Canton. The records of China mention I an «event, of which the
gentIemea*®P‘thnlEtobastyrfpniidT that ; a »tradition continued
In th e country to thisrtimte.c. T.he'great5 sttyarinof
the Yellow river is5 described .to have' burst its bainks,
and by its vast ,inundation, to have caused dreadfulrha-
voek among thieoheighhburhrg inhabitants. The name
and. particulars relative ,*to the person who undertook 'to
drain off die waters, and to Yestrainfthe-' river ff>r'the
future within its banks ; the.’ methods he took td ! effect
his purpjoie, together iwith ‘the time-he was employed in
them, are So circumstantially detailed asrbtgiverasttoiig
appearance of veracity to the relatioir. )' In the course of
this persona •operations,' he is. said to have’ constructed a
chart of the countries adjacent to the Yellowr-fiver, wlfiteh
now exists in »the'Shnb-kfngp or orietof the kicredibboi.s
o f China. The antiquity of this rude chartf is! marked
b y the «division then subsisting of thatfgrfeatfileiy ibi'-fts
passage through-the province of Kiang-nah, into I two
branches ob »equal; si®; »one of wH«b?turns, offrdireetly
to. the northward, and . falls into the giilf of Ee-chedee.;
while the other follows the course in which thelwhdle
of the river runs at present. .»No accounts of a general
delug^isare; mentioned' in Chinese history.4
However imperfect in the science of astronomybhe
Chinese .are, they have some idea of imaginary circles
in the heavens, such as the.ecliptic,»which they call the
yellow road; the equinoctial, and a meridian line; ^The
constellatiomvbj&cLusterkof .starsy ale not!repr©sented:by eaatoo.
fanciful resembyBces,>:butare< connected together by lines
upoh their; charts!.;aThemumbbf lof: planets kho^n. to
them'is five;! whrcfec0ikefp®ids.fe;that ofih'efejeahentary
substances; 'Ari^Bsiiypnse-<- tor »ante r^kutb' Bfeicompmidrfci
afallbddies; »namely, fire ;b®atef, earth; wood; and met id,
over each/ dEwMchii(as;plShetilis«dupposedi,©pe preside.
Eew of the Gbinese’.seem tdihavdany idea oftfeeifeartH’s
motion ;[but;iidagine'thai thtesuii abtually»moVes. throug]fi
42ife filed stars« . Fou^ipttpts id: his CQwrse alojigcS?beLy%b
low road; are particularly distinguished, as marking th e m
fiaim^eSasoqSioiih&year« | The day is divided;,asibiyttfc
Rdripnt.F«gyptians.intdt\^elve»partS only, consisting each
orfltwo European hours; the first beginning atefeydh. at
night.
'Thdsepdrtions:nf£timeiare'meas.ured:witb.toleiable'a.d-
curacy, by. means of a*ligh ted'taper.madabrorrr the'pitheb .
a »particular tree, of. which the»,consumption by^ignrtidn
isGtoiregulari thafc.fividedt irito« twelve equakpartsyedeh p H
cbntinudsburning durihg.the.twMfthpait.of the twenty?- -
four.hours« The* gradual metiait ©bi da® dp and theedev.
scent of liquids Havelfoefen;lakewise-sappiiedttd'/the same.
purpose.
The» Chiriesfettoften dmpl oyl very.>awk;#irdiand labor
rious means for, 'effecting t several pwpt&ses jdesitebltetin
society. To announce the hour, even in Pekin, they
have no better method than that of striking with a