Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 24

CHINESE REPOSITORY.

VOL. XIX.-JANUARY, 1850.-No. 1.

ART. I. The comparative English aud Chinese Calendar for 1850 ; names of the foreign residents at the five parts and Hongkong; list of officers in the governments of Hongkong, Macao, and Can- ton; foreign legations and consular establishments in China. THE year 1850 of the Christian era answers to the 4487th year of the Chinese chronology, or as they reckon it, the 48th year of the 75th cycle of sixty years, which commences the 12th of February; the same is the thirtieth year of the reign of His Imperial Majesty Táukwáng, who is now 63 years of age, and consequently one of the oldest poten- tates of the world, and among those who have enjoyed regal dignity the longest. The present year is also the 5610th year of the Jew- ish chronology, which ends Sept. 6th, when the 5611th year com- mences. The lunar year commencing Nov. 6th, 1850, is the 1267th of the Mohammedan era; it is strictly lunar, and since the commence- ment of the era in A.D. 622, there has been a gain of nearly forty years over the Gregorian computation of the solar year. The year of 365 days, commencing Aug. 28th, or Sept. 27th, is the 1220th of the Parsee chronology, called the era of Yezdejerd; this began A.D. 632, but in consequence of rejecting the intercalaray day every fourth year, a discrepancy of nearly ten months has accrued since its commence- ment. Some of the Parsees date their new year Aug. 28th, another part begin Sept. 27th.

The lunar year commencing April 12th is the 1212th of the civil era of the Siamese and Burmese; and that beginning May 26th, is the 2393d of their religious year, computed from the death of Budha. The Japanese, Coreans, and Cochinchinese follow the Chinese sexagenary cycle, in calling the present year kang siuh, but each of these nations dates events froin the commencement of the reigns of their respective monarchs.

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