Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-01-01


OF Europe which may be perverted toour
INJURY we must strike no blow for thom,
winch may recoil upon ourown heads.
--s -
New Style.
The following succinct account, scthe
change in the computation of ~ txiH,
the OLDto NEW sTYLEistakcn from
Hcninng's Statutes at Largc-a.in,ercs,.
ing at this particular juncture Of time
1t win he observed tina, this is the cen.
tcnnial anniversary ofthc new style.
The 9th day Of March was the begin
ming OF the year. according 10 the Jewish
computation; and the same rule was OBJ
served in England till by stat. Us, Geo. 2.
chap. 20, sect. |, (l75D i, was declared
that after the last day Of December, 1851,
the 25th ofMarch should no longerbc ac-
counted tho beginning Of the year. but
that the year l752 should begin on the
first day Of January, and 50. il cach sue
cceding year, the first day Of January
should be deemed the first day of the
year Tins statute was rendered ncccs
sary hy the adoption, in England, Of tho
reformed calendar Of Pope Greg, ~ MIL.
made in the year 1872; from which peri.
cd commenced the Grcgorian calendar. or
New style. The calendar adjusted hy
Jrtirs Cesar, As years before Christ.
was called tho Julian Calendar. or Old
style, as contradistinguished from tho
new. Most OF the nations of E,uropc
had adopted the Gregorian Calendar or
New style, long before the English; who
being engaged in extensive commerce.
found 1t convenient, for the sake of foreign
correspondence, 10 preserve 10th the Od
and the New Styles, between the first az
January and tho 25ih Of March. in each
year. Accordingly, in most of the da,ca
prior to 1852, (when the New Style com
mcnccd il Englaud,) we see The old wear
continued til the 2jth Of March. wiki
the new year annexed to it from the LIST Of
January TO that date; Thus, January,
+ lG23-l. February, 1872. March,
t 1881, Ne. Bat tits was not uniformly
done.
I So much Of the net of parliament of
2ilh Geo. 2, oh. %, as sclalcs TO the cs.
tab1ishmcut Of tho New STYLE, is in Tho
following words-"Throughout all Ii.
maicsly's dominions in Europe, Asia,
Africa and America. subject To the crow,
Of Great Britain, the supputalion accord
, my 10 which the year at our Lord begin.
ncth on The 25th Of March shall not 10
made use Of after the las, day Of Dcccm
Der, l7jl, and the first day of January
nest following the said last day Of Dcccn.
bcr shall be deemed the first day OF 10
year Of oar Lord 1852, and so on. tie,
first day Of January III every year shai
be deemed the first day Of the year. And
after the said Iir6t day Of january, 1855,
the days of each month shall be rcckoncd
IN the same order; and the feast of Eas
Ter, and other movcablc fcasls thereon de-
pending, be ascertaincd according 10 -Ir.
same method, as they now DIRE, until Tho
second Of September in the said year l75~,
inclusive; and the natural day next i'm o.
mcdlately following the snid second uf
September shall be called the Nh Of Sep
tcmbcr, emitting for lhat time only III,
eleven intermediate nominal days OF the
common calendar; aud the natural days
following the said 18th Of September
shall be numbered forwards il numerical
order from the enid iirh Of September,
recording To the order now used in the
present calendar; and al acts deeds,
writings, notes and Other instruments ok.
ccutod or signed. upon or after the frst
day Ut January, 1852, shall bear date
according 10 the said new method of sup
putalion; &c." The section then goes on
% provide for the sessions Of courts, &c.
according to the new mcrl.5d.
With respect 10 Leap Years, the 2t
section declares, 'fhat the years 1900,
1900, 2l00. 22o0. $500, Or any olher
hnndredh ycnr Of our Lord, cxccp, only
every fourth hundro1lh year, whereof tho
year 1000 shall be the first, shall not lie
EsseXlle or Leap Years, bnt shall be
common years, consisting oi 56j days ard
no more; and the years Of our Lord 1000,
2i00, 2SG0, and every other fourth hun
drcdth yonr Of our Lord, from the year
1000 inclusive, and all other years oi our
Lord, which by the present suppu,a'ior
ARE Bi-acxiilc or Leap Years, shall be
Bisscxlilc, or Leap Years consisting OF
3G6 days.'
The reason which induced the pnssing
Of the above rccitcd act Of parliament,
and the difference between the Julinn and
Cfegolian calendars, are well explained
Wy writer nearly cotemporary with the
act itself Pa'oun il lis Elements OF
Chronology. (nscrtcd in his treatise on
navigalioH,) pa. l2l, says, that Julius
Cpsar,ir orJcrto rcducctho civil political
year nearly 10 m equality with tho tropi-
cal, and considering that the tropical years
consisted Of 365 days and 6 hours nearly,
which exceeded the civil year by hours
each year and consequently in four years
exceeded it by one whole day. ordered,
that TO every fourth year there should be
one day added, and SO make j; consist Of
3GC days, by Which means the civil aud
solar years were reduced pretty near to an
equality. Tins additional day was put il
lie month Of February, and because in tie
common year The ~ onty-fourlh day Of
february was called by tie Romans tho
sixth Of the kalcnds of March, he Or
dercd that this day should be added after
the twenty lourlh day Of February, and
called by the same name; there happen
ne every fourth year, two sixihs Of tho
Kalcnds of March. and hence that ycnr
was called Besscxllc or Leap Year. Tbis
way was used by us ill the year 1862,
when the New Style commenced"
"But the true length Of the year beng
900 days, hours and 40 minutes, and ~
the julian account 3G5 days and 6 hours
'iis PLAIN the civil year exceeds the solor
by II minutes nearly. Consequently, il
the sun any year enters The cquinoctiaf
on the 20th day of March at noon, the
next year he will enter tho eouinocliay