'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎298] (345/562)

[ 298 J
1758. Whether the tower was at firfl: of a fqnare or round form, is now difficult
v. .yi' to determine, though the former is moft probable, betfaufe all the
remaining bricks are placed fquare, and not in the leaft circular. The
bricks are all twelve inches fquare, and four and an half thick. The
cement is of mud or flime, mixed with broken reed as we mix hair
with mortar; which flime might either have been had from one of the
great rivers, or taken out of one of the fwamps in the plain, with which
the country hereabout very much abounds. We paffed one of thefe fwamps
in our way, which was about an hundred yards broad, and four feet deep.
Between Baghdad and Kir coot e, according to the bifhop^s intelligence, are two
fountains of Nufi Demar, or bituminous pitch. It comes out of the earth
boiling hot •, and this is what fome writers have fuppoled the fcriptures to
mean by (lime, in the building of the Tower of Babel. Betwixt every feventh
or eighth brick in the tower, is a layer of reeds, of which I took a few for
the fake of curiofity, alio fome of the flime, and a piece of both forts of
- the brick, the harder and fofter-, for thofe which lie in the rubbifh are of
a much harder fubftance, than what now remain ki the tower.
The height of the ruin is 126 feet; the diameter of the largeft and
middle part about 100 feet. We judge it to be folid to the center-, yet
near the top there is a regular opening of an oval form, but as we could
not climb up to, can determine nothing pofitive about it *, it appears
however from the prcfent look to have been a window. The circumference
of that part of the tower which remains, and is above the rubbifh, is about
300 feet,- but probably could the foundation be come at, it would be found of
far greater extent. Mr. Boidge, from whofe draught with a pencil, the cop
per-plate here inferted, was taken, calculated the vifibk ruins of the tower
to contain about 100,000 cubic feet.
The prefent Turks, Jews, and Arabians., are fond of believing this to be
the identical ruin of the ancient tower of Babel, for which they affign a
variety of reafons; but all, fo void of the appearance of truth, that to fet
about confuting them would be lofing time in trifles. I am clearly of
opinion, from its fituation, and many other circumftances, that it never
could have been the tower of Babel-, but rather fufped it- to have been^
a beacon or watch-tow er to give notice of the approach of an enemy ; or
perhaps uied as an obfervatory to infpeft the various motions of the-
heavenly bodies, which fcience was fo much cultivated among the an
cient inhabitants of this country, that even the Grecians,, though defirous
of being efteemed the inventors of all arts and fciences. Could never
deny the Babylonians the honour of having laid the foundations of
aftronomy. And indeed the advantageous fituation of Babylon, which
was built upon a wide, extended plain, where no mountain confined
the profped ; and the conftant clearnefs and ferenity of the air in that
country, fo favourabie to the free contemplation of the heavens, were
fufficicnc