ASTRONOMY of the BRAHMINS. 147 



The epoch of thefe tables is lefs ancient than that of the for- 

 mer, and anfwers to the loth of March at funrife, in the year 

 1491 of our era, when the fun was juft entering the moveable 

 zodiac, and was in conjundlion with the moon; two circum- 

 ftances, by which almolt all the Indian eras are diftinguilhed. 

 The places, which they aflign, at that time, to the fun and moon, 

 agree very well with the calculations made from the tables of 

 Mayer, and De la Caille. In their mean motions, they in- 

 deed differ fomewhat from them ; but as they do fo equally 

 for the fun and moon, they produce no error, in determining 

 the relative pofition of thefe bodies, nor, of confequence, in 

 calculating the phenomena of eclipfes. The fun's apogee is 

 here fuppofed to have a motion fwifter than that of the fixed 

 ftars, by about i" in nine years, which, though it falls greatly 

 fhort of the truth, does credit to this aftronomy, and is a llrong 

 mark of originality. The equation of the fvm's centre is fome- - 

 what lefs here than in the tables of Siam ; it is 2°, 10', 30" j 

 the equation of the moon's centre is 5°, 2', 47" ; her path, 

 where it interfedls that of the fun, is fuppofed to make an an- 

 gle with it of 4°, 30', and the motions, both of the apogee 

 and node, are determined very near to the truth. 



16. Another *fet of tables, fent from India by Father Patou- 

 ILLET, were received by M. de l'Isle, about the fame time 

 with thofe of Chrifnabouram. They have not the name of any 

 particular place affixed to them ; but, as they contain a rule 

 for determining the length of the day, which anfwers to the 

 latitude of 16°, 16', M. Bailly thinks it probable that they 

 come from Narfapour *. 



The precepts and examples, which accompany thefe ta- 

 bles, though without any immediate reference to them, are 

 confined to the calculation of the eclipfes of the fun and 

 moon ; but the tables themfelves extend to the motion of the 

 planets, and very much refemble thofe of Chrifnabouram, 

 except that they are given with lefs detail, and m a form much 



t 2 more 



* Aft. Ind. p. 49, &c. 



