Divisions of Time. 17 



from the time of the Nicene council, A. D. 325, 

 the equinox had fallen back eleven days, they 

 struck off at once eleven days from the current 

 year, so that the vernal equinox then fell on the 

 21st of March ; and it was further agreed to 

 omit three of the leap years in the course of 400 

 years This arrangement has already been put 

 in practice; since the years 1700 and 1800, 

 which would have been leap years in the usual 

 course, were not observed as such. Even this 

 plan is, however, not quite perfect, for, since the 

 eleven minutes and fourteen seconds compose an 

 entire day at the end of 128 years, instead of 133, 

 this will still cause an error of one day in 3200 

 years, so that at the end of the year 4800, it will 

 be again necessary to retrench another leap year. 

 The alteration took place in Britain, in 1752, 

 when what is denominated the New Style was 

 introduced, and 11 days were at once dropped. 

 Another was dropped in the year 1800 ; so that 

 now, old Lady Day, as it is termed, occurs twelve 

 days after new Lady Day ; and the same, of 

 course, happens with regard to old and new 

 Michaelmas day, old and new Martinmas day, 

 &c. The Russians still continue to employ the 

 old style ; all other European nations have long 

 ago adopted the new. 



