﻿GAME OF CHESS, &C. 497 



of perfection appears, while the ancient Hindoo 

 names, according to the Amaracosha, are retained, 

 the two armies are consolidated, and commanded by 

 a general immediately under the eye of the king, 

 the order of the battalia improved, and chance re- 

 jected. 



The Persian game is but a slight variation in prin- 

 ciple from the Burmha ; the order of battle is re- 

 strained to one mode, and the foot soldiers and prin- 

 cipals each drawn up at the extreme face of the 

 board or field of battle, in rank entire, according to 

 the improved system of modern warfare. Other 

 alterations appear to me adventitious, or the effect 

 of c:aprice rather than judgment. 



The modern European game appears an improve- 

 ment on the Persian, and only requires that the ori- 

 ginal names should be restored to the pieces to give 

 it full claim to pre eminence. 



1 am at a loss where to place tlie Chinese gani;*, 

 but its claims to precedence are or little importance. 



'1 he account of its inverition, for \vhich we are 

 indebted to Mr. Evleslrv.in, is as follows ; 



" I ranslation of an extract from the Concnm, or 

 Chinese Annais, respecting the invention of the 

 game of ciiess, delivered to me by Tonqua, a soldier 

 mandarin of the province o^ Tokien.'" 



'" Thice hundred and seventy years after the time 

 of Coiiiucius, or i960 years ago, (174 years before 

 Chn^t,) Hung (^ochee, king of Kiangnan, sent an 

 expedition into the Shensi country, under the com- 

 mand of a mandarin, called Hemsing, to conquer it. 

 Afti r one successful campaign, the soldiers were put 

 into winter quarters, \vhere finding the weather mucli 

 colder than what they had been accustomed to *, 

 and being also deprived of their wives and families, 



K K the 



• shensi is the north west province of China, and mpuntainous. 



