,~ 0 . Mr. Marsden on the 
i 
and 1-87, fix hours later; in e 78 1 and 1785, fix hours fooner ; 
and in 1784 and 1 7 8.3 (being leap years) eighteen hours 
fooner than in 1787. The civil year begins at the funrife im- 
mediately preceding the calculated commencement of the aftro- 
nomical, when that happens during the day ; but if in the 
night time, it begins at the funrife following, and will con- 
fift of 566 days fo often as the excels of the agronomical year 
above 365 amounts to a whole day. 
The next era that prefents itfelf, and the firft that has pre- 
tenfions to be conlidered as hiftoncal, is that ot BikrnnitJjii («)• 
This prince, whofe paternal kingdom was Malwa, and his 
capital Ougein, waged w 7 ar againft Saka king ot Debit, pro- 
bably his lord paramount, and having overcome and (lain him, 
afeended in his head the principal throne of India. Authori- 
ties differ widely as to the length of his reign (cj ; but he 
like wife is faid to have fallen in battle, fighting with a king 
who invaded him from the fouthern provinces. He appears, 
from this account, in no other light than that of an unfortu- 
nate ufurper, yet his fame in the memory of the Hindoos has 
eclipfed that of his predeceflors, his adventures are a favourite 
fubjed of romance, and an era has been diftinguilhed by his 
name. It is doubted, whether we ought to confider his accef- 
fion, or his death, as conftituting the proper epoch ; but with 
regard to the time from which the reckoning dates there is no 
uncertainty, and the nature of the event is not effentially con- 
neded with our prefent objed. It is placed in the year 5 ^ 
before Chrift, or in the 4657th of the Julian period, and cor- 
refponds with the 3045th year of the grand era (p). 
I had occafion to remark, when treating of the Hejera , that 
this Mahometan era was computed, not from the day of the 
Prophet’s flight, as generally fuppofed, but from the ordinary 
a com* 
