THE SAMARITAN PASSOVER OF THE YEAR 1861. 223 



originally intruders upon His people's inheritance, should, in Canaan 

 itself, keep their ancient copy of His laws and maintain their 

 observance of His Passover as a witness to the nations of their vast 

 antiquity just up to the time which He had appointed for the 

 restoration of His people to their own land 1 And from every hand 

 these are beginning their march to the country of Abraham, 

 Joshua, and David, while the knell of departure is sounding in the 

 ears of Samaritan and Turk. 



The Chairman. — I do not think we should separate without 

 an acknowledgment of the very kind offer that has been made by 

 Mrs. Finn. I feel sure I am speaking on behalf of the Council of 

 the Institute when I say we would do our best to secure that some 

 competent person or persons should inspect these very valuable 

 MSS., or any copies that may be obtained. For my own part I 

 cannot help feeling that very great importance is to be attached to 

 them, whether we have the originals of the dates supposed, or 

 copies. The likelihood, at all events, is that tolerably faithful copies 

 of the earliest are in the hands of the Samaritans, and that lends 

 great interest to them. I am sure we would do our best to make 

 use of the offer of Mrs. Finn. 



Our thanks have already been expressed to both the authors of 

 the papers. 



^Irs. Finn. — Supposing the secular character is the so-called 

 Samaritan script, and the sacred character the Hebrew square, it is 

 just possible that when the Samaritans asked for a copy of the Law 

 of God, that the Jewish priests allowed them to have a copy, not 

 in the sacred script but in the secular script, and in that way they 

 obtained possession of the true copy preserved in the Temple at the 

 time. 



The Chairman. — That is a very probable suggestion, I think. 

 The Meeting then closed. 



