ANTIQUITIES. 



371 



■sive of the general face of this conn- 

 try, where a battle could hardly be 

 fought without encountering an in- 

 terruption of this kind, which the 

 soldier was here taught to over- 

 come ; but that, on the introduction 

 of the game into fcrsia, the board 

 changed witli the dry nature of the 

 region, and the con! est was decided 

 on terra firma. And, lastly, that in 

 no account of the origin of chess, 

 that I have read, has the tale been 

 80 characteristic or consistent as that 

 which I have the honour to offer to 

 the Irish academy. With the In- 

 dians, it was designed by a Bramin, 

 to cure the melancholy of the 

 daughter of a rajah. With the 

 Persians, my memory does not assist 

 me to trace the fable j though, if it 

 were more to the purpose, I think 

 I should have retained it. But, 

 with the Chinese, it was invented 

 by an experienced soldier, on the 

 principles of war. Not to dispel 

 love-sick vapours, or instruct a fe- 

 male in a science that could neither 

 benefit nor inform her ; but to quiet 

 the murmurs of a discontented sol- 

 diery ; to employ their vacant hours 

 in lessons on the military art, and to 

 cherish the spirit of conquest in the 

 bosom of winter quarters. Its age 

 is traced by them on record near 

 two centuries before the Christian 

 aera ; and among the numerous 

 claims for this noble invention, that 

 of the Chinese, who call it, by 

 way of distinction. Chong Ke, or 

 The Royal Game, appears alone to 

 be indisputable. 



I have the iionour to remain, 

 My lord, 

 Your lordships obedient 

 Humble servant, 



EvLEs Irwin, 

 Canton, March \A, 1793. 



Trnnslafiort of an extract from the 

 Com urn, or Chinese anna} •i,respecf- 

 ing the invention uj the jania of 

 Chess, delivered lo me ly Tinqua, 

 a soMier viandarin, oj' the province 

 of Fokien. 



Three hundred and seventy- nine 

 years afier the lime of Confucius, 

 or one thousand nine hundred and 

 sixty-five years ago. Hung Cochn, 

 king of Kningnan, sent an expedi- 

 tion into the Shensi country, under 

 the command of a mandarin, called 

 Hansing, to conquer it. After one 

 successful campaign, the soldiers 

 were put into winter-quarters ; 

 where, finding the weather much 

 colder than what they had been ac- 

 customed to, and being also depri- 

 ved of their wives and families, the 

 arm^i, in general, became impa- 

 tient of their situation, and clamour- 

 ous to return home. Hansing, 

 upon this, revolved in his mind the 

 bad conscquenses of compl^nng with 

 their wishes. The necessity of 

 soothing his troops, and reconciling 

 them to their position, appeared 

 urgent, in order to finish his opera- 

 tions in the ensuing year. He was 

 a man of genius, as well as a good 

 scholar ; and having contemplated 

 some time on the subject, he in- 

 vented the game of Chess,-as well 

 for an amusement to his men in 

 their vacant hours, as to inflame 

 their military ardour, the game be- 

 ing wholly founded on the prnici- 

 ples of war. Th& stratagem suc- 

 ceeded to his wish. The soldiery 

 were delighted with the game; 

 and forgot, in their daily contests 

 for victory, the inconveniences of 

 their post. In the spri'-ig the gene- 

 ral took the field again ; and, in a 

 icw months, added the rich coun- 

 try of Shensi to the kingdom of 



B b 3 Kaingnan, 



