VOL, LXXXIl.] PHILOSOPHICAL TEAMSACTXONS. 255 



astronomical year; and accordingly Mr. Wilkins says, that the Hindoos of 

 Bengal in all their common transactions, date according to solar time, and use 

 what is commonly called the Bengal era, but in the correspondence of the Brah- 

 mins, dating books, and regulating feasts and fasts, they generally note the 

 teethee; and if the year is mentioned, it is often that of Veekramadeetya, some- 

 times that of Silavahana, but more frequently the vulgar Bengal year. 



From what has been said it appears, that the Hindoo civil months, both solar 

 and lunar, consist, neither of a determinate number of days, nor are regulated 

 by any cycle, but depend solely on the motions of the sun and moon, so that a 

 Hindoo has no way of knowing what day of the month it is, but by consulting 

 his almanac ; and what is more, the month ought sometimes to begin on differ- 

 ent days, in difi'erent places, on account of the difference in latitude and longi- 

 tude, not to mention the difl^erence which may arise from errors in computation. 

 The inconvenience with which this must be attended seemed so great, that 2 or 

 3 years ago I proposed a query on the subject to Mr. Davis, author of the very 

 valuable paper, in the Asiatic Researches, on the Hindoo astronomy, inquiring 

 whether any method was taken to avoid the ambiguity, and was favoured with the 

 following answer. 



" My Pundit, and others with whom I have conversed on the subject, though 

 well aware of the circumstance, that the month may begin on difti^rent days in 

 different places, do not think the ambiguity thence arising of much consequence, 

 nor is there any method they know of taken to avoid it. The almanacs in com- 

 mon use are computed at Benares, Tirhut,* and Nadeea, the 3 principal semi- 

 naries of Hindoo learning in the Company's provinces, whence they are annually 

 dispersed throughout the adjacent country. Every Brahmin in charge of a tem- 

 ple, or whose duty it is to announce the times for the observance of religious 

 ceremonies, is furnished with one of these almanacs ; and if he be an astronomer, 

 he makes such corrections in it as the difference of latitude and longitude render 

 necessary, The beginning of the solar month falling on different days of the 

 week, is not regarded ; but a disagreement in the computation of the teethee, 

 which sometimes also happens, occasions no small perplexity, because by the 

 teethees, or lunar days, are regulated most of their religious festivals : and I am 

 assured that an instance of this kind, which occurred in Cossim Ally's time, 

 obliged the Rajah of Nadeea to settle by proclamation which of the disputed com- 

 putations should be regarded as the true one." 



To the best of Mr. Wilkins's knowledge, the Nadeea almanac is used all over 

 Bengal, and the Benares all over the upper part of India ; and it is likely there- 

 fore, that the Tirhut is used all over Bahar ; but of the nature of this almanac 

 Mr. C. had no information ; only to judge from the date of the inscription found 



* A district in North Bahar. 



