they being quite ignorant of the Theory; and have no Knowledge of the Relations which thefe Things bear one to another. Some Bramin always ftudies the Use of these Tables, and afterwards teaches it to his Children; and thus the Tables have been tranfmitted, by a Kind of Tradition, from Father to Son; and the Ufe to which they should be applied has been preferved. The Indians confider an Eclipfe as a Day of plenary Indulgence; they imagining that, by washing themselves on that Day in Sea-water, they are cleanfed from all Sins.

As their Syftem with regard to the Heavens and the Stars is falfe, they tell us the most chimerica! Particulars concerning the Motion of the Sun, and the reft of the Planets. They are of Opinion, for Inftance, that the Moon is above the Sun; and whenever an European goes about to prove the con

Number of Days, I know not, nor have met with any Thing concerning it in the MSS. of the Danish Miffionaries. They divide the Zodiac into twelve Signs, whofe Names, in their Language, correfpond with those we received from the Greeks, who borrowed them from the Egyptians. They also have the fame Number of Planets as we; and employ them as we do, in denoting the Days of the Week; a Practice they likewife received from the Egyptians, among whom this feptenary Divifion was very antient; whether thefe had borrowed it from the Jews, or that the latter took it from the Egyptians; a Circumftance we are to understand only with regard to the Number of Days, the Hebrews not calling the Days of the Week after the Names of the Planets. Tho' thefe Names vary in India, according to the different Languages, the Name Buda, which was famous among the Antients, as we shall foon fhew, is univerfally confidered as the Place of Mercury; and denotes Wednesday among the Malabarians, the Inhabitants of Ceylon, and the Siameze. The Indians, befides the Signs of the Zodiac, count twenty-feven Conftellations, which they chiefly ufe (as well as the Planets) for foretelling Futurity; and for infinuating themfelves, in Quality of Aftrologers, into the Courts of the Indian Kings, who are very fond of thefe idle Predictions, as well as of Auguries, Pal. mitry, and various other Chimeras, which even the Europeans, notwithstanding the Light of the Gospel, have not yet quite laid ande.

trary,

trary, by an Argument drawn from the eclipfing of that Planet, they are difpleafed, merely because their Principles are oppofed. They alfo imagine that the Sun, after having enlightned our Hemifphere, goes and hides itself, during the Night, behind a Mountain. They admit nine Planets; fuppofing the afcending and defcending Knots to be real Planets, which they, for that Purpose, call Ragoo, and Kedoo. Farther, they cannot perfuade themselves that the Earth is round, but afcribe to it I know not what whimfical Figure.

'Tis true, however, that they know the twelve Signs of the Zodiac, and call them in their Language by the fame Names with us; but it may be proper to take Notice of the manner in which they divide the Zodiac and its Signs. They divide that part of the Heavens which anfwers to the Zodiac into twenty-feven Conftellations. Each of thefe Conftellations confifts of a certain Number of Stars, called (like as with us) after the Name of an Animal, or fome inanimate Creature. They compose these Constellations of parts of our Signs, and of fome other Stars fituated near them. Their first Conftellation begins at the Ram, (including one or two of its Stars, with fome others near them) and they call it Achouini, fignifying, in their Language, Horfe; they imagining that this Conftellation forms the Shape of that Animal. The fecond begins, upwards, towards the Sign of the Bull, and is called Barany, they fancying it to be shaped like an Elephant, and fo of the reft.

Every Sign comprehends two of these Conftellations, and the fourth of another; which forms exactly twenty-feven Conftellations, in the whole Extent of the Zodiac, or twelve Signs. They fubdivide each of the faid Conftellations into four equal Parts, each of which is diftinguished by a Word of one Syllable; fo that the whole Conftellation is call

ed

ed by a whimsical Word of four Syllables, of no Signification, and only expreffing the four equal

Parts.

They alfo divide each Sign into nine Quarters of a Conftellation, which are so many of their Degrees, and equal to three Degrees twenty Minutes of ours. In fine, according to thefe Principles, they divide the whole Zodiac into an hundred and eight of their Degrees; fo that, to point out the Place where the Sun is, they first name the Sign, afterwards the Constellation; and, laftly, the Degree or Part of the Conftellation to which the Sun correfponds. If it be the first Part, they use the first Syllable; if the fecond Part, the fecond Syllable, and fo on.

This is the best Idea I can give you of the Knowledge of the Bramins, who are fo highly revered by the Indians, and fuch bitter Enemies to the Gofpelpreachers. But notwithstanding all their Efforts, the Chriftian Religion increafes daily. There are now four Miffionaries, who labour zealously at the Conversion of these Nations. I myfelf made the fifth, but was obliged to go and pals fome Months in Pondichery, to recover my Health, which had been very much impaired by the unusual Course of Life we are obliged to lead in this Country. I refided three Years in Tarkolan, a pretty confiderable Town. Words could never exprefs the Vexations I met with, either from the Indians, who, spite of all my Precautions, could not be perfuaded but that I was a Prangui; or from the Moors, whofe Camp was only half a Day's Journey from my Church.

I am, &c.

DE LA LANE.

Father

Father FAURE, to Father DE LA BOSSE E.

Reverend Father,

At the Mouth of the Straits of Malacca, in the Bay of Bengal, from on Board the Lys-Brillac, January 17, 1711.

Left France, with the Defign of failing to China, according to the Crder of my Superiors; and you are not infenfible how ftrongly defirous I was to labour in that Miffion. But I now am fixed, in fome Measure, in the Eaft-Indies; I being engaged to labour at the Corverfion of a new People who inhabit a confiderable Number of Islands in the Bay of Bengal, whither the Light of the Gospel has not yet been carried. You will be furprized at this Change, and perhaps may not be difpleafed to know the Occafion of this new Enterprize.

The 5th of November, 1708, I embarked with Father Cazalets, on Board the Aurora, one of his Majefty's Frigates, commanded by Mr. de la Rigaudiere, a very worthy Gentleman, from whom we received numberlefs Favours. He had fhewn the like Civility to feveral other Jefuit-Miffionaries whom he conveyed to India, for which we are greatly indebted to him.

Our Ship had been fitted out, to convey Orders from the Court of Spain to different parts of America. We first failed to Carthagena, and afterwards to Vera Cruz, whence we continued our Journey, by Land, to Mexico, where we joined in Company with feveral other Miffionaries, who were going to the Philippines.

We failed the 30th of March, 1709, (being twenty-three Jefuits) and the 11th of June difco

I

vered

vered the Islands Marianes*, confecrated by the Blood of fo many of our Martyrs, of whom the moft illuftrious was the venerable Father Diego Luiz de Sanvitores, Founder of this Miffion. We continued no longer than was neceffary for taking in fome Refreshments; but fix of our Jefuits ftaid behind; their Affiftance being very much wanted for the Eafe of the first Miffionaries, most of whom were bowed with Age; and incapable of discharging their ministerial Duties.

After leaving the Ilands Marianes, we were within three hundred Leagues of the Philippines: Being overtaken with Calms, towards the End of our Voyage, our Officers and Pilots refolved to make for the Port of Palapa, where they intended to stay till the Beginning of Harveft. For this Reason we were obliged to leave our Ship, and go on Board fmall Veffels, in order that we might have an Opportunity of failing very near the Shore, and pursuing our Voyage fheltered from the Wind.

Thefe Veffels are called, at the Philippines, Caraccas. The Caracca is a fort of fmall Galley with Oars and Sails, with two Wings on each fide, made of thick Canes, to break the Waves, and bear up in the Ocean. A fad and most perilous Way of failing this, where, for three Weeks, we were in greater Danger of lofing our Lives, than during the whole feven Months employed by us in croffing the wide-extended North and South Seas. Of the three Caraccas, on which our whole Company of Miffionaries were a Board, the largeft was wreck'd; and feveral Jefuits who were in her, must inevitably have perished, had not the Indians fwam zealously to their Refcue, and faved them.

Nor did the other two Caraccas, on Board of which I was, efcape the Storm; fo that, being no

*The Ladrones.

longer