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much I owe besides to the advice and unwearied kindness of RITTER, I need not say to those who know him; the many months of cherished intercourse to which his friendship admitted me, will ever remain among the brightest recollections of my life.

The manuscript was completed in August 1840. Since that time, the intervention of the European powers has caused Palestine once more to revert to the sway of the Sultan; and the Egyptian dominion over it is at an end. But I see no reason to change any thing I have written; and the work may stand as a record of the aspect of the land, during the period of its subjection to the ruler of Egypt.

It gives me pleasure to be able to add, that the whole of the manuscript has been looked through by my companion, Mr. Smith; and has thus received the benefit of his corrections.

Throughout all the journey from Cairo to Beirût, the Rev. James Adger of Charleston, S. C. was our companion and fellow-traveller; except on the excursion from Jerusalem to Gaza and Wady Mûsa.

With humble gratitude to God, I here bring this work to a close. It is the fruit of studies and plans of life running back for nearly twenty years; and for the last four years, it has occupied, more or less exclusively, well nigh all my waking hours. May He, who has thus far sustained me, make it useful for the elucidation of His truth!

New-York, June, 1841.

EDWARD ROBINSON.

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.

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

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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:

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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 Kuntâr, 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.

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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.

VOL. III. Appendix p. 51. The position of Tershihah is said to have been taken from Jacotin's map. 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.

ERRATA.

VOL. I.

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

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

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VOL. I.

93, line 21, 27, read Kharaj; and so elsewhere.

124, N. 1, end, put a period.

156, bottom. The reference to Note 2, should stand in the bottom line, after 'Ain Yâlo. ¡By mistake it now stands in the top line of the next page.

292, bott.

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293, top,
323, line 16,

read Dhurah.

'Abûdîyeh. Dubbân.

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thus.

648, Note XXXIV, line 10, read Zu'ara.

651, line 2, read, in some copies, vectes of Moab.

C

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