4796.) 
judge, from the account given by Cezso- 
vinus, that these three distinét seasons | 
were afterwards denominated years. In 
Egypto quidem anit quissimum ferunt 
annum bimesivem fuisse, post deinde ab 
isone rege QUADRIMESTREM fadium. 
Now it is an known, that the manners 
and custums of the eastern nations, were 
the same with, or at least very similar to, 
those of the Egyptzaus. And that this 
was the case, especially with respect to 
the manner of reckoning times past, and 
adjusting them to different forms of the 
year, appears from the prodigious num- 
bers of years ascribed by ancient historians 
to several nations: for when you divide 
those numbers by 360 (the number of 
days in the Egyptian year, before the 
admission of the éwayeuevar) you find a 
number of years, not distant from proba- 
bility, and sometimes corresponding with 
known history. Or if a fraétion remains, 
after a certain number of complete years, 
it is constantly a fra¢tion of one or two 
thirds of 360; that is to say, a fra€tion 
expressive of one or two guadrimestres 
years. From that circumstance, I judge, 
that these great numbers were the pro- 
duce of years of four months, resolved. 
by the chronologists into the diurnal re- 
volutions of the sun. These numbers 
must now, for the sake of perspicuity, 
be reduced into years of the form used 
in our chronological tables. One in- 
Stance, taken from the history of the 
Chaldeans, written by a Chaldean author, - 
shall set the matter in a very clear light. 
Most, if not all the learned, agree, that 
Berosus’s 150,000 years arcsomany days, 
but vary in the explanation. I will here 
mention the opinion of a very respectable 
relation of mine, a_most esteemed mem- 
ber of the Academy of Sciences at Ber- 
tim, with whora I had the honour to 
correspond in my younger days, and 
whose learned disquisitions were of the 
utmost service to me in my chronological 
researches. J do not always agree with 
him in every particular, nor did I take 
his quotations upon trust, but did gene- 
rally consult the original, when a com- 
plete library was within my reach. Mr. 
Alphonsus des Vignoles, inhis Dissertati- 
on touchantlaForme del’ Année anclenne, 
Ch. ii, Seat. 8, expresseth himself thus, 
upon that passage of Berosus, who saith 
that historical records of 150 thousand - 
years, werecarefully preserved at Babylon. 
“* Berosus, in order to express the time, 
which had elapsed from the zra of Nebo- 
wassar to Alexander’s expedition towards 
Babylon, inadvertently reckoned the: 
Improvement of Eleftrical Machines. 
‘learned academician: 
ITs 
years of that interval, which were com- 
plete, as if they were the ancient years 
of 360 days; to which he added 240 
days of the current year, the 417th of 
Nabonassar. First then, 416 years, mul- 
tiplied by 360, give 149,760 days: 2dly, 
the 417th year of Nabonassar, began on 
November the 14th; and from that day, 
to rrth of July following, there are 240 
days. These two numbers put together,. 
make the 150,000 days. Now it was at 
that very time, Alexander entered Asia. 
In the month Hecatombeon, he came to 
dapsacum, on the banks of the Euphrates, 
and the Hecatombeon of that year, began 
on the gth of July.’’ I will add three 
short remarks on this passage of the 
ist, Berosus was 
too able a chronologist, to be suspeéted 
of having computed, as he did, inadver- 
tently. If he did, as supposed, which I 
doubt, it was to conform to the method 
constantly observed by former chronolo- 
gers, in resolving years into days, taking 
360 for their multiplier. 2dly, The mul- 
tiplication by the Julian year 365%, so 
Prodigiously exceeds the 150,000, that it 
Is not admissible; nor do I think any 
arithmetical operation can agree with 
that number, except we take a term dif. 
ferent from that of the final defeat of 
Darius. But, thirdly, it appears to me 
that Berosws’s computation may be de« 
fended upon better ground. An author 
generally adjufts his dates to the time 
when he writes. Now Polysistor, who 
tells us, that Berosus lived in the time of 
Alexander, doth not say that he wrote 
his history of Chaldea during the reign 
of that conqueror. Why should not we 
think that the frst book was written, fiy 
years before the taking of Babylon, about 
the time of his accession to the crown of 
Macedon, in the beginning of A. Nabon, 
412. Then multiplying 421 by 36s, we 
have 150,015 days, Berosus’s hundred 
and fifty thousand sas prmeoy, 
{ To be continued in our next: | 
ce. eeee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
STR, : 
A’ your Work professes to be open to 
communications, ‘‘.on all topics of 
practical and speculative seience,’’ I con- 
ceive that the hint of a material improve. 
ment in the construction of eleétrical 
machines, will not improperly enter into 
your plan. My idea, I ‘believe, is én- 
tirely mew; and, therefore, may be the. 
more acceptable to such as apply them- 
: 5 * selves 
