Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea

FOR THE READER.

I. The native ORTHOGRAPHY of all Arabic Names occurring in this work, will be found in the Arabic Index at the end of Vol. III.

The rules for the PRONUNCIATION of Arabic Names as written in Roman letters, are given in full at the end of the Essay on Arabic Pronunciation in Vol. III, Second Appendix, pp. 109111. It is sufficient here to remark, that the Consonants are in general to be pronounced as in English, and the Vowels as in Italian and German. The following modifications and specifications may be noted:

Consonants.

s has always its sharp sound, as in son.

th has always its sharp sound, as in thick, thing.
dh represents the soft sound of th in this, then.

gh stands for the Arabic Ghain, a sound not known in the
western languages. It may best be pronounced like

g hard in get, give.

kh is to be sounded nearly like the harsh Swiss-German ch.

ö, German ö in hören ; nearly the same as French eu in neuve,

ô, like long o in note.

u, as in full, pull.

û, like oo in poor.

ú, like short u in tub, but.

y at the end of a word, as in fully.

II. The MEASURE OF DISTANCE is usually by hours, the length of which varies with the kind of animal, and also according to

the nature of the ground. As a general average the following specification in miles has been found most correct and convenient:

NOTE. The measures of heights are usually given in French feet. The French foot contains 144 lines, of which 135 are equal to an English foot. The proportion of the English foot to the French, is therefore as 15 to 16.

III. The common MEASURE OF LAND is the Feddân (yoke), which is very indefinite and variable. In general it may be compared with the English acre and German Morgen.

IV. CORN MEASURES are the following:

1 Ardeb is equivalent, very nearly, to five English bushels. 1 Ruba' is the twenty-fourth part of an Ardeb.

1 Mid (measure) in Palestine contains twelve Ruba's.

V. WEIGHTS.

1 Rutl or pound is in general about oz. less than the English pound avoirdupois; but it is sometimes also reckoned only at 12 oz.

1 Ukkah (called by the Franks Oke) is about 24 lbs English. 1 Kuntar, or hundred-weight, contains 100 Rutls.

VI. MONEY is everywhere reckoned by Piastres; but the value of these is fluctuating, and has greatly depreciated within the last fifteen or twenty years.

1 Piastre contains 40 Fuddahs, called in Turkish Parahs.. 10 Piastres were equivalent in 1838 to 1 Austrian Florin.

1 Kis or Purse is 500 Piastres, or about $25 or £5 Sterl. At Constantinople in 1838 the Spanish Dollar (Colonnato) was worth 23 Piastres, and the other coins in proportion.

For the Measures, Weights, and Moneys of Egypt, to which those of Syria were at this time similar, see Lane's Mod. Egyptians, II. p. 370, seq.

CORRECTIONS.

VOL. II. Page 325. It is there said, that the former Greek church in the village of St. George, west of Bethlehem, is now a mosk. So we understood from our guide at the time. But I am informed by my friend, the Rev. S. Calhoun, Agent of the American Bible Society in the Levant, who travelled in 1839 direct from Gaza to Bethlehem, and lodged for a night at St. George, that he found the church and convent still tenanted by two Greek monks, foreigners, speaking the Greek language. The position of Tershîhah is said to have This is an error; Jacotin's map has not the place. It was taken from Berghaus; his authority is not known, but is very probably correct.

VOL. III. Appendix p. 51. been taken from Jacotin's map.

ERRATA.

VOL. 1.

Page 60, line 25, read Forskål. So elsewhere.

101, N. 1. line 2, read Russegger. So elsewhere.