54S ON THE AKTIQUITY OF 



18. From these circumstances, an European astro, 

 nomer, unacquainted with the principles of the j'7/;zrfz^ 

 systems, on seeing such motions given in Hindu 

 tables, would be apt to be deceived by appearances, 

 and assign a degree of antiquity to the work it never 

 possessed ; thinking, that the author must have lived 

 at that period, when according to his ideas, the quan- 

 tities of the mean annual motions were the same as 

 given in the book. This shews the absolute neces- 

 sity of being acquainted with the principles of the 

 Hindu systems of astronomy, before we can attempt 

 to investigate their antiquity from the quantity of 

 the mean annual motion of a planet.* For the mean 

 annual motion of Jupiter above deduced, is 15". 0" 

 21' 3", which quantity, according to the principles 

 of the European astronomy, would refer the age of 

 a book in which it was found, to a period some 

 thousands of years back ; though, in reality it is only 

 calculated to give the position of that planet at the 

 end of the year 4900 of the Cali i/ug\ agreeing with 

 European tables ; and so of the - motions of the rest 

 of the planets above deduced. For, let the mean 

 annual motions above deduced, be multiplied by 

 4 900 J ancl we shall have 

 Sun, revolutions 



Moon, ' 



Mercury, ■ ■ 



A^'enus, 



Mars, • 



Jupiter, 



Saturn, 



