4fi ESSAY ON 



considered in a proper light; and it shews the 

 carelessness of the Greeks and Romans, in inquiries 

 of that nature. The regard the Hindus have for the 

 seven Rlshis^ or the seven stars of the great Bear, 

 and wliich they saw so much above the Horizon, 

 made them often look up to them, as well as to 

 the Pleiades. From this circumstance, the Ro- 

 mans foolishly conceived they never saw them be- 

 fore. They also often mentioned the star Canopus, 

 for which the Hindus entertain the highest respect. 

 The ambassadors of Ceylon were surprised, to see 

 the Romans consider the East and West, as the 

 right and left of the world ; and declared it was 

 otherwise in their own country ; and that the sun 

 did not rise in the left, nor set in the right, ac- 

 cording to their mode of reckoning. For the 

 Hindus say, that the East is before, and the West 

 behind ; and the shadow of bodies must have been 

 affected in the same manner. With respect to the 

 moon's course, there is the bright half, and the 

 dark half; which, in India^ constitutes what is called 

 the day and night of the Pitris. The day is reck- 

 oned, from the first quarter to the last ; and this 

 is called the bright half, or the day of the Pitr1,s ; 

 the dark half is from the last to the first quarter of 

 the next moon ; and this constitutes their night. 

 When Pliny says, that, in their country, the moon 

 was seen only from the 8th to the l6th, he was 

 mistaken ; he should have said, that the bright half, 

 or day of the Pitris, began on the eighth day, and 

 lasted sixteen days, including the eighth: and then 

 began the dark half, or night of the Pitris; and, 

 from these expressions misunderstood, the Romans 

 concluded that the moon was not to be seen, in their 

 country, during the dark half. 



III. According to Mil. Deguignes, the king of 

 Tientso, or India, sent men by sea to China, carrying 

 presents to the Emperor, in the years 159 and 16]. 



