<i42 ESSAY on 



III. 



liV SAMUEL DAVIS, ESQ. 



AlBUMAZAR, an Arabian astronomer, who lived 

 at Balkh, informs us, that " the Hindus reckoned froni 

 the flood to the Hejra 720, 634, 442, 715 days, or 

 3,725 years." 



The astronomical rules of Brahmagupta, who 

 lived in the 7th century, were in use in Albumazar's 

 time (see Asiat. Researches, vol. 2. p. 239) and the- 

 term of Brahma's employment in the creation, 

 17,06'4,000 years, to be deducted from the years ex- 

 pired of the Culpa, is a correction, which has subse- 

 quently been introduced into the Hindu Astronomy. 



To find, therefore, the number of days expired from 

 the creation, or rather, of days expired of the Calpa, 

 to the beginning of the last j/iiga, we must, instead 

 of proceeding as in vol. 2. p. 273, Asiatic Researches, 

 proceed as follows : 



Years expired of the Calpa to 



the end of the Satj/a i/uga - 1,97(7,784,000 



Tretayuga - - 1,296,000 



Dwcipar - 864,000 



To the Cali-yiiga 1,972,944,000 



As the years of a Calpa^ to the days of a Calpa, so 

 the above number of years, to the corresponding- 

 days. 



It appears from Brahmagupta's treatise, which 

 is still extant, and likewise from the Siddhdnta Sir6- 

 mani, the work of * later author, that the number of 



