1830. The first cycle, therefore, begins 3185 years before Christ. By the Telinga account, the first cycle began 3114 years before Christ, and consequently the year 1830 coincides with the 24th year of the 83d cycle. Each year has its peculiar name; that of the 35th year (the ensuing Bengal year) is Plava, and of the 24th (the Telinga) Bikriti.

The days of the week, as used by the Hindoos, are as follows.

Rubbeebar,

Soambar,

Mongolbar,

Boodbar,

Sunday.

Monday.

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

Brihuspoteebar,
Shukrobar,

Suuneebar,

Thursday.
Friday.

Saturday

The Persian, Arabic, and Hindoostani names are used by Mahometans, and will be found under the era of the Hegira.

THE CHINESE,

like all the nations of the North East of Asia, reckon their time by cycles of 60 years; instead of numbering them as we do, they give a different name to every year in the cycle. As all those nations follow the same system, we shall detail it here more particularly. They have two series of words, one of ten, and the other of twelve words; a combination of the first words in both orders is the name of the first year; the next in each series are taken for the second year; and so to the tenth in the eleventh year, the series of ten being exhausted, they begin again with the first, combining it with the eleventh of the second series; in the twelfth year, the second word of the first series is combined with the twelfth of the second; for the thirteenth year, the combination of the third word of the first list with the first of the second list is taken, that list also being now exhausted. To make this clearer, we shall designate the series of ten by the Roman letters, that of twelve by the italics, and the whole cycle of 60 will stand thus:

The series of 10 is designated in China by the name of

teen kan, or celestial signs.

Their characters and names are,―

1. E kêa. 2. Zyih. 3, H

ping. 4. Tting. 5. woo.

6.ke. 7. kang. 8. sin. 9. jin. 10.

kwey.

7.

The series of 12 are the horary characters, and are named teche, terrestrial signs; they are as follows:-1.

toze.

2. chow. 3.yin. 4. U maou. 5. shin. 6. sze. woo. 8.we. 9. shin. 10. yew. 11. seo. 戌 12. ǐ hae. These characters being substituted for their equivalent letters in the cycle, will show the Chinese name of every year; for example, kia tzse is the first year; kang yin, the 27th.

The Chinese months are lunar, of 29 and 30 days each. Their years have ordinarily 12 months, but a thirteenth is added whenever there are two new moons while the sun is one sign of the Zodiac. This will occur seven times in nineteen years.

The boasted knowledge of the Chinese in astronomy has not been sufficient to enable them to compute their time correctly. In 1290 A.D., the Arab Jemaleddin composed a calendar for them, which remained in use until the time of the Jesuit Adam Schaal, who was the director of their calendar until 1664. It then remained for five years in the hands of the natives, who so deranged it, that when it was again submitted to the direction of the Christians, it was found necessary to expunge a month to bring the commencement of the year to the proper season. It has since that time been almost constantly under the care of Christians.

The first cycle, according to the Romish Missionaries, began February 2397 B.C.* We are now, therefore, in the 71st cycle, the 27th of which will begin in 1830. To find out the Chinese time, multiply the elapsed cycle by 60, and add the odd years; then, if the time be before Christ, subtract the sum from 2398; but if after Christ, subtract 2397 from it; the remainder will be the year required.

The Chinese frequently date from the year of the reigning sovereign, and in that case there is no way of having the corresponding date, but by a list of Emperors. We subjoin a list of those who have reigned for the last two centuries.

have a cycle of 60 years, like that of the Chinese, formed by a combination of words of two series. The series of ten is formed

Dr. Morrison carries it back to the 61st year of Hwang-te, 2596 B.C., making the present year to fall in the 74th cycle; but, according to the celebrated historian Choofoo-tsze, Hwang-te reigned about 2700 B.C., making 754 cycles from that period, which is, probably, more correct than either of the above statements.

of the names of the elements, of which the Japanese reckon five, doubled by the addition of the masculine and feminine endings, je and to.

1 kino-je, wood.
2 kino-to,

3 fino-je, }fire.

The series of 12 is made up of

the signs of the Zodiac.

4 fino-to,

8

tsitsuse, sheep.

9 midsno-je,

10 midsno-to, S water.

12

y, hog.

By substituting these words for the letters in the cycle, under the head of China, the Japanese names are found. Thus, the first year of a cycle is called kino-je ne, the 35th, tsutsno-je in, and so on. The cycles coincide with those of the Chinese; but a name is given to them instead of numbering them. Their years begin in February, and are luni-solar, of 12 and 13 months, with the intercalation as before mentioned under the head of China. The first cycle is said to begin 660 B.C.; but this cannot be correct, unless some alteration has taken place, as the Chinese cycle then began 657 B.C. We know, however, too little of Japan to pronounce positively respecting it, but thus far it is certain, that the cycle now coincides with that of the Chinese.

To an article of this nature, it may not be thought superfluous to append a slight notice of the manner in which some of the abo riginal tribes of America reckoned their time, before its discovery by the natives of Europe. The science of astronomy seems to have advanced there to a much greater extent than is commonly imagined. The extraordinary accuracy of the Mexicans in their computations, surpassing that of the Europeans of their time, cannot be accounted for otherwise than by the supposition that they had derived it from some people more civilized than themselves; and would appear incredible, if not well attested by Spanish authors of the fifteenth century, as well as by many hieroglyphic almanacs yet remaining, of undoubted antiquity. The Peruvians and Muyscas had lunar years of great accuracy also; but this is less surprising, as the phases of the moon are sufficiently visible to the eye, and their returns frequent. We shall detail that of the Mexicans only.

The year of the Mexicans consisted of 365 days; it was composed of eighteen months of twenty days each, and five additional, called nemontemi, or void. At the end of a cycle of fifty-two years, thirteen days were added, and at the end of another cycle, twelve days, and so on alternately, making an addition of twenty

five days in 104 years. This made the mean year to consist of 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, 9 seconds, being only 2' 39+g" shorter than the truth. As the wanton destruction of the Mexican monuments and hieroglyphic records by their cruel and barbarous conquerors has left little to study, and the extermination of the Mexicans of superior order has done away with their system, we shall not detail the names of their months and particulars of their cycles, which afford striking coincidences with those of the Tartars, Japanese, &c. We shall only add that their first cycle began in the month of January, A.D. 1090.

II. LIST OF THE CORRESPONDENCE OF ERAS WITH THE YEAR 1830.

[When the commencement of the year coincides with the Christian year, that alone will be given; when it begins at a different season, the month in which the 1st of January 1830 occurs will be also stated.]