The Honourable Fox Talbot

British Museum

7^th April 1870

My dear sir

<ill. del.> I am afraid no excavations will be undertaken this year as indepen^t of other considerations – retrenchment & oeconony are the order of the day and our grant will be limited to current expenses. <ill.del.> You are quite right about the nampses of the river being the Champses of Herodotus, but it appears probable that there is another <Musoi?> which lay to the Eastern Frontier of Assyria. Towards Bactria or India whence the two humped variety came. It could not have been brought as tribute from Egypt. – as the only Camel represented as on the conis of the Nome of Arabia has one hump only. The Camel was indeed known in Egypt under its name Kamori or Kamali as early as the 19^th dynasty but is never figured either as a heiroglyph or as an animal brought in tribute to Egypt. The Moabite Stone is exciting a good deal of interest and controversy. Neubauer has published an article on it in Frankels Monatshaft 8^th April 1870, and Ganneau a new and emended version in the Rome <a?>. The nadab after Khemosh Ganneau has no doubt restored for your Khemoch natbi as there is no trace of nadab on the Moabite Stone. The king of Israel with whom he was at war was also Omri and although the <heiroglyphics> is only M^r Ganneaus first copy – at the end of the proceeding line is <heiroglyphics> i.e <heiroglyphics> the commencement of the name of Omri and although Mesa subsequently mentions the King of Israel without his name he probably is that<.> he did mention the name of the Israelitist Monarch when he first spoke of him.

I remain Dear Sir Yours Very truly

S Birch