure. When the buildlug which contained tho
Royal Library Was destroyed, the tabtosa foil
lu.y. Thoy were scattered, broken, .cracksd.
acorched by the heat Of tho burning palace and
soaked by tho raips TINT peroolated through tho
ovoElying debris, Yct, by dint Of patiant labor,
gether 30 that many Of them have beeu read
With satisfactory degree Of intelligence. Mr.
Smith figures ono tablet containing the account
Of tho Delugs, which Ia composed OF slxteon
l.. -hjI1 J.sz
The story Of tho Creation and Fail probably
covered . series OF twelso tablets but those
discovered sro in = worry mut!iated condition.
not a!nglo tablet helnE perfect. 90 faE ~ MT.
smith has been able to determine from tho e1-
listing fragments. tue story agrees generally with
tho Mosaic account Of tho CEeasiou, but seoms
originally to havo been much moro ample IN
detail. This. liko the othor legends giyen In
from generation to. generation BY word Of mouth.
before It waB anHlly committed TO whiting. Tho
occurrence OF tho legends In tho ARsysian records
gives evidence, according to tleir translation,
s H. s they y.o wsts % sssysl 3 &C. u @ dur
IL printing these iegends exactly aa le has
sead thom from tho tablols, limo for llue and
word Tor word. with all cbasns and defects plainly
Indicated, Alr. Bnntl has treated his subject with
perfect candor. Of course. his translation IL 10
% accepted; but 1t Ia left to his readers to put
That Interpretation upon tho version whloh boht
aeeorda With thelr own Judgment. Sometimes
,oS,n snI h. H"au esnma far.fnic1sa
It'll tbo ierends. 10 tbey stapd, ste OF c1coedius
Interest, aud viii bs a.tentiyey studied by schol-
Hs and thsoloeiaps.
- -, 80 ..,-,,.
cutps x,nn n,ay.n "TM wosssmor. IL r. MAX
MukLLKn, Foreign hisiaber ct tho French lnssi
tute, eto. yolune ~. EssAss Grizzly ox TIL
sGIENG1 OF LAxouAax* With Index 70 Vola. Ill., ant
!,co, ~. as;no pp eas: ., hs" aos&: sessoosF' Az"
,,'ous 70. kHee' *4'".
seven OF sue h1he papers included ~ tn's
volume ara connected with the Science OF Com
paratlYo PhlloloQy, which Prof. hIrneller LeI
ishoroa IN aN,cl.St,v durIng I'm n,vt twcnty
ars sr.s,s ~ aoaS;1s. "Aa a saS ~. t"' ns.s -