Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-03-22


days. BY three of my clergy, different parts Of the diocese
to the day be observed this year Easter The Jul
of March, according the Almanacs is on the 23d
which Sunday and the rule in the Prayer Book Is, that
' the Paschal full moon happen Sunday, then the
Sunday after Easter day." This would make il the
30th But in the tables in the Prayer Book, and in the
Amanacs Easter is set down the esd Which is right
Shall keep Easter the 23d the Both day Of March
In the request made above, answer, the 3d.
by all means; and for the reasons and the calculations
which follow.
insert communication from English scientific writer
"EAsTER-DAY, ls45.
g University College, London, july llM ls45.
SIN article which have prepared for the next number
of the Companion to the Almanac, have discussed the
reasons why yesterday will year fall in apparent def
OF the act of Parliament upon the very day of the full
moon But accidental application which have re-
eeived and know that the superintendent Of the Nautical
Almanac has received another from different quarter makes
think that the compute of amanacs will be puzzled and
that the useless discussion of 1918 when the discrepancy last
occured will be revived unless will forthwith state
the of the difficulty, request that you will publish
of the conclusions of the paper to which REFER which
will in due time appear in the work cited And hope that
the daily papers will give additional currency to the same con-
illusions and should recommend that the same thing should
be done the amanacs The rule adopted in this country
for finding Easter that of the Roman Catholic Church.
established what is called the reformation Of the calendar
by Pope Gregory XIII in 1882 The authority for this rule
is contained in the papa brief of March st, 1882, in which
reference is made for all explanations the then forthcoming
work of the Jesuit Caviu whom both the adjustment and
explanation ofthe calendar had been entrusted The British
Parliament adopting the rule of Clavus, made two mis-
takes in the explanation of that rule Their explanation is
that Easter Sunday the Sunday after the full moon which
comes on or after the 2lst of March, and that if the full
fall Sunday, Easter Sunday the next Sunday.
"The two mistakes as follows:
81 Instead Of full moon, they should have said, four
haipU
the first That Easter well the Passover, al
ways regulated not by the full moon, but by the fourteenth
day of the moon, is of the utmost historical noorety And
Cavius says that none but few who fancy themselves
sharpsghted, imagined that the fourteenth of the
and the full the same in the Church of God
CO. Instead Of the moon of the heavens they ought TO
have said the moon of the calendar which very differ
ent thing The Of the calendar is not mean,
uniformly moving mocn TO which refer the real
moon, but differs from Intentionally and avowedly, by
classes Of arbitrary alterations the first class intended for sim
pcy of calculation the second for avoiding the possibility Of
the Christian Easter falling the actual day of the Jewish
Passover.
In the year ls45 the fourteenth day of the calendar moon
falls Saturday, the 22d of March, whence Easter rightly
made be Sunday the 23d according the law both of the
Roman and English Churches though the English statute
does not well explain its method With regard to this
county, should be noticed that this statute enacts that East
shall be kept by the calendar tables and rules
TO the act and these agree with CaviGE.
'tOf course any is at liberty, many did in sls TO
think that the statute should be altered and certainly would
be worth while avoid msconcepon by repeating the faulty
definition and substituting better in the prayer books
the Established Church But if any should advocate the
repeal of the rules and the construction of agreeaby
to the existing definition and aronomca true, he will per
haps pause when he finds that his system would
times happen that ST. Pauls Cathedral keep
Easter week after Westminster Abbey, and would very fire.
quenty make weeks difference between the fesvelS Of the
colonies and the mother country.
remain, SIR, yours faithfully,
"a DE MORGAN"
now subjOn four different modes of finding Easter all
which fix it this year on the 23d day of March
To find EASTER quote from the s. Companion 10 the
Almanac for 1925 1929, ls3O-he first thing is 70 6ad
Easter limit that is the number of days after the ist o.
March which the full preceding Easter shall hap
pen To do this, add to the Epac and subtract the sum-
less than 30 Cor the remainder when 30 taken away
more from 80 Wha, remains the day after the first Of
March which the full preceding Easter happens
Now the Epac this year %. Add g. and you have %
take % from So and % remains SO that the full moon Of
the calendar, ha is of Gregoys Calendar by which Easter
is calcuated) to speak properly, Professor De
Morgan writes the fourteenth day of the moon, the day of
being reckoned the FIRST falls this year the
22d Of March which being Saturday. the following Sunday
Or the sd, ia Easter day.
II. Again TO find Easter day itself Add to the num-
Der Of the Dominica Letter. subtract the from the int
found above and the remainder from the next number Of
that greater than itself this last added to
the limit will give the number of days from the first of March
to Easter day. including both The number of the Dominica
letter this year add and it is g. Subtract this from
the limit found above) -, and il leaves IL Subtract this
from the next number Of greater than ITSELF which will
be IA, and it leaves l. Add the limit o. and il makes
23 50 that Easter the sd day from the first of March,
both INCLUSIVE.