192 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Aug. U 



abstinence from food in more than forty cases in his own 

 practice, he is inclined to believe that rhouniatisni is, after 

 all, only a phase of indigestion, to be cured by giving com- 

 . plete and continued rest to all the viscera. 



Scientific Observatories at the North Pole. — In 

 a recent paper, describing the oljservatories that are about 

 to be established in the Polar regions by the CJerraan and 

 other CJcvernments, Professor Neuniayer said that the 

 Cumberland Strait Station is notable for its position near 

 the niaijnetic North Pole, it being also not very far from 

 the centre of the magnetic forces of the earth. The diffi- 

 culties of this situation, consisting in the disturbances 

 produced by the magnetic currents, are obviated by 

 peculiarities in the construction of the instruments to be 

 employed there. He also stated that a conference of the 

 directors of meteorological stations is to be held at Copen- 

 hagen to consider the desirability of laying a telegrapli 

 cable from Canada through the region traversed by the 

 great storms of the American continent, so as to make it 

 possible to foretell the future weather for live or si.x days, 

 whereas, at present, the weather predictions of the Neiv 

 York Herald are of little practical value. 



Cov^ERTiso A Negative ivto a Positive. — Captain 

 Bing, of Paris, has devised an ingenious method of making 

 a positive on glass from a negative, and on the same glass. 

 The back of the negative is covered with soluble bitumen 

 or asphalt and then illuminated through the negative. 

 After an exposure sufficient to render the light portion 

 insoluble, the remainder of the asphalt is dissolved off with 

 any of the usual solvents, leaving a positive. The silver 

 negative is then dissolved off with the chloride of copper 

 and a fixing agent, such as cyanide or hypo. — Scientific 

 A inerican. 



To Keep Silver-plated Articles Uhioiit. — Frank L. 

 James, Ph.D., M.D., Prof. Chem. and Tox., St. Louis 

 ColL of Phys. and Surgeons, writes to the Scientific 

 American: — Articles of silver and silver-plated ware 

 rapidly tarnish when kept in rooms where gas is used for 

 illuminating purposes, and everywhere in cities like St. 

 Louis, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Ac, where the air is constantly 

 filled with sulphurous vapours. My cabinet of silver- 

 plated specimens, instruments, and water pitchers used to 

 give no end of trouble this way. This is all avoided now 

 by dipping the articles occasionally in a solution of hypo- 

 sulphite of soda. Ijarge articles, like pitchers and salvers, 

 should be wiped off with a rag dipped in the solution, and 

 dried with a soft towel. A rub with a bit of chamois 

 leather makes them as brilliant as new. 



The American Association". — The American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science will meet at Buffalo, 

 N.Y., August 23. — Scientific American. 



" L'ELECTRIciTf^;," in an article on the progress of elec- 

 trical science, remarks that in all the most striking of 

 recent advances it is improvement rather than invention 

 that comes to the front, and that no compromise or equivo- 

 cation can deny justice to the real original discoverers. 

 " liell does not efface lieis, in spite of the recent Chancery 

 suit ; Faure cannot destroy Plantc ; and Swan, Edison, 

 and the others cannot suppress the anterior lalwurs of 

 Changy." 



H 



WAS RAMESES II. THE PHARAOH 

 OF THE OPPRESSION? 



Bv Amelia 13. Edwards. 

 A'l.— THE nVKSUOS CALENHAll AND TIIK EXODUS 

 ACCOUDING TO TUE CONSECUTIVE THEORY. 

 AVING seen how closely the relative d.ates of the 

 Tanis Tablets, the accession of Ahmes, the expul- 

 sion of the Hykshos, and the entry and Exodus of the 

 Hebrews can be brought into correspondence with the 

 synchronous theory, which merges thirty years of the reign 

 of Rameses IL in the reign of Seti I., we will next examine 

 how far the relative dates of these same events are 

 compatible Mith the consecutive theory, which counts the 

 first regnal year of Rameses IL, from tlic decease of Seti I., 

 B.C.. 1105. For this purpose (it being obviously unnecessary 

 to go step by step over the ground a second time) a chrono- 

 logical table of the two schemes of reckoning will answer 

 every purpose, and enable us to compare the plausibility of 

 both hypotheses. It must be noted, however, that 

 certain of our dates have to bo regarded as compulsory. 

 Whether we do, or do not, admit the thirty synchronous 

 years of Seti and Rameses, the XVIIIth and XlXth 

 dynasties must always begin, according to Mariette, in n.c. 

 1703 and u.c. 1462 ; the Tablet of San must always count 

 400 years from some point in the reign of Nubti to some 

 point in the reign of Rameses II. ; and the Exodus must 

 always take place 430 years after the entry of Jacob and 

 his household into the land of Egypt. 



ArPROXIMATE CnRONOLOC.Y OF THE EXODUS. 

 SvNcnRONous. Consecutive. 



1836 Birth of Joseph 1800 



1806 Joseph raised to power 



1800 Era of Nubti 1800 



Joseph raised to power 1V7S 



1799 Sevcntli year of plenty 1769 



1797 Second year of famine 1707 



1790 Entry of Jacob into Egypt 17tj& 



? AccessionofApapi (last Hykshos king)... ? 



1727 Commencement of the National War 1727 



1726 Death of Joseph 



1 uno V Accession of Ahmes I., and commence- ) . i»r»o 



*^*'^*. mcnt of XVIIIth Dynasty ) "^"^ 



1697. ..Expulsion of the Uykshos 1697 



...Death of Joseph 109S 



j^go i ^"''■""'"K of XlXth Dynasty, ai'^ 1462 

 j accession of Rameses I ) 



1456 ..Accession of Seti I 



1-3.5 Co-royalty of Rameses II. 



.1456 



.... UM 



(As Prince-regent only.) 

 I., and accession (in full) 'j j^qc 



(As co-Pharaoh) 



1405 { ^"^^^ °^ 



**""( ofKamesesII ) 



1400. ..Fourth centenary of Nnbti 1400 



( Death of Rameses II., and 

 of Moneptithah 



1.308 



1300 Exodus of the Ilebrews 



The above table, it must be understood, is drawn up 

 simply to show that, v)hether computed synchronously or con- 

 secutively, the great events of these important 500 years 

 of the world's history might quite po.ssibly have happened 

 in strict accordance with the relative spaces of time 

 recorded upon the ]5gyptian monuments, and in the early 

 books of the Bible. The difference between the two 

 methods of computation is a difl'erence which affects 

 Joseph's place in history, and leaves a margin of thirty 

 years for the date of the death of Rameses II. According 



