Canton; The cyele,of .sixty years is used likewise Jay the Hin-*
doospfjthe peninsula'of .India, in dating many of their
transactions;, and also by the Siamese, upon the ,coast
Eastern Asia. Some traces of a communication between
the former and the Chinese, may.be inferred
from f^e^ircumstance ofj frhe Hindoo solar year haY=
ing commenced at the winter ’ solstice,. as.-the Ghi-
ri|se.ïyëar does.still: and it is recorded of the Chinese
that they, formerly caastéd .within, or nearly within,
sight -of. land,’from Canton ?to. the Red sea; and Persian
g u lf . .
The Chinese annals are not con fined the.r.elation
of p olitic i events; but take notice,likewise .of uncommon
appearances;Jn the heavens, or ofrgreafcjnatural
changes in the country of the annalists., , Several coni
junctions of: the.,planets are mentioned.by them; one of
the mpst ancient of which, is denied by a celebrated
astronomer, Cassini,;tó have- taken place at the timeAs-
srgned to it by the Chinese,; but his calculation is^|p
it§ turn, asserted to;bé erroneous, by a no less able and
learned writer, Bailly^ The authenticity, indeed, of die
observation,, is. compatible with inaccuracy in thé description’
of the time it had happened ; the calculation
of which musf have partaken of the imperfection of :the
calendar then in iise^ I f the relation of those celestial
appearances had been perfectly and minutely correct, a
suspicion might arise of their having, at a subsequent
period, been calculated back for the purpose of leading
EM®ASSYrW07CFMNA.
to'a belief o f Jth.e/’high ahfca/quityuof the nation, where
swrh obseivaitSpn^j^ferfe^siappp'sejd t to haV^beemmade.
Toijndg'e b y the?stfte ofiastrdriortcfhsGience-at this time:
in Chinapifias mosCilikelylthatiif thejiCh these', ha'd been
eysrjahleoto predict rcelipaeS, it /must have* been by the
meansodd’loirg sand kep^teduobsd^jatioiasarjdmotkby/
calculation; ■ Tw o 4astonomfers.*are/inde.ed menti©ned>.to;
haves die e»,^ var'ely: fp.i^pisbejJj fpr., havingyneglected to
fprete 11"adqd|lrpjsrltihe* sum, ,whieM happened about
n®dncpri',the >fipstdfeyudff tKe^minthxmogaij o f tfeuyear
2 h&libefore the^Cheistian edas. > But itiisi said that yh@§b
must: be >s^ihejsdeceifobr 1 er^oijimthSs^account, at fjqars(| >a$
foj time ;ijfbr> itvappeaysj b y oilpuliation, Kth^tuno such
e'clipse' ytas > thenhv is'iblh in Chin^itho pyas :spkh>ptl|h?
mkridifens/of theMatitud©o|< Pekin. Thes,£Ihiriespv,are
said^O' ha\ip^poss^ssfd,' thr^e 'hundred ydirfe1 hefomOthe
birth pfe \Ghrist;; a ftreatisgi o f blepsydras fand \ghonions^
the .‘ latter of which ditectsihow to firid tl^edati tud^of
place;-and,to drawia<meridian line,:, ahdegree1 of knowledge
not attained,,iat' that tppribd, eyerfifiyAth'e'>Rom;ansj
who,Tejada ,xlonsMeTabl'edrise,fhadndidth'eniway of dhter#|
mining t-heqnaeridian; or‘'midfday^jat: Rome, th;an that of
observing when thekun camfelhetweenithewsenate-house
and the htahundj and whoxhsed fadkriapm yearsv a< shn-
dialicalculated for another latitude/iihagapirtg^at ittwas
equally applidablehooalL placesfe aocteoroi; intery^hioHthe
Ghinese'ctre sirmeaocused- of/falling: themselves, i v
557
Canton.1