The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-05
JOURNAL SATURDAY $685.

Genesis Och. *, v. 10Y the reader is in
formed of Nimrod, the mighty hunter
before the Lord, that 1.-THE beginning of
his kingdom was Babel (Babylon) and
Erech, and Accad. and Caineh, in the
land of Shinaar." The next verse
states, "out of that land went forth
Asshur, and builded Nineveh." The
writer of Genesis is thus dealing with
what he considers the four cities in the
world, for Nimrod is the grandson OF
Noah. So far Calneh had not been
identified. There Is, indeed, tradition
in the Talmud which states 1t to be
Nippur, but little Importance has been
attached to it. Professor Hilprecht in
forms me that the recent discoveries
have confirmed the truth of this tradi-
ton. The impression is thus justified
that the American expedition has had
the good fortune to find the ruins of
city regarded so long ago as the time
of the writer of the book of Genesis as
one of the oldest in the world.
The translation of the legal docu-
ments of Murashu & Sons are very in
teresting. In regard to these docu-
ments perhaps the most conspicuous
feature is the publicity that was given
and probably required to give them
validity. Here, for example, is guar
antee for twenty years that an emerald
is SO we'll set that it will not fall out.
"Bel-ahiddina and Bel-shunu, sons of
Bel, and Hatin, son of Bazuza, spoke
unto Bel-nadinshumu, son of Morashu,
as follows: AS concerns the gold ring
set with an emerald, we guarantee that
for twenty years the emerald will not
fall out of the ring. If 1t should fall
out before the eXpiry OF twenty years
Bel-ahiddina (and the two others) shall
pay to Bel-nadinshumu an indemnity
of ten mana Of silver" Then follow
the names Of seven witnesses and of
an official who is described as the
scribe of the Concordance of Proper
Names" The document is concluded
with the '"Thumbnail-ma of Bel-ahid-
dina. Belshunu and Hath, instead of
| their seal" This must serve as spec
linen. In the forthcoming book many
| legal documents of especial interest to
the student of law will be given.
Among these will be the following: A
| Babylonian subject becomes surety for
the release Of his nephew from prison
on condition that he will not leave Nip
pur without permission. Another takes
us back into the period of the Patria
Potestas. The paterfamilias complains
that the servants have robbed him.
The document witnesses that, the prop
erty having been restored, neither he
nor those under him will institute legal
proceedings for the theft. There are
| leases of various kinds and contracts
for the sale Of sun-dried bricks and
other merchandise, for the loan Of seed
corn and oxen for ploughing, and va
riety of other documents of ordinary
business life, which bring home to the
reader very wildly that he is in the
presence OF actual facts, that human
life and human operations were very
much alike, and yet in other RESPECTS
widely different from, what they are
now; above all, that the inhabitants o.
this recently unearthed city had grea
capacity for business, and had made
greater progress in the development O.
what are often considered as modern
commercial usages than has yet beer
d-Constantinople Letter in the
Boston Transcript.