double of that in common use, by which the collections were made: secondly, it appears that neither the gold nor silver was pure, but in the ore; and as such, its value cannot be estimated at more than one-seventh part of its gross weight; which reduces the talent of pure gold from an hundred and twenty-five to nine pounds weight: for 125 2624, or sixty-three nearly; and then 63÷ 7=9. In the seventh Psalm we read "as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times." I will not pronounce this an error although I suspect it to be such. For it is well known that, once refined, neither gold nor silver can be rendered more pure by a repetition of the process. I should therefore read purified to a seventh part of its weight; particularly as the same word occurs in the seventy-ninth Psalm, which a learned author assures us the Chaldean paraphrase renders "one part for seven." And this is in some degree confirmed by 2 Kings v. 22. where we read that Naaman placed two changes of raiment, and two talents of silver, on two of his servants, who bore them before the sons of the prophet. The weight of 125lbs. of silver amounts to three thousand Rupees in value. So that, supposing Naaman placed one talent on each servant, the weight greatly exceeded that which any man could have borne on a journey. We must, therefore, suppose them to have been two talents, weighing nine pounds each. Again, we read in 2 Sam. xii. 30. and 1 Chron. xx. 2. that the crown which David took from off the head of the king of the children of Ammon, when he was slain by Joab, in Rabbah, which he placed on his own head, weighed "one talent of gold." This, it is clear, was the king's talent of refined gold, weighing nine pounds. Yet, according to the letter, it weighed an hundred and twenty-five pounds. And had it been recorded that an Indian chief sustained so ponderous a crown in the heat of battle, we may venture to affirm that it would have been pronounced "a monstrous absurdity." As a collateral proof, that the talent was of the weight of nine pounds troy, I must observe, that a bag of Pagodas, in value 400 pounds sterling, weighs nine pounds troy, or the refined talent. And the mode of conveying money is in general by Golapeons, who binding a talent of gold in a bag, fasten it round their waist, like the servants of Naaman. Having established the talent of pure gold at nine, in lieu of an hundred and twenty-five pounds weight, the offering of David agrees with the Hindu numbers. IN GOLD. David's first offering. second offering.. .43,200000. The offering of the princes.... 2,160000. In 1 Chron. xxii. 14., it is recorded, that the first gold provided by David amounted to one hundred thousand talents; and in the fourth verse of the twenty-ninth chapter, that the oblation consisted of three thousand talents; and in the seventh verse, that the offering of the princes was five thousand talents. Calculating the talent at nine pounds weight, and estimating the value at four pounds sterling per ounce, it will be in value as follows: 100000 = 900000, at 4 per oz. 43200000 The above is independent of the offering made by the people; which amounted to 10000 attic drachms, or 5000 pounds sterling. But, if it be understood literally, the oblations amounted to 648000000. Supposing then these offerings to be one-half of the collections, the whole revenue collected by David, in gold alone, amounted to 1296000000; and if we admit that the proportion was two-fifths, which perhaps is the more probable hypothesis, for from the most ancient times to nearly the present day, one-tenth of the revenues was set aside for the sanctuary, before any donation or Nazar was made, then the Hebrew account greatly exceeds even that which appears so monstrous an absurdity" to Mr. Wilford. For, as king Nanda had 1584000000 in his treasury, king David must have had 1620000000. Now, since the numbers recorded by the Hindus agree so entirely with those given by the Hebrews, it is surely at least possible that those numbers, still so well known to the Hindus, were once equally famous among the Hebrews. How far more consonant to reason, to equity, and every Christian principle, would it be, to endeavour to reconcile the records of our brethren in India, to those of Scripture, than to assert all, which we do not comprehend, to be "monstrous and absurd?" Let us cast the beam out of our own eye, ere we attempt to eradicate the mote that may be found in the eye of an Hindu. Those who, like Volney, openly attack religion, are less dangerous than those who obliquely point the envenomed dart, and wound it under the cloak of sanctity. Where is the difference between asserting that the Scriptures are filled with monstrous absurdities; and asserting those records of the Hindus which agree therewith, to be so? Had this author attended to the books of Chronicles or Kings, he would have known that the gold annually collected as fines from the conquered provinces, weighed six hundred and sixty-six talents, independently of that brought by chapmen and merchants, and all the kings of Arabia and governors of the countries, who brought gold and silver to Solomon. The latter might be in ore; but the former, having been collected by the tax-gatherers, must have been refined gold, or specie, and estimated by the king's, or smallest talents, netted annually 2013984 pounds sterling. And these taxes were considered trifling in proportion to the sums brought by the kings of Arabia, Hirom, &c. chapmen and merchants. The Nazar, or present, made by the queen of Sheba to the king, amounted to an hundred and twenty talents of gold, or to 362880 pounds sterling of our money. If we confine ourselves to the Sacred books of the Hindus, we shall never meet with passages that are not capable of being reconciled with truth and reason. But, while all the legends collected from the unenlightened are handed down as historic truths by our countrymen, we cannot be surprized at their appearing monstrous and absurd. Those, who dare rise above these illiberal prejudices, will be amply recompenced for their labour, by finding the Hindu antediluvian records agree with those of the Hebrew: although the former are far more comprehensive than the latter. That the |