November io, 1892] 



NATURE 



35 



if a reformer of the calendar (and one especially of 

 conservative tendencies) appeared upon the scene, who 

 believed that the ancient sign for the inundation- 

 tetramene was the water sign, and that the ancient name 

 was Thoth. Finding the cycle beginning in 1728 with 

 the signs as shown — 



1728 



B.C. 





when starting fresh, he would seize the opportunity of 

 effecting a change, not only by dealing with a tetramene, 

 but he would change the names of the tetramenes allocated 

 to the signs. 



B.C. 

 618 



1. °- en 



•5 -S IS £ 2 c ._■- 



IlliisjUlli 



As Krall remarks, it was almost merely a question of a 

 change of the sign ! It really was more, because the new 

 tetramene began with the flood. 



Assuming this, we can see exactly what was done in 

 238 B.C., i.e. about 380 years later. We have seen that 

 the 380 years is made up of 



5 Epacts 

 30 Mesori 

 30 Epiphi 

 30 Payni 



95 X 4 = 380 



the heliacal rising of Sirius occurring on i Payni, 

 having swept backwards along the months in the manner 

 already explained. We had then— 



B.C. 

 238 





To sum up, so far as we have gone we have the three 

 inscriptions at Philae, Elephantine, and the still more 

 ancient one of Pepi, indicating on the simple system we 

 have suggested beginnings of Sothic cycles on the 

 1st Thoth about the years 



270) 



1728 Vb.c. 

 3192J 



On the other hand, we have the decree of Canopus, 

 giving us by exactly the same system a local revision of 

 the Calendar about 600 B.C. I s&y about doo B.C. because 

 it must be remembered that a difference of 2\ days in 

 the phenomena observed will make a difference of 

 10 years in the date, and we do not know in what part 

 of the valley the revision took place, and therefore at 

 what precise time in relation to the heliacal rising the 

 Nile-rise was observed. 



Whenever presumably it took place, New Year's day 

 was reckoned by the Flood, and the rising of Sirius fol- 

 lowed nearly, if not quite, a month afterwards. The 

 equivalent of the old ist Thoth was therefore i Payni. 

 In months, then, the old ist Thoth was separated from 

 the new one (= i Payni) by 3 months (Payni, Mesori, 

 Epiphi) and the Epacts. 



In this way, then, we can exactly account for the dif- 

 ference of 409 years referred to above as the dates 



assigned by Censorinus and myself for the beginning of 

 the Sirius cycle. 



Difference between 270 and 239 

 3 months = 90 days x 4 

 5 epacts X 4 



31 years. 



360 » 

 20 ,, 



411 ,. 



The difference of two years is equal only to half a day ! 



It seems, then, pretty clear from this that the sugges- 

 tion I have ventured to make on astronomical grounds 

 may be worth consideration on the part of Egyptologists. 

 If our inquiries have really led us to the true beginnings 

 of the Sothic periods, it is clear that those who informed 

 Censorinus that the year 139 a.d. was the end of a cycle 

 omitted to tell him what we now can learn from the 

 decree of Tanis. 



J. Norman Lockyer. 



{To be continued^ 



TECHNOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS. 



'X' HE report of the results of the Technological Examin- 

 ■'■ ations, held this year under the direction of the 

 City and Guilds of London Institute, has a special in- 

 terest, seeing that after this year the system of payment on 

 results in connection with all classes outside the Metro- 

 polis will be discontinued. There is no doubt that the 

 offer of payment to teachers helped very greatly in 1879 

 to stimulate the formation of technical, as distinct from 

 science, classes, and the great extension of this work of the 

 Institute is largely due to the offer then wisely made of 

 contributing towards the cost of instruction. The tables 

 furnished in the report, and the diagram of results, are 

 very interesting as showing the great development of these 

 trade classes. Since 1880 the number of candidates for 

 examination has increased more than tenfold, the numbers 

 being 816 in 1880 and 8,534 in 1892. In 1885 there were 

 263 technological classes in different parts of the country, 

 and in the session 1 891-2 this number had increased to6io. 

 There is, of course, acorresponding increase in the number 

 of students in attendance at these classes. In 1881 the num- 

 ber of students was 2,500, this year it was 16,565. This re- 

 cordof progress iscertainly satisfactory,and particularly so, 

 seeing that prior to 1891 there was no sort of organization 

 to carry on the work of directing and assisting technical 

 classes for artisans in different parts of the country. As 

 a pioneer movement, the work of the City Guilds Insti- 

 tute has been eminently successful, and many of the 

 Technical Schools which have now been brought under 

 the control of County Councils undoubtedly owe their 

 origin to the technological classes promoted by the City 

 Guilds. The question now demanding attention is the 

 future of these classes. Much is to be said in favour of 

 associating them more closely with the science classes, 

 which are held in the same schools ; but what is wanted 

 for the permanent improvement of such classes is a 

 system of efficient inspection by persons competent to 

 advise County Councils with respect to the important 

 work now under their control. 



From the report and programme it appears that year 

 by year the Institute adds to the extent and efficiency of 

 its examinations by the introduction of new subjects and 

 of practical tests. Practical examinations were held this 

 year for the first time in photography, goldsmiths' work, 

 boot and shoe manufacture, and in wood-working in con- 

 nection with the examination in manual training for 

 teachers of public elementary schools. This last examin- 

 ation is somewhat different in kind from the other ex- 

 aminations of the Institute. It is not a trade examina- 

 tion. Its purpose seems to be to encourage instruction 

 of a distinctly educational character. Moreover, it is a 



NO. 



!02, VOL. 47] 



