It would be improper to close this notice without mentioning one of the most striking occurrences in nature, sometimes exhibited in this quarter—the sudden emersion of new Islands from the bosom of the ocean. The first relation of such an event is given by Kircher in his Mundus Subterraneus. He describes it as announced by violent earthquakes, which lasted for eight days; then a fire broke from the surface of the sea, and rose to the clouds ; while vast quantities of stones, earth, sand, and minerals, were at the same time vomited out. At length a group of rocks burst forth, which gradually increas ed till they covered several miles in circumference, and, after being shattered by a new earthquake, settled at length into a solid consistence.
A narrative of a similar phenomenon is given in the 82d Volume of the Philosophical Transactions. John Robison, master of a small vessel, is stated to have arrived on the 10th December 1720, at Terce ra, " near which Island he saw a fire break out of the sea." On his arrival at Angra, the governor hired his vessel, for the purpose of going to view it. " On the 19th," says he, " at two afternoon, we made an Island all fire and smoke. The ashes fell on our deck like hail and snow. The fire and smoke roared like thunder or great guns." He adds, that quantities of pumice atone (probably common lava), and of half-broiled fish, were found floating on the sea in its vicinity.
A similar phenomenon took place in February 1811, about half a league from the western ex tremity of the Island of St Michael. It seems to have been attended with nearly the usual symp toms ; fire bursting from the sea, and ascending into the air like a host of sky-rockets, accompanied with vast volumes of smoke, and showers of scoriae and lava. The rocks, however, did not rise above the surface of the water, but appeared immediately under it, with the waves dashing furiously round them. The previous soundings are said to have been eighty fathoms.
On taking a general view of these phenomena, and of the other peculiarities of the Azores, it is im possible not to lament that they should not yet have been surveyed by any scientific observer ; and we would fain entertain the hope, that some traveller, properly qualified, may at length be induced to turn his attention to a group of Islands, which, more than any other, seems to offer a rich field of observation and discovery to geologists and naturalists in general.
BABYLON.—Under this head, in the body of the work, will be found a full account of the extent of an cient Babylon, and of the stupendous edifices, which rendered it the wonder of mankind. Our present ob ject will be, to collect, from recent information, the vestiges which, after so long a succession of ages, still remain, of this celebrated capital of the East.
Among all the remains of ancient grandeur, there are none perhapawhich possess equal interest with the ruins of Babylon : none which present so many striking images to the imagination, or carry back the mind into such a depth of antiquity. It happens forte ' nately that their site, through the learned investiga tions of Major Rennell, may be considered as com pletely fixed to the small district, situate immediately to the north of the village called Hallah.• Its po sition on the Euphrates, the fountains of bitumen at Hit or Heet, the distance from the ascertained po sition of Seleucia and Ctesphion, and the character of the surrounding country, combine in establishing this point beyond a doubt. The appellation ruins, in
its proper sense, cannot, however, be applied to the present remains of Babylon, which consist almost wholly of bricks, fragments, and rubbish, piled, as it were, in masses, and serving as quarries for the construction of new cities. In this condition, never theless, they have deservedly attracted the attention of modern travellers ; and interesting notices have been given by Della Valle, Niebuhr, Ives, Otter, and Beauchamp. But the recent observations of Mr Rich, enlightened by the previous inquiries of Ma jor Rennell, have been so much more careful and complete, that they supersede all prior in. formation. We shall first give a view of the objects that presented themselves to Mr Rich, in traversing this celebrated ground, and shall then offer some re marks as to those ancient edifices, of which these objects are to be considered the remains.
Mr Rich commenced his observations at Hellah, and proceeded to the north, along the eastern bank of the Euphrates. After passing some smaller mounds, he came to a vast mass, 1100 yards in length, and 800 in its greatest breadth ; while its most elevated part rose 50 or 60 feet above the level of the plain. It con sists almost wholly of earth formed from decomposed brick, and strewed with various species of fragmegts. The name of Amran is given to It from a tradition, seemingly unfounded, of a son of All having been buried in it.—Then, after traversing a valley 550 yards long, and crossed by some smaller ruins, he came to the second grand mass, forming nearly a square of 700 yards in length and breadth. This part of the ruins is extremely interesting, containing several walls in a pretty entire state ; they are eight feet thick, in some places ornamented with niches, in others strengthened by pilasters and but tresses. Some remains of painting and sculp ture are to be seen on them. The bricks are of the finest kind, and cemented with lime. We may here observe that the city, as Major Rennell suspected, appears to have been built, partly of burnt and partly of unburnt bricks. Three kinds of cement have al so been used. The unburnt bricks are in general merely bound together with reeds or chopped straw, which are still found in great quantities. The burnt bricks are cemented, partly with bitumen, but more frequently with lime ; a thaterial, the use of which had escaped the notice of observers previous to Mr Rich. He states it to be much the most efficacious of any. Bricks cemented with bitumen could be easily separated ; but where good mortar had been used, no power or art could detach them from the wall, without breaking them in pieces. Some parts of the edifice in question have been deeply excavated, with a view to the removal of the bricks ; but the workmen have been intimidated, in consequence of the rubbish having fallen in, and buried some of their number ; and they have given up the walls, on ac count of the extreme tenacity with which they are cemented. This edifice is called by the natives the Kass or palace.