The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-02

city was carly called the City of Mercy, and
the magnetic stone coming from there was
known a. the stone Of T'szohou, and SC
t'szshih cams to DO the ordinary name for a
magnet. Later tho Chinese came to speak
of the City of the Magnet, instead Of call
ing 1t the City Of Mercy.
The earliest author who mentions the
''south pointing needle" livedin the fourth
century B. c., and there can be no donbt
but that ths polarity of the needle was
and by whom first discovered is not now
known. II was. however, not turned to
practical use until the Tsai dynasty, when
landscapes began to BE- studied by the pro-
fesaors Of geomsnoy. The belief was gen
eral then that this needle had magical pow
ers. Kwo Pu, the founder of this system OF
Geomanoy, died A. d. 1924, and it was not
until four centuries later that the peculiar
compass used in this art began to assume
Its present form.
The osomancer's compass of tho eighth
century was mad of hard wood, about one
foot wide, and had in its center a small
we'll in which q maRnetized needle foated
in water. On the compass were inscribed
several oonesntrio circles which en-
bracsd the twelve double hours, the ton
dsnary symbols, eight diagrams and other
marks. The compass was used in preparing
. goomantic report Of any SPOT whore a
that the construction might not BE- nm I'M
lucky site OF planned in an unlucky man.
ner. At the same time there was living q
Chinese who had studied Hindoo astrono-
my, n was tho imperial astronomer, and
also a Buddhist priest. Hs that the
-~nlIn kSL 49, n~,..k 49, >kJ- ---%L - AL-l
there was a variation Of two degrees and
ninety-hvs minutes. This variation went
on increasing till a century latsr-that is,
till the ninth century. A professor Of
Reomancy then added q new circle to the
pass. On this improved compass the
first Of the twelve hours begins on tho new
circle at seven and one-half degrees east Of
north.
The compass, it will be observed, grew
out of the old astrological report or nativ-
ity paper, calculated from the position of
the stars. and prepared in the Han dynasty
by astrologers az the regular part OF social
life, especially when marriages were about
to be solemnized. Some of the old astro-
nomioal circles are preserved in the now
g%eomantio chart. This was the COMPASS
used when Shsnkwa wrote on tbs south
pointing needle in the 18th century. This
author mentions that any iron needle ac-
quirss polarity by rubbing it on q piece of
lodsstone. He alludes to the variation as a
fact which he himself had observed, and
speaks of the s%outhpointinR needle as an
implement used by the professors of geo.
NANCY. By them it was employed in the
form OF float upoa water. After this, in
1872, an ambassador to CoreA describes the
use of the floating needle ON board the
ship in which he made tbs voyage. This is
the FIRST instance, the earliest by moro than
. century, Of the use of the mariners COM
pass on board ship, found as yet in any
book. native or foreign. The existence of
the book in which it is recorded settles the
question of the first use of the mariners
compass at sea in favor of the Chinese. At
shat time the needle foated on water, sup
ported on a piece of wood, but in the Ming
dynasty some Japanese junks engaged in
piracy were captured by the Chinese, and
the compass in use on board was found TO
have the needle dry and raised on a pivot,
while still pointing southwark. The
Japanese had learned from the Portuguese
nayigators to make = compass of this kind,
and probably the needles they used wsrc
brought from Europe. From this time the
Chinese adopted the principle of q pivot,
and made their c0mpassss without 4 we'll
OF water in the middle to float the needle
in. Charts were probably used of q very
What is known is that the junk master was
aware of the direction in which the needle
must point to reach the port to which he
was going. In the Sung dynasty, embrace
ing part OF the 10th as we'll as the 18th, |
18th. and part of the 18th centuries, Chi
ness junks vent to Persia and India, The
Arabs trading to China directly would
learn at that time the use OF the compass,
and would apply it on board their dhows.
From them the Europeans learned of this
useful invention.
The credit Of the discovery, both of the
polarity of = maRnetizsd needle and its
suitability for use BY mariners at sea,
must, therefore, according to the writer.
be given to the Chinese, says Nature, in
commenting on the article. II il China
also that has the credit of having first no
ticsd that any iron needle may be polarized
by rubbing it with = magnet. In the 18th
century the Arabs used q floating compass
on their dhowJ. Tho needle was made to
doat on the water by attaching il orosswise
TO . cornstick or splinter OF wood. AmsQ.
net applied to it drew it into a north and
south direction. They would use Western
notation to mark the quarters and interme-
date points On the horizon. When therefore
tine mariners compass was adopted from
them, ths Chinese twsnty-four points were
not communicated. In the European COM
pes the notation of thirty-two points is
Western. and rests on the winds and the
sun. In the Chinese primitive mariners
compass the notation is that of the profas-
sors OF geoaancy, and rests on the old
astrological division of the horizon into
twelve double hours. From the Arnb &C
count we lsarn, what tina Chinsss accounts
do not tell us, that the Chinese fionted tho
needle by inserting it in a splinter of wood.