Philosophical Transactions. 331 



hard with the other parts, requiring the same force to blast it, 

 and that the quarrying was paid for accordingly.'" Phil. Trans. 

 1817. p. 177. 



In the Philosophical Transactions for 1821, Mr. Whidbey de- 

 scribes some similar caverns, all surrounded by compact limestone 

 rock, " none of which had the smallest appearance of ever having 

 had any opening to the surface, or connexion with it whatever, or 

 with each other;" he then goes on to say, that " many caverns 

 have been met with in these quarries, the insides of which have 

 been crusted with stalactite, but there was no appearance of this 

 kind in the cavern were the bones were found, every part of it 

 being perfectly dry, and nearly clear of rubbish ; a circumstance 

 which clearly proves it had no connexion with the surface, as in 

 that case water would have found its way into it, the dropping of 

 which would have formed stalactite as in other instances." Phil. 

 Trans. 1821. p. 134. 



In the present communication a cavern is described which, like 

 the former, exhibits no evidence of any decided external commu- 

 nication or outlet, though the evidence to this point is perhaps not 

 so satisfactory as that adduced in the former papers, to which we 

 beg the particular attention of our geological readers, as impor- 

 tantly bearing upon Mr. Granville Penn's arguments noticed in 

 a preceding article. 



Mr. Clift has added to this communication a perspicuous de- 

 scription of the bones which are those of the bos, the deer, the horse, 

 the hyeena, the wolf, and the fox. The bones formerly found 

 were those of the rhinoceros, bear, and antelope. 



10. On the Chinese Year. By J. F. Davis, Esq , F.R.S. 



One of Mr. Davis's objects in this paper appears to be, to shew the 

 folly of attributing any thing original in astronomical science to the 

 Chinese, who were entirely ignorant of its objects and principles, 

 before its introduction into their empire by the Arabians, and 

 afterwards by the European missionaries. On this one subject, says 

 the author, that singular nation has deviated from its established 

 prejudices and maxims against introducing what is foreign, — they 

 have even adopted the errors of European astronomy, for he dis- 

 covered in a Chinese book, the exact representation of the 

 Ptolemaic system, — he adds " indeed it is impossible not to smile 

 at the idea of attributing any science to a people whose learned 

 books are filled with such trumpery as the diagrams of Fo-hi, and 

 a hundred other puerilities of the same kind." Mr. Davis offers 

 several other proofs of the talent which the Chinese possess of 

 stealing the discoveries of other nations and appropriating them 

 to themselves. 



The author proceeds to show that the Chinese have no solar 



