"Some years afterwards Father Matteo saw similar instruments at Peking, or
rather the same instruments, so exactly alike were they, insomuch that
they had unquestionably been made by the same artist. And indeed it is
known that they were cast at the period when the Tartars were dominant in
China; and we may without rashness conjecture that they were the work of
some foreigner acquainted with our studies. But it is time to have done
with these instruments." - (Lib. IV. cap. 5.)
In this interesting description it will be seen that the Armillary Sphere
[B] agrees entirely with that represented in illustration facing p. 450.
And the second of his photographs in my possession, but not, I believe,
yet published, answers perfectly to the curious description of the 4th
instrument [D]. Indeed, I should scarcely have been able to translate that
description intelligibly but for the aid of the photograph before me. It
shows the three astrolabes or graduated circles with travelling indexes
arranged exactly as described, and pivoted on a complex frame of bronze;
(1) circle in the plane of the equator for measuring right ascensions; (2)
circle with its axis vertical to the plane of the last, for measuring
declinations: (3) circle with vertical axis, for zenith distances? The
Gnomon [A] was seen by Mr. Wylie in one of the lower rooms of the
Observatory (see below). Of the Globe we do not now hear; and that
mentioned by Lecomte among the ancient instruments was inferior to what
Ricci describes at Peking.
I now transcribe Mr. Wylie's translation of an extract from a Popular
Description of Peking:
"The observatory is on an elevated stage on the city wall, in the
south-east corner of the (Tartar) city, and was built in the year (A.D.
1279). In the centre was the Tze-wei[13] Palace, inside of which were a
pair of scrolls, and a cross inscription, by the imperial hand. Formerly it
contained the Hwan-t'ien-e [B] 'Armillary Sphere'; the Keen-e [D?]
'Transit Instrument' (?); the Tung-kew [A] 'Brass Globe'; and the
Leang-t'ien-ch'ih, 'Sector,' which were constructed by Ko Show-king under
the Yuen Dynasty.
"In (1673) the old instruments having stood the wear of long past years,
had become almost useless, and six new instruments were made by imperial
authority. These were the T'ien-t'ee 'Celestial Globe' (6); Chih-taoue
'Equinoctial Sphere' (2); Hwang-taoue 'Zodiacal Sphere' (1); Te-p'ing
kinge 'Azimuthal Horizon' (3); Te-p'ing weie 'Altitude Instrument' (4);
Ke-yene 'Sextant' (5). These were placed in the Observatory, and to the
present day are respectfully used. The old instruments were at the same
time removed, and deposited at the foot of the stage. In (1715) the
Te-ping King-wei-e 'Azimuth and Altitude Instrument' was made;[14] and in
1744 the Ke-hang-foo-chin-e (literally 'Sphere and Tube instrument for
sweeping the heavens'). All these were placed on the Observatory stage.