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SEPTEMBER, 1887.]
MISCELLANEA.
283
Cecchi, partly with his fellow-countrymen factures, collected by Herr Heinrich Moser, Chiarini and Martini, and partly alone, explored author of À travers l'Asie Central, and now on the whole of Shoa, a portion of Amhara, Damot, view at Geneva. Specialy noticeable are the Gocham. Gurage, Chimma Rare, the kingdoms of arms, carpeta, embroideries, ornaments, and other Lemmu or Ennaria, Chimma Kaka, Gera, Gomma metal work. and Kaffa, also the whole of the mountainous | The number concludes with a review in English tracts to the south-east and south of Abyssinia by Dr. Bühler on Mr. Bendall's 'recent work and Scho, between the 7th and 12th degrees north describing his tour for MSS. in Nepal and India, latitude, which are inhabited by the peoples of and with a review by D. H. Müller on a new Galla or Oromo. In the book under notice Cecchi edition of the Inscriptions of King Mesa of also gives a short excursus on the Somalis and Moab. (for Academic Lectures by Rndolf Smen Afars. In Shoa the Italian representatives were and Albert Socin, Freiburg, 1886). Both reviews received with much honour by King Menilek, and are most favourable. much valuable information is given about his (3) Journal Asiatique, Vol. VIII. No. 1 July dominions. It may be noticed that the moet August, 1886.-The number opens with a learned flourishing business there is in the slave traffic and interesting Essay on the words Mene, The yearly exchange in slaves is estimated at Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, of Daniel v. 25. The from three to four thousand souls. The prices are contents of it are so of so varied a character, that very low. Young children cost 10 to 15 dollars, it is very difficult to give a correct brief account children of from 10 to 16 years 15 to 20 dollars, of them. The following will, I believe, be found virgins for house-work 17 to 18 dollars, old people to contain the main arguments of the article. 4 to 5 dollars. Every year 2500 slaves are said to Without seeking to bring to this philological reach the coast of the Gulf of Aden. At Gera, a problem a definite solution, the author is able to rather comical interlude occurred, for the Queen- give, from the point of view of a student of Ninivite mother fell in love with our explorer. She was inscriptions, some new information on the submuch astonished to find that, being already married, ject. The Aramcan original of these words is he could not take to himself a second wife. In this mene mene theqël ulpharsin. These words he country he met the remarkable people known as proposes to read as a corruption of mänā mānā Janjerò' or Zincherd, whose ethnical relations theqäl u pharsin, or some such phrase. Manā are involved in obscurity. All the men of this means the weight called mina, theqal is a shekel, tribe, from the king down, are half emasculated. and pharsin is plural (or dual) of pheräs, another The people speak a language which has no signs weight, equal to the half of a mina. Literally for abstract notions, and which is distinct from translated, and taking u as meaning and,' the that of the Guragė, Galla, Warràlà, and Kaffechd. phrase means "mina, mina, shekel and half-mina The author of the notice concludes by saying Taking, however w as a termination and part that Cecchi's work offers a rich mine of instructive of theqal, theqālu means either they have contents and of valuable scientific materials. weighed,' or 'weigh!' imperative). The whole
The next article (by Nicolaus v. Nassakin) deals would then seem to be a proverbial phrase, with the Fair in Nishni Novgorod. There are meaning something like, 'for each mina they three large fairs there every year. The first, have weighed two pherās,' like our English, two principally devoted to traffic in wooden ware, takes and two make four, or six of one and half-aplace in January on the surface of the frozen dozen of the other.' Moreover the two words river. The second, on the 6th July, is principally manë and pheräs, mina and half-mina,' are used for the sale of horses. The third, the renowned metaphorically by Rabbins. A son who is not so Makaryeff fair, the greatest in the world, begins good as his father is called a pherās, son of a mano. officially on the 27th July, and continues to the Not improbably this idea was present in the 22nd Sept. This is the great entrepôt for traffic Biblical writer's mind when he wrote the words between Europe and Asia. Great improvements for Daniel's discourse previous to interpreting have of late taken place in the sanitary and the mystic meaning. This discourse commences police arrangements, so that now the death-rate by recalling the sins, followed by repentance, of is low, and thefts are rare. The rest of the article
Nebuchadnezzar, father of Belshazzar (Balthasar) is an interesting description of the principal and conclucks with the words "and thou his son, articles offered for sale, too minute to reproduce O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, here.
though thou knowest all this,"&c. Nebuchadnezzar In the Miscellanea there is a favourable notice was a manē, and Balthasar a pherās. The above, of an exhibition of Central Asian Art Manu.' it need hardly be pointed out, deals only with the
• Spelt Dachandscherò in original.
