■4X0, PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTXONS. [aNNO 1753. 



on the eclipses of the sun and stars taught them anciently, by practice, some- 

 thing of the parallaxes of the moon. 



Every thing was almost forgotten, about the time of Tsin chi hoam, 240 or 246 

 years before Christ. But it is evident that, before that time, the Chinese must 

 have known something of the calculations of the eclipses of the sun and moon, 

 and of some equations for reducing the mean motion to the true, and for calcu- 

 lating the solstices. Mengtse, a classical author, who wrote before the burning 

 of their books, mentions clearly enough, part at least of what is here said. They 

 certainly knew indifferently well the proper motion of the fixed stars ; which 

 was afterwards forgotten, for want of examining what was extant written in many 

 books. 



On the 15 th of August, an ambassador from the king of Portugal arrived at 

 Macao, with presents for the emperor of China- The queen-mother of the king 

 of Portugal ordered the ambassador to desire, that Father Hallerstein, whom she 

 personally knew, might come to him to Macao, with a mandarin sent by the 

 emperor. The emperor consented to this without any difficulty, and dispatched 

 the mandarin and Father Hallerstein to the ambassador. He will be here again 

 in May. I am of opinion that the reigning emperor will never permit any mis- 

 sionaries in the provinces ; and that they will find it very difficult to conceal 

 themselves. But there is no appearance that we shall be sent away from Pekin ; 

 on the contrary those who shall be sent thither, will be well received, if they 

 have but the qualifications requisite. 



Letter 2. To Mons. De f Isle of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris. Dated 



Pekin, Nov. 18, 1751. p. 313. 



I had furnished M. Freret with a quantity of memoirs, as I had likewise done 

 to others, both seculars, and those of our own society. I digested into order all 

 that I had collected; and, in 1749, sent a complete treatise on the Chinese 

 chronology, by two different ways, into France. I directed it to M. Freret, and 

 to the fathers of our society at Paris. It was in 3 parts. I desired them to 

 communicate it to you, and to Mons. de Mairan. I have had no account of the 

 arrival of that treatise, in which I had laboured for more than 22 years past. It 

 seemed to me necessary, on account of the great number of pieces, either printed 

 or manuscript, which were sent hither on that subject. If I find that my treatise 

 is lost, I can easily digest it into order again, from the rough draught which I 

 have by me. 



Besides many astronomical observations, which I have punctually sent you, 

 I have transmitted to you the treatise of Father Duchamp on the Indian astro- 

 nomy, a collection of ancient approximations and occultations of the stars and 

 planets, both by each other, and by the moon, and with the moon ; which I 



