PROFESSOR FLINDERS PETRIE ON SINAI.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12964, 18 November 1907, Page 6

PROFESSOR FLINDERS PETRIE ON SINAI.

Professor Flinders PeErie has long held a foremost place in Egyptian -exploration and archeology. Ho has recently branched off into tho Sinaitio Peninsula, and haa published a magnificently illustrated volume as tho result of his researches. He finds that tho Egyptians have mined for copper and turquoise in Sinai at intervals ever since the third dynasty, about 4000 B.C. The inscriptions and workings of the various expeditions have remained in wonderful preservation. Ho found, however, that their ancient records wore in imminent danger of total destruction at the hands of a syndicate of modern vandals, who havo obtained a permit to exploit that region for minerals. Tn several instances a blast had been put into the centre of an inscription that wns already ancient in tha days of Joseph and Moses. As a result of tho Professor's report on this vandalism, many of the remaining inscriptions havo been carefully cut out in solid blocks, and taken away to the Cairo Museum.

Much of th© interest of Professor Petrie's book lies in its relation to th© exodus under IMoses. Ht is by no means certain that the Egyptians were working th© snines at the time of the exodus, but if they were, tlie parties were always too small to bo a danger to Moses and his followers. The rainfall in the peninsula is very small, and careful "study of tho evidences shows that it has not been any greater during the historio period. The rainfall limits the stock-carrying capabilities of the country, and henco limits the population. At present the inhabitants of Ihe peninsula do not exceed 5000 or 6000. Tho Professor does not believe that it could ever have carried a much greater number. At one place on hia route he found a solitary man living on a tiny cultivation. He asked this man if there was any village further up th© village, and was assured that there was a village at so-and-so. "How many people?" he asked. "One," replied the squatter. On another occasion a young Bedouin, waving his hand with pride to the desert, exclaimed: "Behold tho city ot my people!'' There were four tents

out in the arid plain. This and muoh more have a bearing on th« pottlble numbera of the Israelites. Th© Professor thinks that "six hundred thousand men that drew sword" should be reduced to "six! hundred," as the existence of two or three million* or peopt* in the country would be int possible. Dealing with the oen*us recorded in Numbers I. *nd XXVI. he lays that the word "al*P' means not only "thouaand," but also "group" or "family," and he would read, not "Reuben 46,500," but "Reuben 46 "tents or families, 600 people." On this principle ho gets 5350 people, with an tverago of ?.8 per family. /

One of Petrie'a assistants was exploring on high ground, near the celebrated monastery. His workmen were fellaheen from Egypt. It was very cold, and Some flakes of snow fell. The men gathered round, exclaiming excitedly, "•Master, what is it?" This was tho very question which the Israelites asked of Moses regarding the manna. The men sucked the flakes off their black cloaks, and said they wero sweet. • In relating tho incident the savant wondered how the men would toll the story to gaping hearers in Egypt, and how their descendant* will tell it a century or two hence.