E P A 
EPA 
e p rr 
envoys, not ambassadors ; and such a cha- 
racter only do those persons bear who go 
from any of the principal courts of Europe 
to another, when the affair they go upon is 
not very solemn or important. There are 
envoys ordinary and extraordinary, as well 
as embassadors ; they are equally under the, 
protection of the law of nations, and enjoy all 
the privileges of embassadors, only differing 
from them in this, that the same ceremonies 
are not performed to them. 
EPACRIS, in botany, a genus of the mo- 
nogynia order, in the pentanclria class of 
plants. The calyx is a live-parted perian- 
thium ; the corolla monopetalous and tubu- 
lar; the stamina five very short filaments ; 
the pericardium a roundish, depressed, quin- 
quelocular, quinque valvular, gaping capsule; 
the seeds are numerous and very small. 
There are four species, natives of New Hol- 
land. 
EPACT, in chronology, a number arising 
from tiie excess of the common solar year 
above the lunar, by which the age of the 
moon may be found every year. 
The excess of the solar year above the lu- 
nar is 1 1 days ; or the epac't of any year ex- 
presses the number of days from the last new 
moon of the old year, which was the begin- 
ning of the present lunar year, to the 1st of 
January. On the first year of the cycle of the 
moon, the epact is 0, because the lunar year 
begins with the solar. On the second, the 
lunar year has begun 1 1 days before the so- 
lar year, therefore the epact is 11. On the 
third, it has begun twice 1 1 before the solar 
year,, therefore the epact is 22. On the 
fourth, it begins three times 1 1 days sooner 
than the solar year, the epact would there- 
fore be 33 : but 30 days being a synodical 
month, must that year be intercalated ; or 
that year must be reckoned to consist of 13 
synodical months, and there remains three, 
which is the true epact of the year ; ami so 
on to the end of the cycle, adding 1 ] to the 
epact of the last year, and always rejecting 
30, gives the epact of the present year. Thus 
to adjust the lunar year to the solar, through 
the whole of 19 years, 12 of them must con- 
sist of 12 synodicat months each, and 7 of 13, 
by adding a month of 30 days to every year 
when the epact would exceed 30, and a 
month of 29 days to the last year of (he cy- 
cle, which makes in all 209 days, i ■ c. 19 X 
H ; so that the intercalary or embolimaean 
Tears in this cycle are 4, 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 
19. 
[f the new moons returned exactly at the 
same time after the expiration of 19 years, as 
the' council of Nice supposed they would do 
(when they fixed the rule for the observation 
of Easter, and marked the new moons in the 
calendar for each year of the lunar cycle), 
then the golden number multiplied by 11, 
would always give the epact. But in a Julian 
century, the new moons anticipate, or hap- 
pen earlier than that council imagined they 
would, by -A- of a day. In a Gregorian 
common century, which is one day shorter 
than a Julian century, they happen of 
a day later (I day — Now 
.%l x 3 ■§-£• for the three common 
centuries, but being subtracted,. on ac- 
count of the Gregorian bissextile cen- 
tury, there will remain |-|. Therefore in 
four Gregorian centuries, the new moons 
will happen later by —§• of a day, and the 
epacts must be decreased accordingly'. 
At present the Gregorian epact is 1 1 
day's short of the Julian epact; but the 
quotient of the number of the centuries 
divided by' 4, which at this time is 4, mul- 
tiplied by — with the addition of the 
remainder 1 multiplied by makes in 
all but , or 7 days -{- fij, therefore 
i. e. 3 days -f must be added to com- 
plete the 11 days. Whence we have the 
following 
General rules for finding the Gregorian 
epact for ever. — Divide the centuries of any 
year of the Christian ;era by 4 (rejecting the 
subsequent numbers) ; multiply the remain- 
der by 17, and to this product add the quo- 
tient multiplied by 43 ; divide the product 
-f- 86 by 25 ; multiplying the golden num- 
ber by 11, from which subtract the last quo- 
tient ; anti rejecting the thirties, the remain- 
der will be the epact. 
Example for 1 806. 
1 8 -f- = 4 remains 2 
2 x 17 — 34 
43 x 4 -j- 86 + 34 = 292 
292 -f- 25 = 1 1 
11 X 2 = 22 
22 — 11 = 11 = epact. 
A shorter rule for finding the epact until 
the year 1900. Subtract 1 from the golden 
number ; and multiplying the remainder by 
11, reject the thirties, and you have the 
epact. 
A TABLE of golden numbers, and their 
corresponding epacts, till the year 1900. 
6 
& 
CJ 
a 
. No.l 
o 
es 
d- 
o 
cS 
6 
[ Epact. 
d 
w* 
O 
dT 
d 
w 
d 
i 
0 
6 
25 
a 
20 
16 
15 
2 
11 
7 
6 12 
1 
17 
26 
3 
22 
8 
17 
13 
12 
18 
7 
4 
3 
9 
28 
14 
23 
19 
IS 
5 . 
14 
10 
9 
i 5 
4 
EPANORTHOSUS, in rhetoric, a figure 
by which a person corrects, or ingeniously 
revokes, what he just before alleged, as-being 
too weakly expressed, in order to add some- 
thing stronger, and more conformable to the 
passion with which he is agitated. 
EPAULE, in fortification, denotes the 
shoulder of a bastion, or the place where its 
face and (lank meet, and form, the angle call- 
ed the angle of the shoulder. 
EPAULEMENT, in fortification, a work 
raised to cover sidewise, is either of earth, 
gabions, or fascines^ loaded with earth. The 
epaulements of the places of arms for the ca- 
valry, at the entrance of the trenches, arege- 
nerally of fascines mixed with earth. 
Epaolem-ent also denotes a mass of 
earth, called likewise a square orillon from 
its figure, raised to cover the. cannon- of a 
casement, and faced with a wall. It is like- 
wise used for any work, thrown up to defend 
the flank of a, post, or other place. 
EPAULETTES, shoulder-knots. Among 
the French, all the degrees of rank, from a 
cadet to a general officer,' were so minutely 
. marked out by the epaulette, that a common ' 
630 
centinet might instantly know what officer 
approached his station,' and could pay the 
prescribed honours without hesitation or mis- 
take. 
This is not the case in our service. Some 
few alterations have lately been made in 
those ornaments ; but they are so partial, 
and confined to the upper ranks only, that it 
is impossible to distinguish the youngest en- 
sign from the oldest captain by his epaulette, 
or by any other part of his uniform. When 
Highland or fusileer regiments are mixed 
with the line, very sentinel is still more per- 
plexed, as all the officers belonging to those 
corps indiscriminately wear two epaulettes 
made of fringe and bullion of the same qua- 
lity. 
Epaulettes have been introdueeed into the 
navy during the present war. The following 
are the gradations of rank as distinguished by 
epaulettes. Masters and commanders have 
one epaulette on the left shoulder. Post- 
captains under three years, one epaulette oa- 
th e right shoulder.. And after having been 
post three years, two epaulettes. Rear-ad- 
mirals have one star on the strap of the epau- 
lette, vice-admirals two stars, and admirals 
three stars. 
EPHA, or Ephah, in Jewish antiquity, a 
measure for things dry, containing 1.0961 of 
a bushel. 
EPHEDRA, in botany, a genus of the 
monadelphia order, in the dicecia class ©f 
plants, and in the natural method ranking 
under the 51st order, conifers.-. The male 
calyx is bifid ; there is no corolla, but seven- 
stamina; four anthers inferior, three supe- 
rior. The female calyx is bipartite, and five- 
fold, upon one another ; there is no corolla ; 
there are two pistils, and two seeds covered 
by the calyx, resembling a berry. There 
are two species, shrubs of Siberia. 
EPHEMERA, the day-fly, or May-fly, in- 
zoology, a genus belonging to the order of 
neuroptera. It has no teeth or palps ; there- 
are two large protuberances above the eyes ; 
the wings are erect, the two hind ones being, 
largest ; and the tail is bristly. There are 
11 species. These- flies take their name of 
May-fly from the shortness of their life, and 
are distinguished into several species. Some 
live several days ; others do not take flight 
till the setting of the sun, and live not to see- 
the rising of that luminary. Some exist but 
one hour, others but half that time ; in whicl> 
short period they comply with the call of na- 
ture. With respect to those that live several 
days, Mr. Barbiit observes, there is a pecu- 
liarity incident to themselves alone. They 
have to cast off one slough more, an opera- 
tion which sometimes take s 24 hours to com- 
plete. To bring this about they cling fast to 
a tree. The ephemera?, before they flutter 
in air, have in some manner been fishes. - 
They remain in the states of larva and chry- 
salis for one, two, or three years. The 
chrysalis only differs from the larva by there 
being observable on its back cases for wings. 
Both have on their sides small fringes of hair, 
which, when pi into motion, serve them as 
fins. Nothing can be mare curious than the 
plying of those little oars in the water. 
Their abdomen is terminated, as well as in- 
their state of flies, by three threads. These 
larvae scoop themselves out dwellings in the 
banks of rivers ; and they are small tubes 
made like siphons, the one serving for an en- 
