admirably designed, the action well expressed, and the muscles strongly marked. The hands and feet, also the ornaments, are of very delicate workmanship. I must acknowledge I no longer doubt that this monument was destroyed by fire. The lower portion contains an enormous quantity of charcoal, and even remnants of burnt beams; besides, the surface of the gypsum, in many places, is evidently converted into plaster and become friable; to these indications, in short, another sign may be added. I have already mentioned the discovery, during the excavations, of a little ball of clay, bearing a mythological impression. Six more, precisely similar, have since appeared, and, on examination, I perceived that a hole was bored through them still retaining fragments of carbonized string. The only way by which I can account for these balls is the possibility of their having been suspended in certain parts of the building, and that they were calcined by the fire. Regarding these small objects, I have one particular yet to state; besides the impression, always the same, of a man piercing a rampant lion, there are invariably, on the edge, some cuneiform characters, quite different upon. each specimen. Furthermore, it is certain that these balls have been moulded merely in the hollow of

G

the hand; finger marks may still be seen on them, and even traces of the pores of the skin. Were they ex-voto, seals attached to the horns of victims, according to Egyptian custom as recorded by Herodotus ?* It is a question I presume not to decide.

I shall add, lastly, in order to omit nothing that can possibly interest you, that I have raised the flag-stone with an inscription, of one of the passages; I hoped it might cover a tomb, but am therein completely disappointed. Nothing was found under it except the soil of the mound, into which I have vainly dug some feet.

As those who are better informed than myself will probably undertake to determine the age of this monument, I shall avoid all discussion on the subject, but solely point out a few particulars that may prove useful in the inquiry.

Although the hair, beards, and even clothes show a resemblance to Sassanian models, I have, nevertheless, discovered no vestige of an inscription in

I have received three of these balls, of which one alone was entire; the two others appear to have been broken on the journey, and were very badly repaired, I believe, at Malta, where the box was long detained. I have placed them all in the Bibliothèque Royale.-J. M.

any other writing than that of which I send you specimens. It is exactly like what is observed upon the bricks found at Nineveh. The bricks themselves are the same as those last named, and are equally cemented with bitumen. I have also found at Nineveh fragments of sculptures in a style precisely similar. It is likewise remarkable, that up to the present moment, all the mythological emblems are Babylonian, and quite the same as those so frequently seen on seals and cylinders. Finally, not a trace has yet been discerned of any iron employed in this monument, whilst numerous remains of copper objects have been found; nails, rings, bands, and even part of a small wheel with a slender felloe, about 0m. 50c. in diameter. These facts argue favorably for the antiquity of the monument, but, on the other hand, I have discovered that the stones with which it is built belonged to a still older edifice. Indeed, some of the gypsum slabs bear traces of cuneiform inscriptions, evidently destroyed by time. The writing too, entirely resembles the inscriptions of the actual monument. The specimen I now send will enable you to judge for yourself.*

*See Plan XXXI, 2. This inscription is on the reverse of the lower part of that slab with a bas-relief, the upper portion of which is represented in plate XXII.

I sincerely regret being the only person on the spot to describe these ruins. I am no artist, and the sketches I transmit to you, are not merely unworthy copies of the originals, but, further, they engross much of my time. Besides, I feel myself incompetent, through want of requisite learning, to appreciate the historic value of several details which, perhaps, might set others on the track to make interesting discoveries.

In my opinion, it would be worthy the munificence of the French government to send here some one capable of assisting me in the excavations and who can draw well. The field is large, for, I repeat, this monument extends through the whole interior of the mound; and, in proportion as we advance towards its centre, the sculptures are better preserved. Almost all the bas-reliefs are historical; the inscriptions are very numerous, and, if they can be read, will probably throw great light upon certain facts and unfold many new ones. Above all, it would be necessary to copy everything from those walls which at once decay when exposed to the air; or, pushed by the earth, immediately fall to pieces. Already, notwithstanding my props, part of what I have seen and drawn remains no longer. I hope those persons who prize archæological researches will unite with you in

endeavouring to obtain from our government the means of rescuing as much as possible, and of carefully copying whatever cannot be saved.

E. BOTTA.

NOTE.-On going to ascertain whether the colouring of the plates was exactly according to the given pattern, I observed that, in some copies, already finished, a shade of bistre had erroneously been put upon the staff, held in the hand of the personage with a tiara, in plate XXII. This staff is, in M. BOTTA's drawing, of the same red as the bands. It was then too late to repair this fault, and I must content myself with warning of the error those few persons who will receive the plate falsely coloured.-J. MOHL.