504 Notices of an Arabic Work, fyc, [June, 



country of the Barbar ; then comes southern Bartayitah, aXjUsjJ, and 

 finally the western ocean. Most of the inhabitants of this climate are 

 black." Here follows a blanck of space of about three inches for the 

 names of the principal cities. I believe this is the only Arabic author 

 who mentions Niphon ; the island of Waqwaq, which is far east of China, 

 and which is frequently mentioned by Asiatic Geographers is probably 

 the Fu-sang of Chinese writers, which has been lately identified with 

 Mexico. 



" Second climate. — It has about 17 great mou ntains and as many 

 great rivers, and about fifty large and celebrated cities. Proceeding 

 from the east, we come first to central China, then to the north of 

 Ceylon, then to northern India, then to Kabul and Candahar, then to 

 the north of Sind and to the south of Makran, then we go across the 

 Persian Gulf to central Arabia ; across the Red Sea, we find Mes- 

 synia, and the south of upper Egypt ; on the other side of the Nile is 

 Africa provincia, then the north of the country of the Barbars, then the 

 south of the country of Qay rowan, then central Bartaytah, and finally 

 the western Ocean." 



This will suffice as a specimen. 



6. On ratios and proportions of quantities (in Arithmetic, Geometry, 

 Music, &c.) 



7. On creeds and professions. The definition of " art" is the same 

 which has been given by modern authors on aesthetics ^ <X-xUxJ|<£*.LfiJ| 

 Jj^\ ^ k**j) *JJ ^ t5 iJ !^^' r^' £ U}f zb^ "Art consists in 

 giving body to an idea." The authors seem also to understand that 

 labour is wealth ; for they say that a piece of brass which is worth five 

 dirhams will fetch one hundred if manufactured into an astrolab. 



8. On sciences. They are of three kinds of professional *i^}j which 

 give us certain abilities by which we may gain our livelihood, they are 

 1, Reading and writing, t]j&\} <M^ ; 2, Grammar and linguistic, A*-U 



j^h ; 4, Arithmetic, v l ~^' ; 5 > Sorcery, alchemy, short hand, S^cj^t 

 cLs^ij U+jJJIj ; 6, Versification and poetry, j*-^j (j^JLr*" ; 7, Commerce 

 and agriculture ; 8, Trades and professions, gjli* ^j^ ; 9, History and 

 biography : — b., Religious Sciences the object of which is the salvation of 

 our souls. They are : 1, the knowledge of the Qoran, (My*J\ f\* ; 2, of its 

 (mystical) commentaries, Jj^liJl^b ; 3, traditions, j^Hlj e#U$yi ; 4, the 



