THE SURFACK OF THE GLOBE. 115 



dependently of their twenty-seven nacchatrons, or lunar houses, 

 which are very similar to those of the Arabs, they have in their zodiac 

 the same twelve constellations as the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and 

 Greeks * ; and if we refer to M. Wilfort, their extra-zodiacal con- 

 stellations were the same as those of the Greeks, and had names 

 which differ very slightly from the Greek names f. 



The introduction of astronomy in China is attributed to Yao, who 

 sent, says the Chou-King, astronomers towards the four cardinal 

 points of his empire to examine what stars presided at the four sea- 

 sons, and to regulate what was to be done at each season of the 

 year J, as if it was necessary to send them to different parts to 

 effect this. About two centuries later, the Chou-King mentions a 

 solar eclipse, but with absurd circumstances, as in all the fables of this 

 kiud; for a general, and the whole h nese army, is made to march 

 against the astronomers, because they had not properly predicted 

 it § ; and it is known that for more than two thousand years after- 

 wards the Chinese astronomers had no means of predicting the 

 eclipses of the sun with precision. In 1629, of our era, at the time 

 of their dispute with the Jesuits, they did not even know how to 

 calculate the obscurations. 



The real eclipses, recorded by Confusius in his chronicle of the 

 kingdom of Lou, do not begin until 1400 years after this, in 776 

 before Christ, and scarcely fifty years earlier than those of the Chal- 

 deans recorded by PtolemEeus. So true it is, those nations which 

 scaped at the same period from the universal catastrophe, have, 

 under similar circumstances, reached a similar degree of civilization 

 about the same period. But we should believe, by the identity of the 

 name of the Chinese astronomers under different reigns (they appear, 

 according the Chou-King, to be all csdled Hi and Ho), that at this 

 remote epoch their profession was hereditary, as in India, Egypt, 

 and Babylon. 



* See Sir W. Jones's Memoir on the Antiquity of the Indian Zodiac. Mem. of 

 Calcutta, V. ii, p. 289, 8vo. edit, and in the French translation, v. ii, p. 332. 



f "We subjoin M. Wilfort's own words from his Memoir on the Testimonies of the 

 Ancient Hindoo books, concerning Egypt and the Nile. Mem. de Calcutta, v. ill, 

 p. 433, of the Svo. edit. 



" Ha\-ing requested my pundit, who is a learned astronomer, to point out to me 

 in the heavens the constellation of Antarmada, he immediately directed me to Andro- 

 meda, which I had taken care not to show him as a constellation that I knew. He 

 then produced a very scarce and curious book, in Sanscrit, in which was a parti- 

 cular chapter on the Upanacshatras, or extra-zodiacal constellations, with figures 

 of Capeya, and of Casyape sitting, holding a lotus flower in her hand, of Antarmada, 

 chained with the fish near her, and of Parasica, holding the head of a slain monster 

 di-ipping with blood, and with snakes for hair." 



Who does not here recognize Perseus, Cepheus, and Cassiopea .' But let us not 

 forget that this pundit of M. Wilfort has been much doubted. 



X Chou-King, pp. 6, 7. § Chou-Kiag, pp. 66, et seq. 



n2 



