British Almanac. 461 



The British Almanac, for the Year MDCCCXXVIII. 2*. 3d. 



This work is published under the superintendence of the Society for the 

 Diffusion of Useful Knowledge; and this single service, if the Society never 

 perform any other, will render the public for ever its debtors. The influence 

 of the common almanacs of Moore and of Partridge upon country people, and 

 especially upon mothers and children of the lowest classes, is as great as that 

 of theBibleand the Shorter Catechism in Scotland. The compilations, bearing 

 the names of Moore and Partridge, to which we allude, originally appeared 

 above a century ago, and they continue to be published with much of the 

 astrological predictions and prophetic imposture peculiar to that time. 

 '•' These works profess, in the plainest terms, to foretell the weather, even 

 to a day, stating that on one day there will be rain, on another snow, and 

 on a third thunder. They also prophesy as to political events with nearly 

 equal confidence, though not quite so distinctly. Thus, one says that at a 

 particular time ''there will arrive good news from Cadiz, Scotland, and 

 Naples;' and another tells you that, about such a date, ' a great minister 

 will be impeached,' or ' a dignitary of the church driven from his prefer- 

 ment.' Nor are they free from party politics. One gives intimations, and 

 even prints, of a nature calculated to set different religious sects in conflict : 

 and another dates the year as the 150th from the ' /torrid Popish Jacobite 

 plot;' thus keeping alive, for the purpose of exciting religious animosity, 

 the memory of transactions which are a disgrace to the character of this 

 country, and the worst blot upon the history of its law ; affirming as real 

 crimes in a great degree imaginary, and grossly mistaking even the notions 

 respecting that plot which prevailed at the time. Some parts of these 

 almanacs are not marked by much regard to decency; but there are others, 

 also greatly circulated, which are utterly obscene, and could never be ad- 

 mitted into any decent house, had not habit unfortunately reconciled the 

 community to such things, as well as to the absurdities of their astrology." 

 — Introduc. 



When it is mentioned that the sale of these works exceeds annually 

 500,000, some idea may be conceived of the tendency which they have to 

 perpetuate notions which are far more adverse to the diffusion of enlight- 

 ened ideas than ignorance itself. An ignorant mind will imbibe knowledge 

 when it is presented ; a mind prejudiced or bigoted repels every idea not 

 in accordance with those already there. The one case is like sowing on a 

 fallow field, the other like sowing on a field of weeds. The British Almanac 

 is a combination of all that is good or founded on truth in the other 

 almanacs, and contains, besides, a variety of original matter. There are 

 some excellent preliminary observations on the weather; useful directions 

 for each month, including a gardener's calendar, drawn up, we have reason 

 for believing, by our correspondent, Mr. Main; the management of a farm, 

 by another of our correspondents ; the preservation of health, and medi- 

 cinal plants which should be gathered monthly, attributed to Professor Dr. 

 A. T. Thomson ; and a variety of other matter of every day utility, respect- 

 ing government, legislation, morals, education, and commerce, furnished by 

 different individuals of high scientific and literary attainments. 



No power but that of the government, or such a society as the pro- 

 moters of the British Almanac, could have attacked, with any hope of 

 success, so powerful a body as the Stationers' Company. The publication 

 of such an almanac was therefore a work peculiarly fitting for them to 

 undertake. That it will have the effect of reforming those to be published 

 by this Company in future, there can be no doubt, and though it would be 

 too much to expect that the opinions which have been disseminated by this 

 Company will be rooted out from the present generation, yet it is some- 

 thing to have paved the way for saving from a portion of mental slavery 

 the generations to come. 



