Notwithstanding the aversion of the Chinese to the profession of the
Roman Catholic religion, which has been shown, first by persecuting, and
then by expelling the Jesuits from the empire, the Chinese government
is, however, obliged to keep at least some missionaries at Pekin to
compile the almanac. While astrology has led in other nations to the
study of astronomy, the Chinese, though they have studied astrology for
some thousand years, have made no progress in the real knowledge of the
stars. Their ancient boasted observations, and the instruments which
they make use of, were brought by the learned men, whom Koubilaï, the
grandson of Gingis Khan, had invited from Balk and Samarcand. The
government, at present, considers the publication of an annual calendar
of the first importance and utility. It must do every thing in its
power, not only to point out to its numerous subjects the distribution
of the seasons, the knowledge of which is essentially necessary to them,
to arrange the manner of gaining their livelihood, and distributing
their labour; but on account of the general superstition, it must mark
in the almanac, the lucky and unlucky days, the best days for being
married, for undertaking a journey, for making their dresses, for
buying, or building, for presenting petitions to the emperor, and for
many other cases of ordinary life. By this means, the government keeps
the people within the limits of humble obedience; it is for this reason
that the emperors of China established the academy of astronomy, but we
must not expect to find men really acquainted with that science. When
this illustrious body, composed of Mantchoos, and in which Europeans,
though subordinate, are the most active, condescended to look at the
planetarium, which was among the presents which the king of England sent
to the emperor of China by lord Macartney, Mr. Barrow was not able to
make the president of this learned society understand the real merit of
that instrument. Besides, how should a people be able to comprehend
astronomy, to know the position of the heavenly bodies, and determine
the orbits of the planets, while it is ignorant of the elements of
mathematics, and makes its calculations by the help of vertical
arithmetical tables, like those used by the shop-keepers in Russia, and
who are ignorant both of analysis and geometry?--_Timkowski's Mission
to China_.
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