THE SURFACE OF THE GLOBB. 



I25 



sured the revolution of the sun, the moon, and their principal inequa- 

 lities. All the rest is involved in darkness, uncertainty, and gross 

 errors. It would be lost time to endeavour to explain or search into 

 the chaos. 



*' Excepting a few particulars, I have said all that I think on the 

 subject. I do not pretend to make converts : it is of little consequence 

 who may or may not adopt my opinions ; but if my arguments be com- 

 pared with the speculations of Newton, Herschel, Bailly, and many 

 others, it is not impossible that in time these chimeras, more or less 

 brilliant, may not be relished, 



" I have endeavoured to determine the extent of the constellations 

 after the catasterisms of the false Eratosthenes. The thing is really 

 impossible. It would be still worse if Hyginus, and particularly Fir- 

 micus, are consulted. I subjoin what I have extracted from Erato- 

 sthenes. 



Constellations. 



Duration. 





Aries 



1747 Years 





Taurus 





1826 





Gemini 





1636 





Cancer 





1204 





Leo 





2617 





Virgo 





3307 





The Talons. . . 







1089* 



Scorpio ..... 





1823 





Sagittarius . . . 





2138 





Capricornus . 





1416 





Aquarius . . . 





1196 





Pis es. 





2936 





" As to the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians, we must 

 not think of them. We can, in fact, get nothing from them. My opinion 

 is expressed in the preliminary discourse of my History of the Astro- 

 nomy of the Middle Age, pp. 17 and 18. 



" See also the note added to the report on the Memoirs of M. de 

 Paravey,- vol. viii. of the New Annals of Voyages, and re-published 

 by M. de Paravey in his Summary of his Memoirs on the Origin of 

 the Sphere, pp. 24, and from 31 to 36. See also the Analysis of the 

 Mathematical Labours of the Academy in 1820, pp. 78 and 79. 



" Delambre.'' 



* Eratosthenes makes only one constellation of Scorpio and the Talons. He 

 makes the commencement of the latter without fixing the end • and, as he gives 

 1823 years to Scorpio, properly so called, there would remain 1089 years for the 

 Talons, supposing that there was no space between the two constellations. 



