134 
debauchery with which they thought to honour the Deity It 
seems as though the spirit of their religion conspired with their commercial 
and mercantile life to close their hearts to all generous emotions, and to 
every elevated sentiment. However clever and expert they may have been 
in their every-day business, in morality they were always the true descend- 
ants of that son who was specially mentioned in the general malediction 
on the sons of Ham. * 
101. Yet this was the result of what is described by Movers 
as “ an apotheosis of the forces and laws of Nature.” Such 
is the legitimate result of losing sight of the Creator in His 
works, and of the Divine Lawgiver in His laws, and so “ de- 
parting from the living God.” 
102. It is extremely interesting to find the evidence' in- 
creasing on inquiry, of the present existence of the Canaanites 
from the Lebanon, through the extent of Palestine, as M. 
Clermont-Ganneau has lately shown in so interesting a manner, 
to the eastern side of the delta, where M. Mariette-Bey has 
pointed them out in “the foreigners of strong limbs with 
stern and elongated countenance, who still, to this day, people 
the shores of the Lake Menzaleh, and call themselves by tho 
name of Malakin.”t 
103. The very ethnic names still linger (as we are told in 
the quarterly statement of the P. E. F. for July, 1876) in the 
old haunts of Hittite, Amorite, and Phoenician ; and tradi- 
tions of Abraham may be still heard from the lips of the 
children of Kheth, who show where ho watered his flocks, 
and tell that his dogs wore collars of gold ; a very credible 
tradition to those who remember the collars worn by the 
favourite hounds of the lords of Egypt. 
EGYPT. 
104. The bearing of Egyptian records on Holy Scripture 
has been often discussed by the members of this Institute. 
The questions of chronology are still awaiting further evidence, 
which, we trust, will some day be forthcoming. 
105. I have already noticed very early indications of the 
frequented pathway from Canaan to Egypt. Indeed, it is true 
that the eastern side of Egypt belonged rather to Asia than 
to Africa. 
106. Whether Abi’am's sojourn in Egypt took place during 
the palmy days of the Xlltli dynasty, or in tho early time of 
* Manual, ii. 223. 
f Aperpu de I’Histoire d’Egypte, p. 29. See Lieut. Conder’s interesting 
paper on Mulcams. P. E. F., 1877, April. 
