112 APPENDIX. 



II. 



NOTES ON EAKLY ALMANACS.* 



The following short paper has been compiled from notes 

 collected at various times, and without any intention of 

 placing a dissertation on the subject before the public. 

 I mention this merely to suggest to the reader that no 

 connected history of almanacs has been attempted, and that 

 it will be unfair to view what is here placed before him as 

 any other than an attempt to abridge the labour of a suc- 

 cessor who might wish, at some future period, to dive more 

 deeply into the subject. 



The early history of almanacs is involved in much ob- 

 scurity. The Egyptians, indeed, possessed instruments 

 answering most of the same purposes : but the log calendars 

 are the most ancient almanacs, properly so called. Ver- 

 steganf derives their name from a Saxon origin, viz. 

 al-mon-aght, or the observation of all the moons, that being 

 the purpose for which they were originally made : an 

 eastern origin would appear to me to be more probable. 

 They are doubtless of high antiquity, and, if we can be 

 guided by the errors of the more modern ones in their* 



* This has been printed in the "Companion to the British Almanac" for 

 1839; to the kindness of Mr. Knight, the publisher of that useful perio- 

 dical, I am indebted for power to reprint it here. 



f Restitution of decayed intelligence, p. 64. 



