196 THEORY OF THE EARTH. 



of the Indian zodiac, such as they are supposed to 

 be, have acquired the character of an enormous 

 antiquity. A more attentive examination of 

 these signs or nacchatras has lately convinced M. 

 de Paravey that reference is only made to solsti- 

 ces of 1200 years hefore the Christian era. This 

 author at the same time admits, that the place of 

 the solstices is so inaccurately fixed, that this de- 

 termination of their date must he received with a 

 latitude of 200 or 300 years. They are in the 

 same predicament as those of Eudoxus and of 

 Tcheoukong *. 



It is ascertained that the Indians do not make 

 observations, and that they are not in possession 

 of any of the instruments necessary for that pur- 

 pose. M. Delambre indeed admits, with Bailly 

 and Legentil, that they have processes of calcu- 

 lation, which, without proving the antiquity of 

 their astronomy, shew at least its originality f ; and 

 yet this conclusion can by no means be extended 

 to their sphere ; for, independently of their twenty- 

 seven nacchatras or lunar houses, which strongly 



* Manuscript Memoirs of M. de Paravey, on the sphere 

 of Upper Asia. 



t See the profound essay on the Astronomy of the In- 

 dians in M. Delambre's Histoire de TAstronomie ancienne, 

 vol. i. p. 400-556. 



