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This, Sir, is the result of my last visit to Khorsabad. As you will easily believe, I am most desirous that the absurd difficulties raised by the Pasha of Mosul may speedily be removed, in order to profit by the generosity of the French government. As usual, they have nobly encouraged these researches, so important, perhaps, to history, and, at least, so useful towards a knowledge of ancient art among the bye-gone nations of Mesopotamia. Grant that such liberal intentions be not frustrated by ignorance and barbarism!

Permit me, Sir, by means of your journal, publicly to offer my thanks to M. M. Burnouf, Guiguiaut, LETRONNE, LENORMANT, RAOUL-ROCHETTE, and, in short, to all those who, through love of science, have kindly aided your proceedings in my favour, and supported me with the influence belonging to their names and reputation. I still hope they will reap their reward in assisting me to bring to light a monument now unique, and a worthy exercise of their learning and intelligence.

E. BOTTA.

The foregoing letter was accompanied by several drawings, to which M. BOTTA makes no allusion therein. They are as follows:-

Plate XLIV. This plate represents the personage with a chasse-mouche, or fan, described by M. BOTTA in his fourth letter.

Plate XLV. This inscription was found over the last chariot, wall xx, near the angle of passage No. V; it is wanting in several characters at the end.

Plate XLVI. This plate contains a part of the inscription found under the bas-relief containing the figure of a man lying flat on his face by the edge of a river; wall XIV at the angle of passage No. II. The hollow observable at the bottom is caused by the parasol of the chariot beneath.

Plate XLVII. Commencement of the inscription upon the lower border of the dress worn by that personage who is seen behind the standing captives, wall XXVIII.

Plate XLVIII.

Inscription upon the lower borders of the garments worn by those two captives who stand behind the kneeling prisoners, wall XXVIII. The square gap seen beneath occupies the space between the standing captives and the person in their rear.

Plate XLIX. This drawing represents, I believe, one of the colossal figures described by M. BOTTA in his third letter, and which he at first supposed were women, but afterwards thought they must be eunuchs.

Lastly, I received, with the fifth letter, the following

copy of a brick from Khorsabad.

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M. BOTTA accompanied it with these remarks:—

"This brick is very similar to a small one of which I before sent a copy, but yet there are certain differences, proving, in my opinion, that these inscriptions are traced by the hand and not stamped with a mould. It is doubtless a fact that I could easily and satisfactorily confirm, only, to make myself understood, the objects themselves must be seen.”

The little brick to which M. BOTTA alludes, forms part of a collection of copies of inscriptions on bricks and stone, sent to me by him since the commencement of his excavations within the compass of Nineveh itself, and which I was about to publish, when the receipt of his first letters from Khorsabad induced

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me to postpone my project. I reserve these copies for the great work on Khorsabad, by M. M. Botta and FLANDIN, that will appear hereafter, unless the length of time requisite to decipher the inscriptions should demand an earlier issue.

JULES MOHL.

END OF THE FIRST SERIES.

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