or throughout a number of years, considerably surpassed the weekly offerings.

We have abundant evidence also to show that the festival of the new moon was observed like the weekly Sabbath as a time of religious observance. When the Shunammite woman says that she will "run to the man of God," her husband, supposing she went to hear the sacred books read, says to her, "Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon nor Sabbath." The same observance is shown also by the aspiration attributed by Amos to those "that swallow up the needy;" "when," they say, "when will the new moon be gone that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat?" The feast of the new moon was also a time of rest, when servile work was prohibited. This is the true interpretation of a passage incorrectly rendered, and so apparently almost meaningless, in the First Book of Samuel, xx., 18,19. Jonathan says to David, "To-morrow is the new moon; and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place. where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand,”where the original says, “in the time when work may be done."

We come next to the two most important festivals of the Jewish year-the feast of the passover, and the feast of tabernacleson the fifteenth days of the first and of the second months respectively.

We might safely infer, that these two feasts were astronomical from the circumstance, that one is assigned to the time when the sun passes over the equator from south to north, and the other to the time when he passes the equator from north to south, in other words. to the times of the spring and autumn equinox. We should be confirmed in this opinion in remembering that among other nations these epochs had been regarded as of especial significance, and that where Sabaistic worship, and Sun worship, in particular, had prevailed (and there have been few races which have not at one time or other adopted these forms of worship), the time of Easter* and the corresponding autumn's epoch had been times of ceremonial observance long before, and long after, the feast of the passover and the feast of tabernacles had been regulated by the Jewish lawgivers. But there is also evidence of the astronomical character of these two festivals, in the nature of the sacrifices offered on these occasions. It was no mere accident that during the seven days of

*The very word signifies uprising.

unleavened bread at the time of the passover, the daily sacrifice was the same as for the feast of the new moon, except that in addition to the "two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs," "one goat" was offered "for a sin offering," to make an atonement for the people. So also during the eight days of the feast of tabernacles, two rams and fourteen lambs were offered every day, but on the other days, in succession, thirteen bullocks, twelve, eleven, and so forth, thirteen (as eminent Jewish writers have pointed out) being the nearest whole number to the number of lunar months in a year.

It is noteworthy that even in the day of the first fruits, the one festival not directly of astronomical origin (though indirectly so, as a seasonal festival) the offerings were the same as at the feast of the new moon-viz., two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs,

one kid of the goats" being added, "to make an atonement" for the people. Now the feast of the passover, and the feast of the tabernacles, corresponding thus exactly with the two solar passovers, the nodal passages of the equator,-whatever subsequent interpretation was given by the Jewish lawgivers to one (at least) of their festivals, we are justified in recognising the real origin of both in the Sabaistic system of worship, from which the whole system of Jewish ceremonial was manifestly derived. It is to be observed that each part of the evidence strengthens the rest; we might be in doubt (though for my own part, after studying the subject in the light of known astronomical facts, I cannot myself entertain any doubt) as to the astronomical origin of Sabbath observance, if we did not find it associated, on the one hand, with the manifestly astronomical observances at the time of sunrise and sunset, and on the other, with the manifestly astronomical festival of the new moon. But when we find, in addition, that the two principal annual festivals of the Jews (the only remaining festivals except the seasonal feast of the first fruits) corresponded with the two most marked epochs of the year— the passages of the sun across the equator at the time of the vernal and autumnal equinox-we find it altogether impossible to resist the inference, that the entire system of sacrificial observance was based on astronomical considerations.

But we can infer more than this. Seeing that these festivals remained religious festivals, even when the Jews had been taught no longer to worship the host of heaven, we perceive that they must originally also have been not simply astronomical but religious. They could therefore have been nothing, as first devised, but

Sabaistic observances, for Sabaism is the only form of religion which is based solely on astronomical principles.

We can understand then the great difficulty experienced by the Jewish lawgivers in weaning the Jews from the worship of the sun, moon and stars, for the whole sacrificial system of the Jews shows us that in preceding times the people had been imbued with Sabaistic ideas.

Now,

There are some who go much farther than this, finding in festivals, supposed to be peculiarly Christian (which Easter, be it observed, is not) an astronomical significance. Thus, Osiris, Mithra, Bacchus and Chrishna, are represented as having been born on December 25th (or rather at the moment of midnight, between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) in a cave or stable. although at the present time the only peculiarity of this part of the year is, that it corresponds with the time, when the sun is just beginning to rise above his lowest mid-winter descent below the equator, yet at the time when the Zodiac was first formed, to which time. probably the myths in question may be referred, the constellation Virgo had just risen above the eastern horizon* while the sun was entering the constellation Capricorn, which also bore the name of the Augeas. It is singular also, as showing how our modern festivals have been dated according to these old Sabaistic ideas, that August 8th, which is about the time when the sign Virgo is lost in the sun's light, is the date assigned by the Catholic Church to the festival of the Assumption of the Virgin, while the Nativity of the Virgin is assigned to September 8th, which follows the epoch when the middle of the sign Virgo passes the sun by just the same interval as that, by which Christmas Day follows the mid-winter solstice. However, it would take us too far to follow out all the analogies, which have been traced between solar myths and the fasts amd festivals of the modern calendar. Many of these are very doubtful, and some are more than doubtful, whereas no doubt whatever seems to rest on the astronomical origin of the Jewish sacrificial observances.

RICHARD A. PROCTOR.

In reality, the sign Virgo had just so risen, meaning by that the 30 degrees of the ecliptic preceding the autumnal equinoctial point, where the sign Libra-the Scalesbegins, or what is technically called the first point of Libra.

THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN SETTLEMENT.

WHEN the loss of the American colonies had deprived England of an outlet for the worst part of her criminal population, and when the coast of Africa, which was next resorted to, had, by reason of the deadliness of its climate, been found altogether unsuitable for the purposes of a penal establishment, the Government turned their eyes towards this distant and almost unknown country, then recently visited by Captain Cook, and determined to try whether it could not be availed of, not only to relieve the overcrowded English gaols, but also to found a colony; which might, in the process of time, become of great magnitude and importance. In fulfilment of this design, a fleet of eleven sail, consisting of two small ships of war— the Sirius and the Supply-six transports, and three storeships, left Portsmouth on the 13th of May, 1787, with 800 convicts— 600 males and 200 females-and a military guard of marines numbering, with their officers, 2120. In addition to these were the wives and families of about forty of the marines. The command of the expedition was given to Captain Arthur Phillip, a naval officer whose name will ever be honourably associated with the history of this country. He was born in London, of German parentage, in the year 1738. He entered the navy at the age of thirteen. At the end of the Seven Years' War, in which he took part, he was raised to the rank of lieutenant; and then, marrying, he settled in retirement until the rupture occurred between Spain and Portugal, when he entered the service of the latter country. On the outbreak of the war between England and France, he re-entered the service of his native country, and was soon promoted to the rank of post-captain. His last service was on a voyage to the East Indies, after which he was not again actively employed until he received the appointment of Governor of the projected colony of New South Wales.

The convicts were mostly criminals, whose offences against the laws of their country had been visited with a sentence of trans

portation for seven years. A few were under sentence of fourteen years, while three or four at the most were condemned to a life-long banishment. They were not taken indiscriminately from among the felons in the gaols of the old country, but were selected on account of their aptitude for the work of founding the proposed settlement, and we find, therefore, that mechanics and husbandmen made up by far the largest number of the males. The feelings with which these unfortunate people contemplated the enterprise in which they were engaged, were shown by the letters which passed between them and their friends on shore during the few weeks, occupied in making preparations for departure, on board the ships at Portsmouth. Curiosity, mingled with an undefined dread of what they were likely to encounter in the vast and isolated continent on the other side of the world, engaged the minds of most of them; others, more hopeful, indulged in brighter anticipations; while not a few felt that their departure from their native country would be a final one, as they saw little prospect of ever being able to return.

Every preparation which foresight could suggest was made by those who had the chief management of the expedition. All the materials and implements likely to be of service in the settlement were provided, as well as an abundance of stores, calculated to last for at least two years. The fleet left Portsmouth early on the morning of Sunday, the 13th of May, accompanied for a few leagues by the war-ship Helena, which had orders to see the voyagers safely past the first difficulties of navigation. In conformity with the just and humane disposition which marked the whole of his after-career, Governor Phillip ordered that the greater number of the male prisoners should be released from the fetters in which, up to this time, they had been confined; but, lest such an indulgence might lead the more hardened and desperate of them to attempt to forcibly gain their freedom, he at the same time caused intimation to be made that any such attempt would be punished with instant death, and the sentinels, in the presence of the convicts, received orders to that effect.

Before 10 o'clock in the forenoon of the day of departure, the fleet cleared the Isle of Wight. On the 3rd of June, it made the Island of Teneriffe and anchored in the roads off Santa Cruz. During the week that it remained here, taking in a plentiful supply of water and provisions, a convict made his escape from one of the transports, but he was captured soon after his absence was dis