in the Shuking in connection with the reign of Yao, because we cannot be sure that the place of the stars was at that time accurately calculated. Freret, also, thinks there is an uncertainty to the extent of three degrees, which would leave a margin of 210 years. It is understood, however, that Gaubil was obliged to be circumspect, for it is stated on good authority, that in compliance with orders from Rome, the Jesuits did not venture to dwell too much upon the antiquity of observations or other data which antedated the Flood. Ideler's computation appears, on the whole, effectual and trustworthy and to furnish the data here sought for in connection with the entries in the Chinese history.

Freret says that, according to the most ancient account in the Shuking, Chap. Y. hiun, of the 12th month of the first year of Taikin, the second ruler of the Shang (second dynasty) the only chronological systems respecting the commencement of Yao's reign, on which reliance can be placed, are those of the BambusBook and the Semakuang. But even thus there is still the discrepancy between 2147 and 2357. In order, therefore, to the more definite determination of the date it is felt that recourse must be had to the oldest astronomical data possibly attainable.

From the entry in the 12th moon of the first year of Taikin, the second king of the Shang, who according to the Annals reigned from 1753 to 1721, the date of Yao's accession must have been either 2357, as according to the Semakuang and the Annals, or 2147, as according to the Bambus Book, for which last date Freret has 2145.

Some might suppose the chronological date, 2348 B. C., given at the head of the middle column of Genesis VIII-X., as for the approximate time of the occurrence of the Deluge, had been made out to suit the date of 2357 of the Semakuang for the accession of Yao, who thus, instead of Yu, would stand for Noah.* But it is by

*The following article, which I find in a daily paper, the St. Louis Republican, of March 16th, 1888, as it has been copied into the newspapers generally from the North China Daily News, shows that the valley of the Yellow River is as yet subject to some such freshets as it has been of old, and that there is yet need occasionally of such engineers as we may suppose Yu the son of Kuen to have been to restrain the floods, without our necessarily

no means certain, nor have I ever seen it mooted, that our chronologist, Usher, had in his mind either Yao or Yu, as being the patriarch Noah. Nothing, probably, can be made out of the sur

thinking him to have been equal in engineering skill to the patriarch Noah:

YELLOW RIVER OVERFLOW.

OVER SIXTY THOUSAND MEN EMPLOYED IN REPAIRING THE BREAKS

MILLION TAELS TO BE SPENT IN RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.

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TWENTY

The North China Daily News has made an interesting discovery. Those who are familiar with the map of China know that the Yellow River, as it existed a few months ago, after running from north to south, suddenly turned nearly due east, and held this course along the northern part of the province of Honan, emerging from which and entering Shantung, it took a northeasterly direction, ultimately emptying into the Gulf of Petchili. What happened on the occasion of the recent catastrophe was that the river burst its banks about the middle point of its journey through Honan, and turning southward spread itself over that province, or made its way to the Yangtse via the Grand Canal and other minor routes. Shantung, therefore, ceased to receive its waters, and large tracts of land in the latter province consequently became arable. It was generally supposed by foreigners that in none of its previous escapades had the river taken this route through Honan, and that as the natural configuration of the country seemed to lend itself to the river's new course, any attempt to restore it to its old channel must prove a failure. But it has now been discovered, by reference to Baron Richthofen's letters, published in 1870, that two years previously (1868) the Yellow River burst its banks at a point only ten miles higher up stream than the present breach, and poured out its waters over practically the very region now immersed. The only difference was one of degree. In 1868 the breach was comparatively small, the depth of the inundation was much less and the loss of life was insignificant. The government succeeded in repairing the bank and restraining the river in its former channel at a cost of 2,000,000 taels. On the present occasion it is proposed to spend 20,000,000, and there seems to be no valid reason why the restoration of the river to its old course should not be effected.

No one seems able to determine what shall be done with the Yellow River. The question remains in statu quo, and the river too. The mischievous stream made its way, as our readers will remember, into the low-lying lands of Honan and Anhui, which it converted into a lake, while at the same time large tracts of land in Shantung, formerly covered by its waters, have now become cultivable. Whether the balance is one of loss or of gain to the Chinese Empire has not yet been determined. But how is the river to be dealt with? Some hold that the course now taken by the stream is that indicated by nature. Dr. Williamson, who ought to be competent to speak, maintains this view. The river now, he says, runs through "lakes which can in a measure receive its overflow, through'a vast area which it can irrigate, and through a natural channel throughout its whole length to the sea." He therefore advocates encouraging the river to remain in the course which it has taken. But this theory, sensible as it sounds, has one drawback; no one is in a position to say where a natural channel to the sea does exist from the lakes into which the river has poured itself, and from the areas it has inundated.

face similarity of the forms, Yao and Noah, or of the connected forms Yao and Shin with Noah and Shem; for, although the N and they both in the Indo-European and Semitic languages may be understood as having arisen from the G, yet the subject is of such antiquity, the Chinese being justly regarded as the base of them both, we can only say here the words may have had a distinct origin,

On the contrary, the evidence goes to show that as yet no considerable volume of the errant waters has found an outlet seawards.

An engineer, J. C. Fergusson, who lately paid a visit to the river, recommends the formation, along its upper course, of huge reservoirs. Into these the overflow could be turned in flood seasons, and when the river fell again the water in the reservoirs would flow back, free of silt, materially helping to scour and cut out the channel. Nature herself employs this system of reservoirs. Examples of them are furnished in China by the Tung-ting and Poyang lakes, which in summer are actual inland lakes, but in winter become vast expanses of sand with little streams creeping through them. It is, however, objected to this scheme that the reservoirs would occupy as much land as the river bed has now flooded, some 5,000,000 acres, and that the remedy would not be permanent, since new reservoirs would be required so soon as the old tilted up. It is evident that the essential preliminary to any sound plan is a survey by competent engineers, and this the Chinese authorities have not yet ordered, though they seem to be growing sensible of the necessity.

The Tsing Kian Pu correspondent of the Temperance Union writes, under date of January 23, as follows: There are now 60,000 or upwards of men at work on the old bed of the Yellow River. Of these about 10,000 are in the vicinity of this city. The channel opened seems to a casual observer very narrow, but according to statements given by those engaged in the work it will be of considerable depth. The aim is to get the whole channel ready before the freshets next summer. From what I am able to learn the breaches in Honan are being closed, and the bank will be opened at the proper place to let the water into the old channel when ready for it. A few days ago I saw more than 30,000 taels of silver wheeled out to pay the workmen. They are paid 164 cash per day and find their own food.

A Tientsin journal states that the number of Yellow River flood refugees, most of whom are in a most pitiable condition, tormented both by hunger and cold, is about 110,000, and until the spring sets in no diminution can take place. A meeting was held on January 16 at Tientsin, attended by a good number of prominent foreign residents, when it was resolved that subscription lists shall be sent to the foreign community, appealing for their charitable contributions. We find it also stated that the native officials, gentry and traders have given large benefactions this year in particular to the poor. Various soup-kitchens have been opened, at one of which 6,000 people daily receive two substantial meals.

The Chinese Times says: All inquiries tend to show that about a third of China north of the Yellow River is suffering more or less acute distress, and in Honan and Anhwe large parts of these governments are under water and are likely to remain so for some years. The only remedy possible is to take the people away and put them into new countries, such as Manchuria, which can readily receive a few million people, who might in a few months support themselves and in a few years become prosperous citizens.

and from different circumstances. The Chinese language is far removed from the Egyptian formation, which a comparison of the original languages and a study of their progressive development shows as compared with it to represent the middle ages of mankind, the Turanian and Chamitic stages of development. For proofs of the vast antiquity which even the numerous records of language compel us to assign to the origines of the Chinese, search may be still made in other quarters than in the extant chronology recognized as standard. Owing, indeed, to the great antiquity of the historical records of the Old Testament, especially the patriarchal, it was found at an early period in the progress of the inquiry that China was remarkably deficient in authentic, contemporaneous monuments of any period prior to the historical commencement of connected Hebrew chronology. It may have been from the unchronological character of the period prior to Yao, that Confucius does not, in his commentary, dwell upon this period. The reigns which have been ascribed to it, to a greater or less number, appear from an analysis of the fragments to be rather of a traditionary character.

The reigns of Yao and Shin constitute, in the modern chronological sense, the Second Period, being the transition from what they call the mythic to the historical. It is usually computed at 150 years; but the Bambus-Book allows them 156 years of reign. As seen above, according to the Balladic version of the Shuking, these two rulers are not only placed in historical connection with each other but with the founder of the first historic dynasty, whom they call Yu or Ta-Yu; the great and good Yu; others, Pankee, for instance, (as is supposed in order to render this somewhat the less apparently improbable) have reduced this period, the latter, at least, to 120 years. There is here apparently a gap which they have been trying to patch up: and the historical and imperial chronology commences with Yu. To the original seat of the race, the northern district of Shen-si, pertains the particular history of Yao and Shin, and it is not certain that they were personally connected.

THE IMPERIAL DYNASTIES OF THE CHINESE FROM 2000 B. C. TO 264 A. D.:

The following are the dates of the canon in the Bambus-Book of the third Epoch; the Imperial Dynasties.

AS TO THE CHINESE CYCLES OF 60 YEARS; OF 19 YEARS; OF 129,600 YEARS; AND AS TO THEIR CYCLES GENERALLY AS WELL AS THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN ASTRONOMY IN VERY EARLY TIMES:

The astronomical cycle of 60 years which we have seen first mentioned in the 61st year of Hoang-Ti and the 77th recurrence of which, it is said, will happen in 1924 A. D., appears to have been a primitive institution of the Chinese and a key to their astron