monarch mentioned as the richest in the world was the same with Solomon, I have no doubt, because the Cashmirians have a tradition, that they are descended from the Jews. The name of Moses is well known among them, and they place the birth of Buddha, the black shepherd, in the same year in which the Hebrew prophet was born. The reign of this rich monarch is likewise placed about 500 years after the time of Crishnu, which corresponds with the time of Solomon who married the daughter of Pharaoh king of Egypt*, about A. M. 2991: and all Mr. Wilford's information comes from the Egyptian side of India. During the last century, the Cashmirians shewed a monument, which was called the throne of Solomon. This will be more fully explained in the life of the fourth Buddha. Let us precisely multiply our own table of time by its subdivisions, and we shall find it agree with that of the Hindus, admitting ten Matires to equal one second. * 1 Kings iii. 1. + Diodorus Siculus states the annual amount received from the gold mines, at this period, at 32000000 of Minas; and speaks of it as an offering to the Gods, stating that Ramphos, the son of Cetes, left in his treasury 400000 talents in gold and silver: thus proving that such a legend did exist among the Egyptians two thousand years ago. Seconds 1 x 60 = 60 = 1 minute. 3600 = 1 hour. 43200 = 1 day of twelve hours. 86400 = 1 day and night. 1296000 = 1 half month. 3110400000 × 360 =1119744000000= This prolonged period is metaphorically said to be but a second to Vishnu: but no orthodox Brahman admits time to exist with the immortal God." These tables agree so entirely with the three Hindu tables, given in my first Letter, as to leave no doubt but that the prolonged periods of all eastern nations may be decyphered thereby. I shall, therefore, only make a few remarks on the essay that follows that of Mr. Wilford, in the same volume of the Asiatic Researches. Mr. Bentley presents us with an entire new system without coming nearer the truth. By introducing poetic and astronomical eras, he places the birth of Adam in the first year of the Cali age, which he admits to have been in the 906th year of the world. With the exception of that respecting Nanda, I cannot but think every statement of his erroneous: his system is professedly formed on a conviction, that the Buddha of Sir William Jones, stated by him to have been born in the 1002d year of the Cali age, was the Budha of the Lunar dynasty, said to have married Ila the daughter of Noah. To substantiate which, he strikes out an hundred and fifteen years, and places the birth of Budha at A. M. 1787; and then, to ascertain the dates, that should be placed against the names of his descendants he consults the bills of mortality of the present day: thereby reducing the average age of man, stated both by the Hebrews and Hindus at 857 years, to 33. Now should we admit Budha to have been the son-in-law of Noah, instead of the grandson of Adam, yet, when the age of man was reduced to one-half, the average age was then 427 years. Shem, the son of Noah, is stated to have lived at least six hundred years. For he is supposed to have been alive at the marriage of his grandson |