the extent and magnitude of these ruins, it will be seen how worthy they are of a diligent investigation, and what a favourable opportunity was lost by Kinneir, who was travelling under the immediate auspices of the Ambassador,—a circumstance, in itself, peculiarly calculated to secure a due degree of attention and protection from the natives of the district.

To conclude, it must ever be a subject of deep regret, that the difficulty of exploring the remains of any spot of antiquity should be heightened by the passions of a people disposed to turbulence and riot. The desolation which, under the influence of a barbarous Government, has for years been advancing over Susiana, one of the finest provinces of the East, whether as regards soil and climate, or the facilities of commercial intercourse, irresistibly impresses on the mind the mutability of earthly dignity.

BABYLONIAN WRITING.

In a preceding page of this work, I have cursorily adverted to the characters stamped upon the Babylonian bricks. I may be permitted to say a few words upon this undeciphered writing. This character is known by the names of cuneiform, nail-headed, arrow-headed, as descriptive of its shape; and Babylonian, or Persepolitan, according to the sites where it has been discovered. Inscriptions in this character have been found upon the sides of mountains and monuments, at the greatest and oldest cities of the East-Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, Susa, Van, Persepolis, NakshiRoustam, Murgaub, the ancient Pasagardæ, Babylon, and Nineveh and as this style of writing is found in all these places, we cannot but be fully convinced, that it is the primeval character of the most ancient people in the world.

The inscriptions upon the bricks found at ancient Babylon have a remarkable resemblance to those that are engraved upon the pillars and columns at Persepolis; a circumstance which proves a very near affinity between these two most ancient nations, and affords a strong additional argument for the high antiquity of those superb and splendid remains.

That learned and indefatigable antiquarian, M. Grotefend, when speaking of this character, observes, that the elementary forms of the cuneiform writing are only two, the wedge and the angle, being devoid of curves. The general direction of the wedges, are with their points downwards, or towards the right, either in perpendicular, horizontal, or sloping positions. The rectangles have always one direction, their opening being turned towards the right. These characteristics show how an inscription ought to be held, and mark that it follows a horizontal, and not a perpendicular line. The strokes so frequently drawn between the rows of characters sufficiently show this rule: though there are exceptions, in compliance with any peculiar form on the tablet of the inscription; for instance, on small cylinders, where the letters appear in an upright column.

There are three kinds of these letters, all of which are to be seen at Persepolis, and Susa, on every piece of sculpture where an inscription is exhibited; and then it is repeated three times, each repetition being in one of the three different species of character, though all of the same genus, The three species of cuneiform, or arrow-headed writing, are

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distinguished by the greater or less multiplying of the two fundamental forms, and also their positions. The first contains the greatest mingling of the fundamental forms; the second shows more horizontal wedges, and fewer angles than the first, and differs from the third by possessing fewer sloping wedges, and none that cross each other. The third exhibits more sloping wedges than the second, and also admits their crossing. All the cuneiform inscriptions of Persia are much less complicated than those on the Babylonian bricks and tablets.

From the result of these observations, it appears that the characters are alphabetical, and to be read, like our own, from left to right.. Mr. Price, in his dissertation upon the antiquities of Persepolis, remarks-" From what has come under my, notice, I have reason to think there are still books that have been preserved by the learned or curious, from high antiquity down to the present time, which books might contain historical or other tradition in the Sabean character: the arrow-head, I should suppose, was confined to sculpture, or grave subjects, and seldom used in manuscripts. But, after all, it amounts to the same, whether a letter or word be formed with arrow-heads, minims, or other strokes; the powers would be the same in either, if the writing were not so ornamental in one shape, as it might be in the other.

"The Pahlavi alphabet was introduced into Persia by the Magi, for religious purposes; some of its letters were at first partly modelled from the Sabean characters; but in the course

of time the primitive forms changed, and little of the Sabean remained in them. Notwithstanding the Sabean alphabet was nearly abandoned by the Persians, the greater part of its letters have continued in use among other nations, by being adopted in their alphabets. There seems to have been a very early intercourse between the Hebrews, the Syrians, the Persians, and the Tartars, if one may judge by analogy of words and signs in common to their primitive languages, and by some of their alphabets."

There are various opinions with respect to the origin of writing; but I believe no one has ever succeeded in producing sufficient proof as to what age it was discovered in, nor who was the inventor of this useful art. It is not unlikely that writing was known to the inhabitants before the Flood, because the arts must have attained to perfection among such an immense population as had spread itself over the face of the earth, during an interval of more than two thousand years from the creation.

The Antediluvians may not only have excelled in most of the arts known to us, but in many that sank with the people to rise no more. After the Deluge, those arts most connected with personal comfort and convenience, would be the first used and improved. Building, one of the first, must have been brought to considerable perfection when the Tower of Babel was commenced; but the folly of the people, in their vain attempt to carry it up to Heaven, proves that philosophy and astronomy had made no great figure among them at that time, though the inferior arts may have attained to