CALENDAR. 



the citjStli, April Jli thf fiintli, Mny Jij the teiHh, 



Jdiie 20; the tlevcntli, July 20, and tlic twclfib, Auj^ult 

 ig ; making ill all jfiy days. The rcninii>v.ig five days ate 

 call.-d the complementary days ; of wliich the firll is the 

 iSth oJ Septeinbtr; the feeond. the 19th ; the lliird, the 

 20th ; the fourth, the 2i(l ; and the fifth, the 22d of Sep- 

 tember, beinc; the la(l dny of the I'^reiich year. 



The hvft decree was illiied the '^th of 0>f^obcr 1703 ; and 

 it was followed by another on the 24th of November, or the 

 ij.th of Fiiinaire, in the fecond yesr of the republic, fc tlliiijr the 

 commencement and organization of the year, and the names 

 of the days and niontlis. The decree of the nalioiuil conven- 

 tion comprehends four articles, viz. That the French sera 

 fhould be leckontd froin the foundation of the republic, 

 S'-ptembcr 22, 171,2. of the vu'gar sra, on the day when 

 the fun arrived at the trne autumnal equinox, in his en- 

 trance iiito the fitjn Libra, at y'' 18' 3-'" in the morning, ac- 

 cording to the obfervatory at Paris : that the vulgar year 

 fliould be abclifhed in all civil concerns : that each year lliould 

 commence at midniglit with the day on which the true 

 autumnal equinox falls, according to the obfervatory at 

 Paris : and that the firll year of the French republic had 

 aftually commenced at midnight of the 22d of September, 

 1792, and terminated at midnight, between the 2 ill and 

 J2d of September, 1793. The decree for adopting a rule 

 of intercalation, in order to preferve the feafons at the fame 

 epochas of the year, comprifes the following four articles: 

 viz. that the fourth year of the republican asra (liould be 

 the lirll textile; that it fhould receive a fixth complementary 

 day ; and that it fiiould terminate the firll franciade : that 

 the fextile, or leap years, fhould iucceed one another every 

 four years, and mark the end of each franciade : that the 

 four following fecular years in fucccHion fliould be excepted 

 from the lad article ; namely, the firll, fecond, and third fe- 

 cular years 100, 2C0, 300, which fliould be common ; and 

 that the fourth fhould be fextile : and that this fliould be 

 the cafe every four centuries until the 40th, which fliould 

 clofe with a common year, the year 4000. 



In this new calendar or almanac, the months confifl of 

 30 days each, and are divided into three decades. The 

 days of each decade are known by the names of Prlmidi, 

 DuoJi, TriJi, Qjiartidi, S^iiritidi, Sc'xlidi, Seplidi, Oclodi, No- 

 nodi, and Dt'cadi. The day, which begins at midnight, is 

 diftributed into ten parts, and thtfe are decimally divided 

 and fubdivided. To the five fupernumerary days in com- 

 rr.on years, and fix in leap years, was applied the abiurd appcl 

 lation of Sam Ctilott'tdts, borrowed from a term of reproach 

 {Sans Culoilc), which had been originally beftowed on the 

 repubhcan party, on account of the meannefs of their rank and 

 fortune ; but which the fame party afterwards attempted to 

 render honourable and popular ; and this appellation alfo 

 ferves to diftinguifh the leap years. 



TABLKS for •educing the Date* of the new FreiicH Ct,' 

 leiidar to the Dates of the Origorian Calendar, 



TABLE \. 



Of the tiriu French Culnidnr comparai <u.>ilh thf Gregorian 

 Ciil.nJarfor ^O y.ars ; that ii,from iu02 to i^a-. 



b fignifies h'ljfixtih, or leap-year — i fextile, or French leap- 

 year — c common year of 365 days — m morning — a afternoon. 



The French decree does not determine the proper rule for 

 fixing the leap-year : the neceflity for determining this rule 

 will happen in [811. The moil convenient method appears 

 to be the common one, when after 7 Franciades of 4 years, 

 a Franciade of 5 years occurs : according to this regulation, 

 the ah and 13111 Franciades are of y years each. The Bureau 

 des Longitudes will doubtlefs afctrtain this point with more 

 accuracy. 



TABLE n. 



