The great liistorical personage next to Joseph in this 

 survey would^ of course, be Moses ; and, indeed, I have been 

 more than once invited to say something of the Exodus. 

 From this, however, I shrank for the time, looking for 

 more light, and meanwhile striking out some thoughts on 

 Biblical Frojjer Names, Personal and Local, illustrated from 

 Sources external to Holy Scripture. And now we cheerfully 

 await further tidings from the Land of Goshen and from the 

 northern outskirts of the Sinaitic peninsula. The Geological 

 Expedition of the Palestine Exploration Committee will doubt- 

 less bring rich spoils of knowledge home, and the well-directed 

 and successful excavations of the more recent Egypt Explora- 

 tion Committee can scarcely fail, with God's blessing, to add 

 quickly to the invaluable and certain results which we shall 

 have before us this evening. 



We have to thank the sagacity and well-trained zeal of 

 M. Naville for these results, with the generous countenance 

 and counsel of Professor Maspero, and I am most happy to say 

 that M. Naville is now an hon. member of the Victoria 

 Institute. Allow me to quote a few words from a letter, 

 dated " Malagny, near Geneva, Sept. 15th," in which M. 

 Naville says, — " While I was in Egj'pt you wrote to me once 

 to ask me whether I should like to be inscribed among the 

 honorary members of the Victoria Institute. I should be very 

 glad and very thankful to be inscribed, having great sympathy 

 for the work of that Society." 



And now I will try to bring into our store some fresh glean- 

 ings in the harvest-fields of Egyptology, especially from Deir- 

 el-Bahri in the mountains of Western Thebes, and from Tell- 

 el-Maskhuta, in the ancient " Land of Rameses.'' 



The Great Discovery of Royal Mummies at De'ir-el-Bahri. 



Memorable and important as the great discovery of royal 

 mummies in their dark hiding-place at Deir-el-Bahri has been 

 in its general results, the points are not many in that long I'oll 

 of Pharaohs which give any light on Biblical antiquity. Yet 

 we may measure the seven centuries there represented, from 

 about 1700 to about 1000 years before Christ, by landmarks 

 of Holy Scripture. For four eras are distinctly marked, 

 namely : — 



I. The War of Liberation against the Shepherd-Kings, or 

 Hvksos. 

 II. The XVIII. Dynasty. 

 III. The XIX. Dynasty. 

 IV. The XXI. Dynasty. 



G )i 



