xv. 



SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 



ASTRONOMICAL LABOURS 



OF 



JAYASINHA, RAJAH OF AMBHERE, OR 

 JAYANAGAR. 



By William Hunter, Efquire. 



\Y 7HILE the attention of the learned world has 

 \V ^ een turned towards the ftate of fcience in 

 remote ages and countries, and the labours of the 

 Afiatick Society have been more particularly di- 

 rected to inveftigate the knowledge attained by the 

 ancient inhabitants of Hinduftan ; it is a tribute due 

 to a congenial fpirit, to reiciie from oblivion thole 

 among their descendants in modern times, who, riling 

 fuperior to the prejudices of education, of national 

 pride and religion, have ftriven to enrich their coun- 

 try with fcientific truth derived from a foreign fource. 



The name of Jayasixha is not unknown in Eu- 

 rope ; it has been configned to immortality by the 

 pen of the illuftrious Sir William Joxes : but vet, 

 the extent of his exertions in the caufe of fcience is 

 little known ; and the juft claims of fuperior genius 

 and zeal will, I hope, juftify my taking up a part of 

 the Society's time with a more particular enumera- 

 tion of his labours. 



Jey-sing or Jayasixha fucceeded to the inheri- 

 tance of the ancient Rajahs of Ambhere, in the year 

 Vicramaditiya 1750, correfponding to 1693 of the 

 Chrtftlan acra. His mind had been early itored with 

 the knowledge contained in the Hindu writings, but 

 he appears to have peculiarly attached himfelf to the 



mathe- 



