Directory_and_Chronicle_1845 — Page 595

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ECLIPSES OF SUN IN 1850.

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I. There will be an annular eclipse of the Sring Feb. 12, central at Singapore, and visible in the morning at Canton; it commences in long 39° E.

II. There will be a votal eclipse of the sun, Aug. 7th, invisible at Canton, but seem throughout the Pacifio. It commences in 'king! 463%E.

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CHRONOLOGICAL CHARACTERS.

Of these, the Chinese have several classes: the following are the most ancient and most generally used. They consist of two sets of characters, the pne of

which, called ++ Shik kin, the 'ten stems,' or đ7 Tien ich the

icelestial stemas ingjudet tem pharacter, viż

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17 #3 Kiák, 4 Z. Yib, 8py Fling, 4

Ting, 6 W6,6 Káng, 8+ Sin, 9 – Jin, 19 ♬ Kwei,

KK

The other set, called Shih-rh chi, the twelve branches,' and

Tť cké, “terrestial branches,” consist of the following twelve characters ;

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寅

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Yin, 4 Mau, 5

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Wi, 9

Shin, IF

Tsz, 2Д Chau, 3

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Shin, 10, 11 Siuh,12

Sz

Hái.

These characters are applied to years, months, days, and hours, as well as to the points of the compass. For chronological purposes the have been combined so as to form a cycle of sixty, as represented on page 3. Kjaw the first of the ten, is joined to tz', the first of the twelve, and read kiih-taz', which denotes the first year, month, &c. of the cycle. 'In the same manner vid and chau, the second of the two sets are united, and so on through the 'ten steins.' Then kinh, the first of the ten, is joined to sigh, the 11th of the twelve, and in this knammer the conjunction is continued up to sixty, when the tenth of the ‘sters,' and the twelfth of the 'branches,"icome together, and the cycle recommences: The 30th year of Taukwang, which commences on the 12th of February 1859, is the 47th of the cycle of years and in called Kang-sinh; the first moon of That year is the 15th of the cycle of moons, and is called W-yin, and the lat day of the

Ist moon is the 31st of the cycle of days, and is called Kidh-wh.

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For hours (and also for the points of the compass) the 'twelve branches' are used singly. The civil day of twenty-four hours is divided into twelve periods of two hours Erch “called xhí shỉn, which are designated by the characters of the twelve branches, in the following manner;