VOL. LXXXII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 257 



the moon quits during the course of the day ; and the next 2 show the time at 

 which she quits it. The next 3 columns are very odd ; they serve to show the 

 moon's place in what may be called a moveable zodiac, the first point of which 

 moves backwards with the same velocity with which the sun moves forwards, and 

 coincides with the sun at the beginning and middle of the Hindoo year. This 

 zodiac is divided into 27 equal parts, and the first of these 3 columns gives the 

 name of the 27th part which the moon quits during the course of the day, and 

 the other 2 the time at which she quits it. Mr. C. does not know what use 

 these columns can be applied to, unless that of astrology. No trace of any thing 

 of the kind has occurred in any account of the Hindoo astronomy.* In these 

 columns the names of the days of the week, and nakshatras, are expressed by 

 the first syllable of the word. The last column is the day of the month used by 

 the Mahometans. 



As no explanation of these columns is given in the almanacs, it will be proper 

 to mention the reasons for supposing them to be such as Mr. C. has asserted. — 

 The numbers in the 3d and 4th columns increase while the moon is near her 

 apogee, and diminish during the rest of the month ; which shows that it must be 

 the time at which the moon completes some part of a revolution ; and by exa- 

 mining these numbers during 12 revolutions of the moon in anomaly, it appears 

 that the moon moves over 336 of these parts in 330'* 4 I'''"- 43''"'- which differs 

 very little from the time answering to 336 teethees; so that there san be no doubt 

 but that these columns show the time at which the teethee ends. But a further 

 proof of the truth of it is, that the time given in these columns for the end of the 

 last teethee of each half month, agrees pretty nearly with the time of the new and 

 full moon given in the nautical almanac, after allowing for the difference of longi- 

 tude between Greenwich and Benares, and the time between sun-rise, at the 

 latter place, and noon ; which shows also that the time in these columns is 

 reckoned from sun-rise, as might naturally be expected. 



In regard to the moon's place in the nakshatras and moveable zodiac, it ap- 

 pears, by examining the 5th and 8th columns, that in each of them are 27 cha- 

 racters, which return constantly in order, except when the regularity is broken, 

 either by the moon quitting 2 spaces in the same day, or by not quitting any 1 

 space in the day. The numbers also, both in the 6th and 7th, and in the 9th 

 and 10th columns, increase when the moon is near the apogee, and diminish 

 when she is near the perigee ; which shows that they must be the time at which 

 the moon finishes some 27th part of a revolution of one kind or other ; and by 

 examining the alteration of the numbers during 12 revolutions of the moon in 

 anomaly, it appears first, that the moon describes 326 of the spaces given in the 



* From a circumstance not worth mentioning, I find that the place of the moon in this moveable 

 zodiac, is called the Yug. — Orig. 



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