544 ON THE ANTIQUITY OV 



conjunction, yet, the differences between their re- 

 spective positions, and that which was assumed, when 

 divided among the years expired from that epochj, 

 to the time of Varaha, were considered as too 

 small, to cause any considerable difference between 

 the real mean annual motions, and those which it 

 would be necessary to assume, so as to give the po- 

 sitions of the planets at that time, or even to cause 

 , any sensible error in their computed places deduced 

 from thence for many years. 



9. But, in order to make this still plainer, let us 

 suppose, that a Hindu astronomer now starts up, 

 possessed of instruments and other means, whereby 

 he is able to determine the real positions of the 

 planets at present ; and that he is desirous of forming 

 a complete new system, upon the principles of his 

 predecessors j that is to say, assuming a mean con- 

 junction of the planets, at the commencement of the 

 Call yugi what must be the mean annual motions, 

 necessary to be given in such system, so as to bring 

 out the longitud.^s of the planets agreeing with ob- 

 servations ; or their positions in the heavens, as 

 deduced from European tables. 



10. Let the planets be supposed to have been in 

 a line of mean conjunction, in the beginning of Aries, 

 at the commencement of the Cali^jug : that is to say, 

 at the instant of midnight, between Thursday the 

 J 7th, and Friday the \%ih February O. S. in the 

 year of the Julian period 1612, on the meridian of 

 Lanka*: or about 1 o"" 50' east of Greemvich : and 

 let the time at which the mean longitudes of the 

 planets, are to be determined as from observation, 



;.* The Hindus suppose that Lanka lies in the same meridian with 

 Ugtin in the Mharatta dominions, the longitude of which has been 

 determined from a great number of observations niadp by Dr. 

 |IuNTfiK to be 75" 50' east ofCreenwic/j. 



be 



