1836.] Note on the Nautical Instruments of the* Arabs. 789 



table of N. P. D. by which he may, if he please, take his latitude, with 

 the simple instruments above described. 



The card may be divided into two great portions, the eastern and 

 western, in which the same names of stars occur in a direct and inverse 

 order — on the east with the prefix Ah* mutald, or " rising place of;" 

 on the west with that of ^..^jJLo maghib, " setting place of:" the north- 

 eastern quarter has written on its circumference, 



jj)j JjW'j cJdlj fjoj*}] ^JloJ, ^xHa^o jlkJI. 9Jlo iKsJ)^ 



" From the north towards the east, Mutaldl Shim&ti, — (the north-eastern 

 quarter,) — latitude increasing, longitude increasing." 

 The south-eastern in like manner has the words : 



.j^Xa. xlk^c <X>!* (J y)c\} j yds ^^.JtHi^JaiiJli 9.3a «.tla.jl ^ 



"From the east towards the south, MutalM Janubi, (or the south-eastern 

 quarter,) the latitude diminishes, longitude increases." 

 The north-western : 



" From the west to the north, the north-western quarter, Maghibi Shim&li, 

 latitude increasing, longitude decreasing." 

 The south-western : 



" From the south towards the west, Maghibi Jantibi, the south-western 

 quarter ; longitude decreases and latitude decreases ; — when you are to the 

 north of the line." 



The final words, when you are to the north of the line, apply equally 

 to the remarks on all four quadrants ; for example, when you sail on 

 any point of the compass between north and west, you increase 

 your latitude and longitude — and so forth. 



The north point, or pole, is called, as in Sidi Ali's work *V»- jdh, a 

 word not to be found with this acceptation in our dictionaries ; nor 



is Ci^a* qutb, generally confined to the south pole, but rather the 

 contrary. jUa^e matld, the rising place, and i— "i:*-* maghib, the 



setting place (to wit, of the sun) are the terms used for the east and 

 west cardinal points. It will be sufficient to enumerate one series of 

 the intermediate stars in the order of their occurrence on the card. 



1. N. by W. 11° 15°. Siji^xi.*, the setting point of farqad, 

 the calf; one of the two stars known by the name of farqadain, (# et 

 y ursse minoris.) v approaches nearest to the required north polar 

 distance. 



