1836.] Note on the Nautical Instruments of the Arabs. 791 



which is the scorpion's heart." If the Arabic name of this star be 

 qalb ul dqrab, whence was our name of Antares derived ? 



The only other resembling tir in sound is »AkJ| marked as Atair 

 on our globes, and comprehending the three bright stars of Aquila ; 

 but the position of this constellation puts it out of the question. 



11. S. W. by W. 123° 45'. Ja^J^^**, the setting of Akleil, 

 the crown. There are several constellations so named. Corona 

 borealis is called ££q]!, and is much too far north. There is another 

 akleil (januM) the southern crown, situated about azim. 130° which 

 is nearer the mark : but the constellation intended may possibly be 

 u»>JiaJ) (JjJI£S), the crown of the scorpion, the 17th lunar mansion 

 of Ulugh Beg ; notwithstanding its error of azimuth. In posi- 

 tion, the bright star Fomalhaut (cyjs J L-«) f Pisces Australia 

 comes much nearer the mark, (121°) and it seems curious that it 

 should have been set aside for a less conspicuous group. 



12. S. W. 135°. ^j&z^yk*. the setting of dqrab, the Scor- 

 pion. We shall see presently that antares is the star of this constel- 

 lation here intended; although it is far too northerly for the position. 

 But for such confirmation we might have suspected dqrab to be a 

 corruption of tjl^H alghordb ; the crow («opafy which lies in 134° azi- 

 muth. 



13. S. W. by S. 146° 15'. ^^^•—^i*-*, the setting oiHamdrein 

 the two asses. This name is not to be found in the globe. The nearest 

 to it in situation are a and $ Gruis. 



14. S. S. W. 157° 30'. Ji-v AM| -^:.*^> the setting of Soheil, 

 the well-known star Canopus in the constellation Argo, Alsafi- 

 nah of the Arabs. The north polar distance of this star, however, is 

 only 143^ in lieu of 157 \. It would set in azimuth 157£ at a place 

 situated in north latitude 28° ; so that if this be taken as a clue, we 

 may trace the origin of the compass scheme to Lower Egypt or Syria. 



15. S. by W. 1 68° 45. J<^ <-H^> the setting of salibdr. As we 

 proceed southwards it becomes more and more difficult to find the 

 stars intended. Canopus indeed is almost the only one familiar to us. 

 Salibdr is not to be found on the globe, nor in the dictionaries : but 

 it is the very word translated Lyra by the Baron Hammer, a northern 

 constellation, which would be quite inadmissible in the southernmost 

 situation of the compass. There is a constellation somewhat similar 

 in sound on the brass globe described by Dr. Dorn, called ^*^< 

 Alsabd, the beast, lying close to the Centaur with which its stars are 

 mixed . — Again, should a Centauri be the star intended, it would be about 

 the right distance in azimuth from Canopus — but this star is called 



