188 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



tured with a mnsical-box which was provided with an artificial bird ; 

 but on recovering from his revery, and the price being named, he re- 

 marked, " who would give two hundred dollars for a bird like that, 

 while one that God made, can be bought for a farthing?" 



The Soahili, besides the usual Muslim calendar, have one of their 

 own. Their new year commenced, in 1844, on the 29th of August; 

 or more precisely, at 6 p. m. on the evening of the 28th ; and I re- 

 marked further, that it immediately followed full moon. Sadik stated, 

 that the Soahili year " consists of twelve moons and ten days ; and 

 that from the weather on these supernumerary days, the people prog- 

 nosticate that of the whole year. The months or moons are num- 

 bered, and three only have names, Shaban (understood to indicate 

 the time of planting), Rejib, and Ramadan ;" appellations, which are 

 well known in the Muslim calendar. Indeed it was reiterated, "that 

 the Soahili year is the same with the Arab, and consists in like man- 

 ner of three hundred and sixty-five days, or of twelve moons and ten 

 days." A statement which seems to refer to some agricultural calen- 

 dar used in Southern Arabia. 



The following additional particulars, were obtained from the Sultan 

 of the Soahili ; a highly intelligent personage of mixed race ; who, 

 agreeably to ancient usage, was retained with other Sultans at the 

 seat of government. " The person who has charge of the Soahili 

 year, resides on Tombat, (an inconsiderable islet detached from the 

 larger island of Zanzibar.) He looks at the sun, and makes figures on 

 the ground ; when, on comparing his work with a book (written in 

 Arabic), he declares which is the first day of the year." 



A Parsee, then in Zanzibar, identified the day with the commence- 

 ment of one of the Parsee years; tliough he spurned the idea of any 

 connexion in the calendars. The 29th of August, is well known to 

 be new-year's day with the Abyssinians and Egyptians; except that 

 these nations have not abandoned their reckoning of the lapse of time, 

 as has been done to a certain extent, by modern Europeans. And on 

 this point, the Parsees and Soahili are commonly supposed to have 

 borrowed, in their calculations. According to the above authority, 

 "the Parsee year now contains three hundred and sixty-five days; 

 while formerly one-fourth of a day was added." 



The Soahili Sultan stated in regard to his own family, that " his 

 ancestor came from Sheerazy (Shiraz in Persia), about two centuries 

 ago, and finding the country ruled by a woman, married her." He 

 assigned the same date to the arrival of the people of Muscat; and he 



