of Edinburgh , Session 1867-68. 227 
Euphrates and Nile series of buildings; the palm being assigned 
at last to the Great Pyramid beginning of the latter. 
This particular monument, being then still further examined for 
the manner of its origination and appearance, was found to be in 
direct violation of what has often been laid down elsewhere to be 
the rule or natural law of all purely human work. And as such 
interference with a natural law, is in so far one of the ordinary 
definitions of a miracle, a yet more stringent examination of the 
monument was made ; and resulted in the discovery, partly by some 
of the author’s friends, of a continued and consistent series of 
geometrical and physical data, infinitely above the knowledge of 
all mankind in the days when the Great Pyramid was constructed ; 
and therefore in so far strengthening the conclusion for a miracle, 
already otherwise obtained. 
First, therefore, beyond compare, of all known human architec- 
tural remains, in point of both time, moral purity, mechanical 
excellence, and philosophical knowledge ; and dating itself astro- 
nomically from no further back than 2170 b.c., the author thought 
that the continued study of this Great Pyramid building was 
likely to shed a most unexpected amount of light on the doctrine 
of miracles in general ; as well as on what was the manner of ap- 
pearance of the first traces of a high order of human civilisation in 
the present post-diluvian history of the world. 
Monday , §th January 1868. 
Dr CHRISTXSON, Vice-President, in the Chair. 
The Chairman, in presenting the Keith Medal to Professor Piazzi 
Smyth, read the following Minute of Council relative to the award 
of the prize : — “ The Committee, having examined the papers pre- 
sented to the Society within the last biennial period, resolve to recom- 
mend the Council to award the Keith prize to the communication 
from Professor Piazzi Smyth, entitled ‘ Notes of Recent Measure- 
ments at the Great Pyramid and the Committee desire to record 
their opinion that the energy, self-sacrifice, and skill displayed by 
Professor Smyth in that vast series of measurements, the details of 
