pent, 7 Horse, 8 Sheep, 9 Monkey, 10 Cock, 11 Dog, 12
Boar. The night is divided into five watches, each of two hours
duration...." (Douglas, China, p. 296).

The ancient Mexican priest-astronomers marked three divisions of the night
by burning incense in honor of certain stars, after dusk, at midnight and
at break of day.

The mention of the introduction into China of the Mongolian
hour-computation leads to a consideration of the origin of what is known
as the Chinese civilization. It is, of course, impossible to do more here
than touch upon the various and opposite views held on this important
question by leading European and Chinese scholars. On the one hand, "the
existence of the Chinese civilization in the east of Asia, separated from
early centres by the whole width of Asia and intervening trackless
deserts, has seemed a problem to many students and led to the conclusion
of its sporadic growth, an idea which is fostered by Chinese historians."
(See Douglas on Chinese Culture and Civilization, 1890.) On the other
hand, it is maintained that the Chinese entered China from Tartary and
were emigrants from Babylonia who abandoned their country when Nakhunte,
king of Susiana, conquered Babylon in 2295 B.C.

According to Legge, the Chinese came through central Asia about 2200 B.C.
and founded colonies on the banks of the Yellow river and its tributaries.
These colonists founded a Middle Kingdom in China, a federation of states
with a chief supreme ruler, on the pattern of Babylonia. They introduced
the art of writing and established a calendar with a year of 360 days and
an intercalary month.

It is stated that the names of the five planets of the Chinese, besides
the Sun and Moon, were called by the same names as in Babylon. (See Edkins
_op. cit._, also The old Babylonian characters and their derivatives,
Terrien de Lacouperie, Babylonian and Oriental Record, March, 1888.) Some
authorities are inclined to consider Chinese astronomy as derived from the
Chaldean; whilst others have instituted comparisons between it and the
Hindoo system. The results of the latter line of investigation are set
forth by J. F. Davis in the following passage of his work on the Chinese
(London, 1836, vol. II., p. 304): "A comparison between the ancient system
of the Chinese and of Hindoo astronomy is rendered somewhat perplexing by
the fact that, while there are some points of resemblance there are others
in which they essentially differ. B