■i88 REMARKS on tl 



which marks the death of Salivaganam, one < their princes, 

 in whofe reign a reform Is faid to have taken piace in the me- 

 thods of their aftronomy. There is no reference to any inter- 

 mediate date, from that time to the beginning of the Caly- 

 ougham. . 



The parts of this aftronomy, therefore, are not all of the 

 fame antiquity ; nor can we judge, merely from the epoch to 

 which the tables refer, of the age, to which they were originally 

 adapted. We have feen. that the tables of Chrifnabouram, 

 though they profefs to be no older than the year 149 1 of our 

 era, are, in reality, more ancient than the tables of Tirvalore, 

 which are dated from the Calyougham, or at lead have under- 

 gone fewer alterations. This we concluded from the flow mo- 

 tion given to the moon, in the former of thefe tables, which 

 agreed, with fuch wonderful precifion, with the fecular equa- 

 tion applied to that planet by Mayer, and explained by M. 

 de la Place. 



But it appears, that neither the tables of Tirvalore or Chrif- 

 nabouram, nor any with which we are yet acquainted, are the 

 moft ancient to be found in India. The Brahmins conftantly 

 refer to an aftronomy at Benares, which they emphatically 

 flyle the ancient *, and which they fay is not now underftood 

 by them, though they believe it to be much more accurate than 

 that by which they calculate. That it is more accurate, is 

 improbable ; that it may be more ancient, no one who has duly 

 attended to the foregoing facts and reafonings, will think im- 

 poflible ; and every one, I believe, will acknowledge, that no 

 greater fervice could be rendered to the learned world, than 

 to refcue this precious fragment from obfeurity. If that is 

 ever to be expected, it is when the zeal for knowledge has 

 formed a literary fociety among our. countrymen in Bengal, 

 and while that fociety is directed by the learning and abi- 

 lities of Sir William Jones. Indeed, the farther difcove- 



ries 



* Aft. Ind. p. 309. M. le Gentil, Mem. Acad. Scien, 1772. P. II. p. 221. 



