244 Invention of the Marmefs Compass. 



parently composed of the Sanscrit kdnta, loving^ and the Cinga- 

 lese galah, stone. 



The languages of Mussulman Asia derive the names which 

 they give to the magnet, mostly, from the Greek MixyviiTrig : thus 

 in Arabic we find al-?ndghndthis ; in Persian seng-i-maghnathis 

 — the stone m,aghndthis ; and in Turkish mikridthis. 



Of the names given to the magnetic needle and compass, one 

 which is to be met with in many European languages, is the Ital- 

 ian boussola, the Portuguese biissola, the Spanish brujula, the 

 French boussole, &c. Some Itahan authors have claimed this term 

 as original in their own language, and have sought to argue, from 

 its having been so widely adopted in other languages, in favor of 

 their national assumption of the honor of having invented the 

 compass. The word cannot, however, be deduced from an Ital- 

 ian origin any more reasonably than from an assumed English di- 

 minutive boxel, no such diminutive existing, which some writers 

 have attempted ; nor does the Greek Mnsaelag, bear the appear- 

 ance of being original with that language. The derivation of both 

 the Greek Mnsaslag, and the Italian boussola, and so of the cor- 

 responding words in other languages of Europe, is to be found 

 in the Arabic mouassala — arrow, an initial m of Arabic words, 

 having been very commonly changed, in the middle age, to b. 

 Mouassala is itself one of the names given to the magnetic needle 

 in Arabic. 



Among the Turks and Persians, the term for the compass, in 

 most general use, is kibUh-nameh, or kibUh-numa — indicator of 

 the kibleh, which is the direction to be faced in prayer, and con- 

 sequently, as Mecca lies to the south of most of the Mohamme- 

 dan countries, the south. With this is perfectly synonymous the 

 Chinese apellation tchi nan — indicator of the south, and the Man- 

 dchow dchoulesi dchorikou, for the magnetic needle. The Per- 

 sians undoubtedly derived their name for the compass, kibleh- 

 7iaineh, from the Chinese, for it is a peculiarity limited to the 

 Chinese and those who have adopted their civilization, that they 

 make the south their principal pole, regarding this as the anterior 

 and the north as the posterior side of the world ; according to 

 which they also place the throne of their Emperor, and the prin- 

 cipal facade of their edifices, so as to front the south. 



As the Hindoos have never been addicted to navigation, the 

 knowledge of the compass seems to have been introduced but 

 very late among them, and the names they give to it are for the 



