Page:The Burmese & Arakanese calendars (IA burmesearakanese00irwiiala).pdf/9



1901 I published "The Burmese Calendar." It was written in Ireland, and in the preface I admitted that I had not had access to the best sources of information. I can claim that the book was not inaccurate, but it was incomplete. I have since made the acquaintance of the chief Ponnas in Mandalay, and have learned a good deal more on the subject of the calendar, chiefly from U Wizaya of Mandalay and Saya Maung Maung of Kemmendine, to whom my acknowledgments are due. I therefore contemplated issuing a second edition, but when I applied myself to the task of revision I found it was desirable to re-write a good deal of the book, and to enlarge its scope by including the Arakanese Calendar. The title of the book therefore changed.

My object has been to make the book intelligible and useful to both Europeans and Burmans. This must be my excuse if some paragraphs seem to one class or another of readers to enter too much into elementary details.

I have endeavoured firstly to describe the Burmese and Arakanese Calendars as they are. Secondly, I have shown that an erroneous estimate of the length of the year has introduced errors which have defeated the intentions of the designers of the calendar, and I have made suggestions for reform. Thirdly, I have compiled tables by which English dates may be translated into Burmese dates and vice versa.

Table I for past years and Tables II and III for future years embrace a period of 262 years. For any day within this period the Burmese date equivalent to the given English date, or vice versa, may readily be ascertained by the use of Table IX, combined with Table I or II or III as the case may be. The method is described in the notes on Table IX at page 39.