of Edinburgh, Session 1879-80. 397 
The name thus recovered is not a mere descriptive title in 
common use among the Arabs. No other ford is so called as far as 
could he ascertained by careful questioning, and the word ’Abarah 
does not occur again among the 10,000 names collected within the 
limits of the survey. 
The distance from the ford ’Ab&rah to the probable site of Cana of 
Galilee is about twenty-two English miles, the road being the shortest 
and easiest leading from that town to any part of Jordan. There is 
thus a possibility of journeying in a single day between the two 
places, which, as before mentioned, agrees with the account given of 
Bethabara in the gospel narrative, but which is not in accordance 
with the position of the traditional site near Jericho. 
This discovery is a fair sample of the biblical results due to the 
survey. The discoveries of similar character connected with the 
Byzantine and Crusading history of the country are not less 
numerous or interesting ; but I hope that what has now been said 
may serve to show the aims of the work, and that — when the 
difficulties connected with its execution are borne in mind — the 
results may be considered adequate for the time and money ex- 
pended on the survey. 
In conclusion, I would venture to say that the success of the 
work should have a peculiar interest for Scotsmen, for although the 
leaders could not claim Scotch descent, it is to the zeal and faithful- 
ness of the two sergeants, Black and Armstrong, that the thorough- 
ness and accuracy of the survey are in great measure due, and both 
these non-commissioned officers, as well as others of the staff, were 
natives of the north side of the border. 
2. On Minding’s System of Eorces. By Professor Chrystal. 
(Abstract.) 
Minding has proved a remarkable theorem concerning a variable 
system of forces defined as follows, the points of application of the 
different forces, and their magnitudes are given, while the directions 
are such that a pencil of rays through any given point parallel to 
them moves as a rigid body. 
Besides Minding’s original investigation, several others have been 
