CALENDAR. 



1813 

 318' 



1441 2754 

 349' 667' 



4067 9447 51302 

 985* 22d8' 1242?' 



60749 172800 . . 

 14713, H851 { thatls > one da 

 be intercalated in the space of 4 years, 

 or rather 4 days in 17 years, or 8 days in 

 33 years, &c. If 41,851 days were inter- 

 calated in 172,800 years, there would be 

 no error. The signs + and indicate 

 that the number of intercalary days above 

 which they are placed is too great or too 

 small. Every succeeding number is more 

 accurate than that which goes before. As 

 this method of interpolation is different 

 from that now in use, it is obvious that 

 the Gregorian calendar must be corrected 

 after a certain period of years. The cor- 

 rection, however, will be inconsiderable 

 for many ages, as it will amount only to 

 a day and a half, which is to be suppressed 

 in the space of 5000 years. 



CALENDAR, reformed or corrected, that 

 which, setting aside golden numbers, 

 epacts, and dominical letters, determines 

 the equinox, with the paschal full moon, 

 and the moveable feasts depending there- 

 on, by astronomical computations, accord- 

 ing to the Rudolphine table. This calen- 

 dar was introduced among the Protestant 

 States of Germany in the year 1700, when 

 11 days were, at once, thrown out of the 

 month of February, by which means the 

 corrected style agree's with the Grego- 

 rian. 



CALENDAR, French, new, is a quite new 

 form of calendar, that commenced in 

 France, on the 22d of September, 1792. 



The year, in this calendar, commences 

 at midnight, the beginning of that day in 

 which falls the true autumnal equinox for 

 the observatory of Paris. The year is di- 

 vided into 12 equal months, of 30 days 

 each ; after which 5 supplementary days 

 are added, to complete the 365 days of 

 the ordinary year ; these 5 days do not 

 belong to any month. Each month is di- 

 vided into three decades of 10 days each ; 

 distinguished by 1st, 2d, and 3d decade. 

 All these are named according to the or- 

 der of the natural numbers, viz. the 1st, 

 2d, 3d, &c. month, or clay of the decade, 

 or of the supplementary days. The years 

 which receive an intercalary day, when 

 the position of the equinox requires it, 

 which we call embolismic or bissextile, 

 they call Olympic ; and the period of four 

 years, ending with an olynfpic year, is 

 called an olympiade ; the intercalary day 

 being placed after the ordinary five sup- 

 plementary days, and making the last day 



of the Olympic year. Each day, from 

 midnignt to midnight, is divided into 10 

 parts, each part into 10 others, and so on 

 to the least measurable portion of time. 



In this calendar too the months and 

 days of them have new names. The first 

 three months of the year, of which the 

 autumn is composed, take their etymolo- 

 gy ; the first from the vintage, which 

 takes place from September to October, 

 and is called Vendemaire ; the second, 

 Brumaire, from the mists and low fogs, 

 which show, as it were, the transudation 

 of nature from October to November; 

 the third, Frimaire, from the cofd, some- 

 times dry and sometimes moist, which is 

 felt from November to December. The 

 three winter months take their etymolo- 

 gy ; the first, Nivose, from the snow 

 which whitens the earth from December 

 to January; the second, Pluviose, from 

 the rains which usually fall in greater 

 abundance from January to February ; 

 the third, Ventose, from the wind which 

 dries the earth from February to March. 

 The three spring months take their ety- 

 mology ; the first, Germinal, frooi the 

 fermentation and developement of the 

 sap from March to April ; the second, 

 Floreal, from the blowing of the flowers 

 from April to May ; the third, Prairial, 

 from the smiling fecundity of the meadow- 

 crops from May to June. Lastly, the 

 three summer months take their etymolo- 

 gy ; the first, Messidor, from the appear- 

 ance of the waving ears of corn and the 

 golden harvests which cover the fields 

 from June to July ; the second, Thermi- 

 dor, from the heat, at once solar and ter- 

 restrial, which inflames the air from July 

 to August ; the third, Fructidor, from the 

 fruits gilt and ripened by the sun from 

 August to September. Thus, the whole 

 twelve months are, 



AUTUMX. 



Vendemaire 



Brumaire 



Frimaire 



WIlfTER. 



Nivose 



Pluviose 



Ventose 



8PRIST6. 



Germinal 



Floreal 



Prarial 



SUMMER. 



Messidor 



Thermtdor 



Fructidor. 



From these denominations it follows, 

 that by the mere pronunciation of the 

 name of the month, every one readily 

 perceives three things, and all their re- 

 lations, viz. the kind of season, the tern- 



