Lombard Street
11th May 1877
Dear Sir
I enclose a receipt for your subscription for this year to the Society – You are aware of course of the arrival of 2000 tablets collected by George Smith <1> in Babylonia reaching from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar <2> to the end of Darius <3> –
Nebuchadnezzar began to reign at Babylon after the fall of Nineveh, and Nineveh was taken by Cyaxares <4> after the eclipse of Thales <5> in B.C. 585 There has been a long contest concerning the dates of the Thales eclipse whether in 585, or 600 – I have this morning received a computation according to the best tables, of the path of the eclipse of B.C. 610 which passed near Kars and Erivan <6> far above the latitude of Sardes in Asia minor – So that the reign of Nebuchadnezzar is now clearly fixed 25 years lower than commonly supposed – This is an interesting fact as regards the investigation of the tablets just arrived
Believe me Yours very truly
J W Bosanquet
H. F. Talbot Esqr
Notes:
1. George Smith (1840–1876), Assyriologist.
2. Nebuchadnezzar II (604–561 BC).
3. Darius I (550–486 BC).
4. Cyaxares, king of Media, reigned from 625 to 585 BC.
5. The philosopher Thales of Miletus predicted the solar eclipse on the 28th May 585 BC.
6. Russian government district next to Kars, Armenia.