The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-07-01
From the Neto York Observer.
CHINESE CHRONOLOGY.

O11l ~ GLoE CI1RONOLOO L.
Half a century ago it was the fashion to
attack Christianity by what were asserted
to be discoveries in the early records of
Egypt, China, and other seats of ancient
civilization. But this has turned out TO be
another instance in which ga little learning
is dangerous thing" and in which the
weapons of those who opposed the truth
have been successfully turned against them.
The Egyptian hieroglyphlcs, now that they
are ineligible, are found to contain records
OF many facts that illustrate and confirm
early Scripture history in manner singu-
larry striking, and enough has already been
discovered to show that similar advantages
must result from a thorough investigation
of Chinese history. The Rev. w. H. Med
thurst, missionary of the London Society,
who has paid much attention to the subject,
gives the following account of work which
he has lately prepared.
"The work is comparison between the
Chinese system and our own, from the ear
Hest period to the present time. The page
| IS divided into two parts, the top of which
! is occupied by a sketch of Chinese chronol-
ogy, and the bottom by one of ours. The
4 two systems are made exactly to correspond
! together, year for year; and the similarity
between them, particularly in the early
! periods, is remarkable. According to
both systems,-the first man had three
sons or successors, notices Of inter-
course between celestial and terrestri-
al beings, or good and bad persons, occur
at tie same time,-the accounts Of the flood
agree nearly to year,-ten generations of
men seem to have passed away between the
creation and the food, and wine was dis
covered nearly at the same period. The
seven years of famine in Egypt have seven
years of famine in China exactly cores
ponding and SIMPSONS strength has its
counterpart in China, where a strong man
| fiOurshed nearly at The same time, who vas
likewise deceived and ruined by woman.
| If we add to these, the well known tradition
among the Chinese, of sage who was 10
rise out of the West. and the Emperor
Mingte's actually sending ambassadors to
search for him, about the period of the
| Christian era, we shall find that all these
circumstances exhibit striking coincidence
( between their chronology and Scripture
| facts, which seem TO Indicate that the for
uier is borrowed from the latter. In this
work | have no: asserted that the events
J spoken OF by eastern and western chronicle
gists are the same but | have placed them
page, and at the same period, leaving the
readers to form their own conclusions. I
, u"1e "een leo TO draw up this work from
nese, in bonsiing,, 81 BE o pp9Baaftcs of the Chi
their high antiquity, looking with contempt
upon the apparently modern dates of Euro
peans, and throwing out the hint, that we
have no records of date older than the
Christian era. Ihave, therefore, endeavor-
ed, by regular exhibition of dates, and by
the production Of incidents connected with
every RENAL kahle period, to show them that
we have system of chronology that can
be depended Oh, more authentic and ancient
than their own that the world has stood
so long as the period assigned to it by that
chronology; that Noses, by divine inspira-
ton, gave an accurate account of the crea-
ton and of subsequent events, long before
the Chinese had any writers of note and en-
incnce; that those works which they had
were nearly all destroyed about the time
that the Pentateuch was translated into
Greek and that thus, while the authentic
ity OF the one was more than doubled, the
genuineness and very existence Of the 9TH
er, Was brought to the greatest doubt and
uncertainty"
THE TWO BROTHERS. The Count de Ligni-
vile, and Countde Autricourt, twins descend
ed from AN ancient family in Lorraine, re-
sembled each other so much that when they
put on the same dress, which they did nov
and then for amusement, their servants
could not distinguish the one from the other
Their voice, gait, and department were the
same, and these marks of resemblance were
so perfect, that they often threw their
/ friends, and even tter wives, into the
greatest embarrassment Being both cap
tains of light horse, the one would put him
self at the head of the others squadron,
without the officers ever suspecting the
change. Count de Autrcourt having COM
mitted some crime, the Count de LigDiville
never suffered his brother to go out without
accompanying him, and the fear of selling
| the innocent instead of the guilty, rendered
the orders to arrest the former of no avail.
One day Count de Ligniville sent for Il
barber, and after having suffered him to
shave one half of his beard, he pretended
to have occasion to 60 into the next apart
ment, and put his night gown upon his
brother, who was concealed there, and TAX
ing the cloth which he had about his neck
under his chin, made him sit down in the
the place which he had just Quilted. The
barber Immediately resumed his operation,
and was proceeding to finish what he had
begun, as he supposed, but to his crest as
constituent, he found, TINT new beard had
sprung up. Not doubling that the person
under his hands wss the devil, he roarsd
out with terror, and sunk down in swoon
on the floor. Whilst they were endeavour-
ing 10 call him to life, Count de Autrcourt
retired again into the closet aud Count de
lLgnivile, who was half shaved, returned
to his former place. This was new cause
of surprise to the poor barber, who imagln--
ed that all he had seen was dream, and
he could not be convinced of the truth until
he heheld the two brothers together. The