1038 Transactions of the American Institute. 



parts, determined by tlie rising and setting of the sun, and the pas- 

 sage over its two meridians. Long after this another division was 

 made to correspond with the number of months, viz. : Six parts for 

 the day and six parts for the night. Again, anotlier division was 

 made, of twelve parts for each, or twenty-four parts for the whole 

 period of day and night. 



The first mention of the word " hours," occurs in Daniel, 4th chap. 

 19th verse, about 550 B. C. : " Then Daniel, whose name was Bal- 

 testrazzar, was astonished for one hour, and his thoughts troubled 

 him," It is hardly to be supposed that " minutes" were used until 

 a more accurate division of time than either the sundial or clepsydra 

 was devised. 



The Romans for nearly five centuries after the building of their 

 city, only observed Sunrise, Noon, and Sunset; Noon was pro- 

 claimed by a herald, the moment the sun was perceived between the 

 Forum and Prsecostasis. 



It will be admitted that those nations which divided the day and 

 night mto twelve equal portions, commencing at sunrise and sunset, 

 must have had hours of variable length. It is said that the convents 

 in Italy use this method still ; consequently, their day hours in sum- 

 mer run as high as seventy-five minutes in length, and their night 

 hours above forty-five. Their clocks, of necessity, had to be set 

 every night and morning by the rising and setting of the sun. The 

 old clock faces, like that of St. Peters at Home, were divided into 

 six hours, and the hands go around four times during a day and 

 night. The hour of prime was given out by striking three strokes 

 on the principal church bell ; then four, then five, then one single 

 stroke — in all thirteen — to represent the Saviour and his apostles. 

 Then all the churches set their clocks and tolled out the hour. This 

 was repeated at vespers. lago says of Cassio, "He'll watch the oro- 

 loge a double set, if drink rock not his cradle ;" meaning twice 

 twelve hours. A traveler, in 1729, tells us that the Italian clocks 

 struck one half an hour after sunset, and on progressively to twenty- 

 four, as the hours passed. In some places, he says, the clocks struck 

 twelve, in others only six, and then began anew. He found the 

 clocks at Nuremburg striking from one to twelve, beginning at sun- 

 rise and sunset. 



In Japan the day and night begin at sunrise and sunset, and are 

 eich divided into six equal parts. The Brahmins of India divide 

 the day into sixty hours. 



