whence we may, in a great measure, account for the obfcurity and confufion in which this fubject has hitherto remained among the Indians themselves; and the confequent glimmering light that preceding writers have yet afforded in this branch of oriental knowledge, which really feems to have been flurred over as a drudgery entirely beneath their notice and enquiry. The first g,huree of the first puhur is fo far facred to the Emperor of Hindustan, that his G,huree,alee alone ftrikes one for it. The fecond g,huree is known by two blows on the G,huree,al, and fo on: one stroke is added for every g,huree to the higheft, which (affuming the equinoctial periods for this ftatement) is eight, announced by eight diftin&t blows for the past g,hurees; after which, with a flight intermiffion, the gujur of eight bells is ftruck or rung, as noted in the diagram by the chime figure 8, and then one hollow. found publishes the first, or ek puhur din or rat, as this may happen, and for which confult the plate. In one g,huree, or 24 of our minutes, after this, the fame reiteration takes place; but here ftops, at the feventh or meridional g,huree, and is then followed with its gujur, or chime of 15; of which 8 are for the firft watch, and 7 for the fecond, or do puhur, now proclaimed by two full diftin&t founds. We next proceed with 7 more g,hurees, exactly noting them as before, and ringing the gujur of 22 ftrokes, after the feventh g,huree, or teen puhur, alfo known by three loud founds. The fourth puhur has, like the firft, 8 g,hurees, and differs in no other refpect than having a gujur of 30 after the equatorial g,huree has been ftruck, the whole being closed by four loud blows on the g,huree, al for char puhur din or rat; the repetition being the fame day and night during the equinoctial periods, which I have here given merely as an example more eafy for the fcholar's comprehenfion at first than the reft. The extreme gujurs may be properly termed the evening and morning bell; and, in fact, the word feems much reftricted to thefe, as puhur alone is more commonly

commonly used for the middle chimes than gujur appears to be. Six or eight people are required to attend the establishment of a g,huree; four through the day, and as many at night; fo that none but wealthy men, or grandees, can afford to fupport one as a neceffary appendage of their confequence and rank, which is convenient enough for the other inhabitants, who would have nothing of this fort to confult, as (thofe being excepted which are attached to their armies) I imagine there are no other public (g,hurees) clocks in all India.

VI.

On Indian Weights and Meafures.

BY

H. T. COLEBROOKE, Efq.

COMMENTATORS reconcile the contradictions of ancient authors on the fubject of weights and measures, by a reference to different standards. To understand their explanations, I have been led to fome enquiries, the refult of which I fhall ftate concisely, to alleviate the labour of others who may feek information on the fame fubject; omitting, however, fuch meafures as are of very limited use.

Moft of the authorities which I fhall quote have not been confulted by myfelf, but are affumed from the citations in a work of Go'PA'LA BHATTA', on Numbers and Quantities, which is intitled Sanc'hyaparimina.

MENU, YAJNYAWALEYA, and NA'REDA, trace all weights from the leaft vifible quantity, which they concur in naming trafarénu, and defcribing as the very fmall mote which may be difcerned in a fun-beam paffing through "a lattice." Writers on medicine proceed a step further, and affirm, that a trafarénu contains thirty paramánu, or atoms: they defcribe the trafarénu in words of the fame import with the definitions given by MENU, and they furnish another name. for it, vansi. According to them, eighty-fix vansis make one marichi, or fenfible portion of light.

The

The legiflators above named proceed from the tra

farénu as follows:

8 trafarénus 3 lichas

1 licha, or minute poppy seed. = 1 rája fherfhapa, or black muf

tard feed.

3 rája shershapas = 1 gaura fhershapa, or white muf

tard feed.

6 gaura fherfhapas = 1 yava, or middle fized barley

3 yavas

corn.

=1 crishnala, or feed of the gunjà.

This weight is the lowest denomination in general ufe, and commonly known by the name of retti, corrupted from retticà,* which, as well as racticà, denotes the red feed, as crishnala indicates the black seed,

of the gunjà creeper. Each retti ufed by jewellers is

equal to ths of a carat. The feeds themselves have been ascertained by Sir WILLIAM JONES, from the average of numerous trials, at 1, grain. But fictitious rettis, in common ufe, fhould be double of the gunjà feed; however, they weigh less than two grains and a quarter. For the ficca weight contains 179 grains nearly; the másha, 17 nearly; the retti, 2 nearly. Writers on medicine trace this weight from the smallest fenfible quantity in another order.

30 paramánus, or atoms = 1 trafarénu, or vansì.

86 vansis

6 marichis

3 rágicas

8 fherfhapas 4 γαύας

=1 marichi, or fenfible quantity of light.

= 1 rágicà, or black mustard feed.

1 fherfhapa, or white muftard feed.

1 yava, or barley-corn, = 1 gunja, or racticà.

* Asiatick Researches, vol. ii. page 154.

A rettica