62 - THE WORLD, 



The tropical, or equinoctial, or n&an solar year, for these dif- 

 ferent names all mean the same, is, as we have just shown, about 

 365| days long. Now if this year was to begin upon the first day 

 of January, at Oh, Om, Os, the next year must begin January 1st, 

 at 5h, 48m, 51.6s, or about a quarter of a day later. This would 

 be excessively inconvenient, hence it was determined to have the 

 civil year consist of 365 days exactly, and this, for a long period, 

 was the case, but the consequences, after awhile, became very 

 apparent. The vernal equinox, which once was at the commence- 

 ment of the spring months, gradually began to go back, until the 

 calendar was involved in great confusion. This was especially 

 the case with the Roman Calendar, in which the year was reckoned 

 12 revolutions of the moon, or 354 days, and Julius Ca3sar, with 

 the aid of Sosigenes, an astronomer of Alexandria, attempted a 

 reformation. The beginning of the year had formerly been placed 

 in March, by Romulus, in honor of his patron, Mars. Ceesar 

 determined to commence the year the 1st of January, at the time 

 of the winter solstice. This seems the most natural time, for 

 now, the sun, having reached his greatest southern declination, 

 begins to return, bringing back the spring and summer. Ccesar 

 chose, likewise, to have, for the first year of the new calendar, a 

 year when a new moon happened near .the time of the winter 

 solstice. This occurred in the second year of his dictatorship, and 

 the 707th from the founding of Rome, when there was a new 

 moon on the 6th of January. This, accordingly, was made the 

 beginning of a new year, and in order to make the year commence 

 at this period, it was necessary to keep the old year dragging on 

 90 days, or to consist of 444 days. All these days were unprovided 

 with solemnities, hence the year preceding the commencement 

 of Caesar's calendar is called the yea* of confusion. To prevent 

 the recurrence of error, which was what he had most in view, and 

 keep the civil and astronomical years together, he determined to 

 add, each fourth year, a day to the calendar, because the solar year 

 being, as was then supposed, 365| days long, this |, would, in four 

 years, amount to a day, and could then be added. It was true, 

 the second year would begin 6 hours too soon, the third would 

 begin 12 hours too soon, and the fourth 18 hours too soon, but the 



