MONUMENT OP JOSHUA's CONQUEST OF CANAAN." 251 



Discussion. 



The Chairman. — I am sure we shall all join in thanking Mr. 

 Rouse for the very interesting account he has given us of his 

 researches, and we shall be glad to hear any remarks upon it. 



The Secretary (Professor Edward Hull). — I might mention 

 that the late Sir Lambert Playfair, who Avas Consul- General of 

 Algeria for a number of years, and whom I had the pleasure of 

 knowing, and meeting at the British Association from time to time, 

 has written a very fine work on these Aures mountains and the 

 remarkable Roman remains that are found therein. 



I do not know whether I might give you a little anecdote that 

 he told me himself. On one occasion when his party were about 

 to explore these mountains they entered one of the valleys and 

 seated themselves on the grass, and having brought out their pro- 

 visions for the mid-day meal the wild inhabitants came down from 

 the neighbouring mountains and assumed a threatening attitude 

 towai'ds them. They stood around and became more and more 

 threatening. The explorers hardly knew what to do ; but one of 

 iihe party suggested a plan which was absolutely successful. They 

 l)rought out some pots of jam, and opening them, they distributed 

 the jam amongst the natives, with the result that they became 

 friendly and no longer offered any opposition to their proceeding. 

 {^Laughter.] 



The Chairman. — I think we are all extremely indebted to the 

 tiuthor of the paper for the minute and accurate observations 

 which he has made in regard to this veiy interesting passage of 

 Procopius's. It is true that we have not got the stone yet ; but we 

 have evidence of that accuracy of mind on the part of the historian 

 that leaves little doubt that he is describing what he had seen, and 

 that no doubt he was a witness to the truth of that which he had 

 observed. It is wonderful how, since I was a boy, the discoveries in 

 JN^ineveh, Greece, and other places have verified the old historians, 

 and in some cases more than verified them. Careless writing was 

 certainly not a characteristic of those writers, and I think there is 

 -great reason to accept this statement of Procopius. 



Professor Orchard. — The lecturer has done three things. He 

 has helped to establish the veracity and trustworthiness of Proco- 

 ]3ius as a writer. He has done something in finding certain 

 evidences of Tigisis and of these wonderful pillars. And he has 



