of the Hindoos, and its Divisions. 385 
and the third the time at which the lunar teethee ends ; but as 
many may like to be informed of the nature of an Hindoo al- 
manac, I shall give an account of the remaining parts at the 
end of this paper. 
In those parts of India in which this almanac is used, the 
civil year is lunisolar, consisting of 12 lunar months, with an 
intercalary month inserted between them occasionally. It be- 
gins at the day after the new moon next before the beginning 
of the solar year.* ' 
The lunar month is divided into thirty parts, called teethees ; 
these are not strictly of the same length, but are equal to the 
time in which the moon s true motion from the sun is 12 0 . 
From the new moon till the moon arrives at 12 0 distance from 
the sun, is called the first teethee. From thence till it comes 
* My reasons for saying that the civil year begins at the day after the new moon 
next before the beginning of the solar year, are as follow: ist. These almanacs be- 
gin at this time, and, moreover, the year of Veekramadeetya and Salavahana, which is 
set down at the top of each page, is the same in the first page as in all the following, 
which would be improper, unless the year began at this time. 2dly. In the calcula- 
tion of the eclipse of the sun, inPERE Patouil let’s Memoir, given in Bailly’s 
Aslronomie Inclienne, the computation is made for the new moon preceding the begin- 
ning of the solar year, and yet the year of Salavahana, and of the cycle of 60, set down 
in the Memoir, is the same as if the solar year was already begun. 3dly. Pere du 
Champ, in his table of the names of the years of the cycle of 60, given in the same 
book, has added to some of them the corresponding year of Christ, together with a day 
of the month. This day, in all of them, is the day next after the new moon, preced- 
ing the beginning of the solar year: and though no explanation is given, must evi- 
dently be intended for the day on which the year begins. And, /phly. It is said in the 
Ayeen Akbery, by Abraham Roger, and, I believe, some other authors, that the 
year begins at this time. To the three last authorities, indeed, it may be objected, that 
they are taken from places in which we do not know that the Benares almanac is 
used; but they shew, that in some parts of India the year begins at that time, and if 
it does so in any place, it most likely does at Benares. 
