LT.-COL. G. MACKINLAY OS BIBLICAL ASTRONOMY. 153 



Discussion. 



The Secretary. — I should like to mention that the author of 

 the paper, Lt.-Col. G. Mackinlay, is not unacquainted with practical 

 astronomy, as he was second observer in the British expedition to 

 make observations on the transit of Venus in 1882 in Jamaica, 

 when he took independent observations. Dr. Copeland, the 

 present Astronomer-Hoyal for Scotland, was the first observer. 

 You will thus see that Colonel Mackinlay is well qualified to deal 

 with the subject of Biblical Astronomy. 



Mr. Harding. — Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I have 

 been asked to give my testimony as to the astronomical ideas of 

 the people of Palestine to-day, and more particularly of the Bedouins. 

 After some years in contact with the Bedouins, I have come to the 

 conclusion that their ideas are very vague indeed. They know the 

 names of the signs of the zodiac, but I doubt whether they could 

 point out the signs in the heavens. However, they can tell the time 

 by the stars. When one has been travelling by night, and has 

 asked them the time, looking around they would make a fairly good 

 guess as to what the time of night was. During the clay they 

 certainly would tell the time by the sun, but they never could tell 

 with any accuracy when the sun was more than halfway up from 

 the horizon. They hold the hand at arm's length between the face 

 and the sun, and show how many fingers the sun is from the 

 horizon. But I have noticed and was struck by the regard that the 

 Bedouin had for the morning star. I think that if that friend of 

 Colonel Mackinlay 's who doubted the possibility of rejoicing in the 

 light of Venus had ever spent a night on the open desert, with 

 its discomforts, he would rejoice in the light of the morning star. 

 Always when a Bedouin comes into the tent before dawn the first 

 thing he is asked is, "Has the star risen 1 " Just as a lazy British 

 workman, we may say, turns over to his friend and says, " Is it six 

 o'clock yet 1 " so the lazy Bedouin turns round and says, " Has the 

 star risen 1 " I can fully corroborate what Atallah Athanasius has 

 said about the travellers in Egypt rejoicing in the light of the morn- 

 ing star. On a night when there is no moon, the light of Venus 



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