166 EDOUARD NAVILLE. 
has been done is about one-tenth of what may be accomplished. 
There are mounds throughout the whole of the district of the Delta 
which will yield, probably, as much as these have yielded. There 
are mounds, not only in Northern Egypt, which require to be 
excavated, but, as Professor Sayce said in his Annual Address, 
throughout the whole of Southern Palestine. Any one who has 
travelled through the country cannot doubt for a moment that the 
mounds in the south of Palestine, and even Hebron itself, have 
something to yield if the spade of the explorer be applied to its 
great mass of artificial as well as natural mounds. 
Mr. T. H. Bayuis, Q.C.—I was much gratified to receive an invi- 
tation for tonight. I was asked this evening by a very learned 
man how it came to pass that Bubastis had been so long neglected. 
Why were discoveries not made at an earlier period? Professor 
Naville has given us an answer at the commencement of his most 
interesting paper. Discoveries in connexion with Scripture should 
interest every man who takes an interest in the Bible. 
Captain Francis Prrriz, F.G.S. (Hon. Sec.).—A very large 
number of letters have been received from those distinguished in 
science and literature who at this time of the year are on the wing, 
and, therefore, deeply regret that they are unable to be present to 
hear M. Naville—who was only able to arrive in England six days 
ago—give an account of his discoveries. At this late hour I will 
only select one to lay before you, it is from Major C. R. Conder, 
R.E. ; who is well known in connexion with the splendid work of 
the exploration of Palestine, and also his investigations as regards 
the early inhabitants of the Hast :— 
“ Southampton, 4th July, 1889. 
““M. Naville’s paper is most interesting, and the existence of a 
Turanian ruling caste in the Delta seems to me to be supported not 
only by the valuable discoveries he has made, but also by the exis- 
tence in the Egyptian language of about 150 Turanian words, 
apparently loan words, for the language itself is certainly not 
Turanian. I believe that Mariette’s view, which connects the 
Hyksos with the Hittites, has been much strengthened by recent 
discovery. 
“T have, however, been unable to discover any very forcible argu- 
ment in favour of placing the Exodus as late as Hgyptologists who 
have followed Dr. Brugsch are inclined to suppose. 
“While the existence of this Turanian population in Egypt is, I 
believe, beyond dispute, it must not be forgotten that Semitic loan 
words also occur in the language (some sixty or more have been dis- 
covered), which show that there was a Semitic (probably Phoenician) 
