ASTRONOMY of the BRAHMINS. 145 



modern kalendars *. The moon's apogee is fuppofed to have 

 been in the beginning of the moveable zodiac, 621 days after 

 the epoch of the 21ft of March 638, and to make an entire re- 

 volution in the heavens in the fpace of 3232 days '[. The firft 

 of thefe Suppositions agrees with Mayer's tables to lefs than a 

 degree, and the fecond differs from them only by 1 i h , 14 , 31" ; 

 and if it be considered that the apogee is an ideal point in the 

 heavens, which even the eyes of an aftronomer cannot directly 

 perceive, to have difcovered its true motion, fo nearly, argues 

 no fmall correctnefs of obfervation. 



13. From the place of the apogee, thus found, the inequali- 

 ties of the moon's motion, which are to reduce her mean to 

 her true place, are next to be determined. Now, at the oppofl- 

 tions and conjunctions, the two greateft of the moon's inequa- 

 lities, the equation of the centre and the evection, both depend 

 on the diftance from the apogee, and therefore appear but as 

 one inequality. They alfo, partly, deftroy one another ; fo 

 that the moon is retarded or accelerated, only by their differ- 

 ence, which, when greateft, is, according to Mayer's tables, 

 4 , 57', 4?'"« The Siamefe rules, which calculate only for 

 oppositions and conjunctions, give, accordingly, but one ine- 

 quality to the moon, and make it, when greateft, 4 , 56', not 

 2' lefs than the preceding. This greateft equation is applied, 

 when the moon's mean diftance from the apogee is 90 ; 

 in other Situations, the equation is lefs, in proportion as the 

 fine of that diftance diminishes %. 



14. The Siamefe MS. breaks off here, and does not inform 

 us how the aftronomers of that country proceed, in the remain- 

 ing parts of their calculation, which they feem to have under- 



Vol. II. / taken, 



* The Indian period is more exaft than that of our golden number, by 35'. Aft. Ind. 

 p. 5. The Indians regulate their feftivals by this period. Ibid. Difc. Prelim, p. viii. 



f Aft. Ind. p. 11. & 20. 



X Aft. Indienne, p. 13. Cassini Mem. Acad. torn. 8. p. 304. 



