610 Notes on Capt. Shortredes Scheme. [No. 116. 



41. The scheme given here will do for years before Christ without the 

 trouble of calculation. It is however more curious than useful. 



In the smallest card, use the black characters for years a. d. and 

 the red characters for years b. c. 



The same in the middle card. The centuries of Old Style will do for 

 centuries before Christ ; reading thus, hundred, 7 hundred, 14 

 hundred, &c. b, c. 



In the year-divisions, leap years a. d. are marked with black ; leap 

 years b. c. are marked with red. 



In the use of the scheme, for years a. d. adjust the centuries with 

 the year-division having the black characters 0, and read as directed 

 in Capt. S.'s scheme, with this exception ; in leap years for dates from 

 the 1st of March to the 31st December inclusive, take the week-day 

 that is in the next division to the right of the week-day opposite to 

 the given date. 



For years b. c. adjust the centuries with the year-division, containing 

 the two red characters ; and read as directed for a. d. years using 

 the red characters. In leap years for dates between the 1st of March 

 and 31st of December inclusive, take the week-day that is in the 

 next division to the left of the week-day opposite to the given date. 



La Martinierey 6th May, 1841. W. Masters. 



Remarks by Capt, Shortrede. 



§ 16. The only half blank spaces in the whole Table occur in 

 the outer card, and are those of the odd centurial years divisible by 

 4, ?. e. leap years. These are denoted by writing only the final 

 digit ; the space for the other digit (easily supplied from those before or 

 after) being blank. These spaces are therefore halfhXdink. 



The way in which Mr. Masters interprets the direction, certainly leads 

 to error ; but how such an interpretation can fairly be drawn from 

 the wording, does not readily appear. I am directing how to use the 

 Table for any current year of a century, and as an exception to the 

 general rule occurs in January and February of leap years, I provide 

 for it by the direction within the parenthesis, which of course I mean 

 to be taken as referring to the subject then treated of; viz. the particu- 



