792 Note on the Nautical Instruments of the Arabs. [Dec. 



with its fellow in the other leg of the Centaur, ^j^U^^a. Hazdr-o- 

 ulwazn on the globe. The only other star of note falling within moder- 

 ate limit of distance is a Eridani, or Achernar of our globe, which is a 

 corruption of j^j^ akhir-ulnehr, ' the end of the river.' — What- 

 ever star may be meant by salibdr, it is surely more southerly than 

 Canopus, and by no means Lyra. The two or three translated passages 

 from the Mohit equally confirm this, and receive illustration from 

 it. In the voyage to Gujerdt (page 456) the translation says-—" In 

 this measure (the kids, or lat. 16° 54' north) Lyra (salibdr) is five 

 inches (13° 30'), or Sagitta (sahm awal) six inches (15° 6'), or Canopus 

 and Lyra are equal to three inches and a half (11° 6')." The second 

 paragraph in page 457 is expressed almost in the same words. Now 

 if for ft^i ul sahm be read j&N ul nahr (a Eridani), and for sali- 

 bdr we take v Argonavis, the above conditions may very nearly 

 be complied with ; for, in north latitude 1 7°, Canopus and v Argo 

 will be seen at an altitude of 12° together, on opposite sides of the 

 south pole at the hour of 10 p. m. in the beginning of March. 

 The north polar distance of a Centauri (150°) would better suit the 

 given meridional elevation (13° 30') than that of Argonavis : but in 

 this case it must be alnahr and not salibdr which must be coupled with 

 Canopus at the equal altitude 11° & ' : and the text would need a 

 second alteration. 



Again, in page 456 (the latitude by position being about IS ) the 

 translation says — " If it be not time for taking the polar star, take the 

 height at the setting of Aquila (nasr-wdqd) by the Lyra (salibdr) which 

 gives 7 \ inches (or 17° 30')." Now first correcting vega, which we 

 know to be a Lyrse, and not Aquila, we shall find that at his setting, 

 the star above pointed out as akhir-ulnehr, Achernar, comes to the 

 southern meridian, and bears very nearly the altitude required. 



Here then salibdr would seem to be a Eridani, whereas in the other 

 two cases it may be v Argo. Until we get somebody to point out the 

 actual star in the heavens, it will be impossible to decide between the 

 two ; but a considerable step towards the solution of the Mohit pro- 

 blem has, at any rate, been made by the discovery that salibdr belongs 

 to the southern hemisphere. 



If the Baron will favor us with a translation of the first chapter 

 which treats of the names of the stars, the division of the circle of the 

 skies, and, above all, of the cardinal points of the compass, we shall 

 doubtless be able to clear up all these points in a satisfactory manner. 



The navigators of the Maldive islands follow the Arabs in their di- 

 vision of the compass which they call samaqd U**J a name apparently 



