Fuly 23, 1885 | 
equal to 5°. Approximately the limits of Fang were as 
follows :— 
2250 B.C. between 184 12 and 189 12 
2150 5, » 185 34 5, 190 34 
2053 5 ” 186 56 », IQIt 56 
An eclipse near the constellation Fang will satisfy the 
conditions of the text, as at that early period, and for a 
great many centuries after, the Chinese were unable accu- 
rately to determine the position of the sun among the 
stars. 
The date of the accession of the Emperor Chung 
K’ang, during whose reign this eclipse is said to have 
occurred, is unknown. Indeed all the dates in Chinese 
history before the Chou dynasty are unknown, the dates 
given in the common chronology being erroneous. The 
great importance of fixing the date of this eclipse is there- 
fore apparent. 
In all probability Chung K’ang reigned some time 
between the years 2050 B.C and 2158 B.c. I have there- 
fore examined all years between these two dates on which 
an eclipse of the sun, in the constellation Fang, and on 
the first day of the ninth moon might be looked for. 
Mr. Newcomb has published tables for the calculation 
of eclipses between the limiting dates 700 B.C. and 2200 
A.D. I have extended these tables so as to embrace all 
eclipses of the sun between the dates 2200 B.C. and 2200 
A.D. These tables thus extended I have used in the 
examination of this eclipse. 
We might expect such an eclipse on or near the fol- 
lowing dates :— 
— 2154+ °64 years. — 2164+ °82 years. 
mel S Om 25) oa —2145+°43 5» 
—2117+°86 ,, — 2126+ 04 ,, 
—2098+°47 ,, —2108+°65 ,, 
—2079+'08 ,, —2089+°'26 ,, 
-—2061+°69 ,, —2071+°87 ,, 
—2042+°30 ,, —2052+°48 ,, 
The dates on the left are the years and fractions of a 
year on which the ascending node is in longitude 180”, 
those on the right the years on which the descending node 
is in longitude 180°. The minus sign indicates B.c. 
The situation of the capital of Chung K’ang is a dis- 
puted point. Some hold it was at An Yi Hsien, in Shan 
Hsi, latitude 35° 8’ N., and longitude about 111° 30’ E. 
of Greenwich ; others say it was at T’ai K’ang Hsien, in 
Honan, latitude 34° 7’ N., and longitude about 115° E. of 
Greenwich. 
Gaubil calculated the eclipse of the year 2154 B.C. to 
be the one in question. During this eclipse, however, it 
was night in China. 
On October 22, 2136 B.c., the ninth of the cycle of 
days, the day Yen Shen, there was an eclipse of the sun, 
visible in the north of China. At An Yi Hsien it com- 
menced about 10 a.m., and was over about half an hour 
after noon. The magnitude was about ‘5. The longi- 
tude of the sun at the moment of true conjunction was 
191°°38, so that the eclipse took place very near Fang. 
The day was the first of the ninth moon. 
In the following year, 2135 B.c., on October 11, the 
third of the cycle of days, the day Ping Yin, there was 
an eclipse of the sun, also visible in the northern hemi- 
sphere. At An Yi Hsien the eclipse began about 4.30 
p-m., and lasted till about 7 p.m. The magnitude was 
58. At the time of conjunction the longitude of the sun 
was 18028, so that the eclipse took place near Fang. 
Strictly speaking, October 11 was the first day of the 
eighth moon, but we need not expect the Chinese at 
that early date to have been able to determine the time of 
the equinox to a few hours. 
We meet with no other eclipse visible in the north of 
China, and fulfilling the required conditions, till the year 
NATURE 
277 
2071 B.C. On October 23, the fifty-first of the cycle of 
days, the day Chia Yin of this year, there was an eclipse 
of the sun. At T’ai K’ang Hsien it began a few minutes 
after seven in the morning, and was over about 9.30 a.m. 
The magnitude was "34. At conjunction the longitude of 
the sun was 19372. This eclipse also satisfies the re- 
quired conditions near Fang, and occurring on the first 
day of the ninth moon. 
The eclipse of the year 2127 B.C. deserves considera- 
tion, as it is generally considered to have been the eclipse 
in question. On October 13 of this year, the forty-seventh 
of the cycle of days, the day Keng Hsii (all dates are 
given according to the Julian calendar), there was an 
eclipse of the sun. The “ Bamboo Books” say that this 
eclipse took place in the fifth year of Chung K’ang, the 
thirtieth of the cycle of years in the An Sunn and on the 
first day of the ninth month, the day Keng Hsii (forty- 
seventh of cycle). This account of the eclipse must have 
been the result of an after-calculation, and is a proof of 
the wonderful accuracy to which the Chinese astronomers 
attained in calculating back past eclipses. In this eclipse 
they are right in every particular. Howeyer, this eclipse 
was not visible in China so far south as either An Yior T’ai 
K’ang. The following table, which approximately gives 
the southern line of simple contact of the eclipse, shows 
this clearly :— 
Latitude Longitude 
66 14 N. 96 10 E. 
60 23 N. 139 27 E. 
55 33 N. 152 28 E. 
2ee7nN, 158 35 E. 
From the above investigation we see that the eclipse 
referred to in the “ Shu Ching” in all probability must be 
that of one of the years 2136 B.C., 2135 B.C., or 2071 B.C. ; 
which of these dates is to be taken must be determined 
by other considerations. The eclipse of the year 2136 
B.C. may be the one in question. It occurred in the 
middle, the busiest part, of the day. A total eclipse would 
agree better with the accounts as given in the “Shu 
Ching.” The hurry and bustle occasioned by the total 
want of preparation to perform the customary rites, and 
the penalty of death inflicted on the two astronomers, 
Hsi and Ho, seem to point to some adequate cause. 
However, I believe a great part of the account as given 
in the “Shu Ching” is legendary. It is taken for 
granted that Hsi and Ho were able to predict eclipses, 
and it is stated they were put to death because, giving 
themselves up to pleasure, they neglected their proper 
duties. But the Chinese at that early period, and for 
many centuries after, were not able to predict eclipses. 
They were not even able to observe the place of the sun 
with any degree of accuracy, which is proved by their 
Calendar so often falling into confusion. That the 
account of the eclipse itself is true, there is no reason to 
doubt. It is referred to in the “Tso Chuan,” a book 
written about the time of Confucius. However, that the 
astronomers Hsi and Ho were put to death because they 
failed to predict the eclipse, appears very doubtful. It is 
much likelier they were put to death for rebellion, or 
some other political reason. Summing up the above 
investigation, we see that between the years 2164 B.C. 
and 2042 B.C. no eclipses of the sun in Fang, and on the 
first day of the ninth moon, were seen in the north of 
China, except in the years 2136 B.C., 2135 B.c., and 
2071 B.C. 
P.S.—In NATURE, vol. xxxi., p. 91, the eclipse of 
Thucydides is mentioned as having occurred on August 3, 
431 B.C., and that, calculating this eclipse with Hansen’s 
tables, the greatest phase falls at 5h. 9m. p.m., and the 
magnitude is ‘75. Using Newcomb’s tables of eclipses, I 
find the greatest phase falls at 6h. p.m., and that the 
magnitude was ‘9I. Sy Nake 
