eighteenth century. The Asiatic Society of Bengal contributed
translations of Brahmin literature. The two principal sources of
knowledge about Chinese astronomy were supplied, first by Father
Souciet, who in 1729 published _Observations Astronomical,
Geographical, Chronological, and Physical_, drawn from ancient
Chinese books; and later by Father Moyriac-de-Mailla, who in 1777-1785
published _Annals of the Chinese Empire, translated from
Tong-Kien-Kang-Mou_.

Bailly, in his _Astronomie Ancienne_ (1781), drew, from these and
other sources, the conclusion that all we know of the astronomical
learning of the Chinese, Indians, Chaldaeans, Assyrians, and Egyptians
is but the remnant of a far more complete astronomy of which no trace
can be found.

Delambre, in his _Histoire de l'Astronomie Ancienne_ (1817),
ridicules the opinion of Bailly, and considers that the progress made
by all of these nations is insignificant.

It will be well now to give an idea of some of the astronomy of the
ancients not yet entirely discredited. China and Babylon may be taken
as typical examples.

_China_.--It would appear that Fohi, the first emperor, reigned
about 2952 B.C., and shortly afterwards Yu-Chi made a sphere to
represent the motions of the celestial bodies. It is also mentioned,
in the book called Chu-King, supposed to have been written in 2205
B.C., that a similar sphere was made in the time of Yao (2357
B.C.).[1] It is said that the Emperor Chueni (2513 B.C.) saw five
planets in conjunction the same day that the sun and moon were in