The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-06-27
roCAL MATTERS.

OH Tfwxs we have just met with very old
hook. which seerns worth noticing ~ tits probably
the onlv copv ia existence. II was furnished 70 10
by Mr.. Merriam Of this city, one OF our old resi-.
dents, The work II question 10 entitled
..The yraorNrA and MARYLAND ALMANAcK for
tina wear of our Lord Christ, 1732; being the Bis
sextle or leap year, and makes since the Creation
YEARS
aBv the account of the Eastern Greeks 1880
"By the Latin Church when the Sun enters
Aries. .oSJI
"By the computation Of w w. .574l
"By the Roman chronology .-............-.-.56l
"By the Jewish Rabbies. .54g3
sand 10 the 64i5th year Of the Julian Period"
The Almansck seems to have been calculated
"for the latitude of SO degrees, and fitted to meri
dian of rs degrees west from the metropolis OF
Great Britain by JOHN WAnNER, Philomath
Surveyor of the county Of King George, in Viz
ginia," and was, as the title page informs us,
"printed and sold by WILLIAM PARKS, and sold at
all Printing Houses in Virginia and Maryland"
There 10 certain qusintness In the whole work.
which calls up other men and other days. The
language Is strongly marked by the peculiarities Of
q past century. For instance, the author mentions
Eclipses as follows:
1.-THE glorious luminaries of this earthly globe,
will, this year, be Eclipsed five TIMES viz thrice
the sun, and twice the moon, in order follow
ing, &C." aE
The author speaks of lunar eclipse, to happen
on Monday, the goth OF November, and says-"this
Eclipse happening when the sun lie in Aries, por.
tends famine, great sickness, pest4ent diseases,
&c"-and being in the second Decade of that sign
Repentinos exercituum motus
Privatorum publicarum que
Rerum Sokcitationes
According to some authors, this Eclipse denotes
tempestuous winds, shipwrecks, &c, schisms, &c,
in Religion, and excites great men to much subtilty
and policy in all their undertakings"
We doubt whether any reader will be able to
withhold smile at the apparent earnestness of the
author. 1t would seem that in 1882, Astrology was
a science as authentic, at least our Rochester
Knockings.
The paragraph following the above notice of the
Eclipses, is headed as follows:
"Of an Eclipse of the sun: What it is and when
| it happeneth."
The following is the very Lucid account of the
/ matter.
"The cipse of the sun is nothing else but the
interposition of the body of the moon between our
sight, and the sun; TOR the moon, being q solid
opaque body, doth thereby deprive US of more OF
less of the suns light 80 that properly speaking 1t
is an Eclipse of the earth, for the doth lose
any OF his light. Eclipses of the sun always hap
pen at the time of new moon, and at such new
moons only, as happen to fall in or near the ORA
CONS Head, or TAIL
Such accounts Of planetary matters must have
been particularly interesting to old women of both
sexes in the last century.
We find the following account of Public Fairs in
Virginia and Maryland:
lamsburg, the 23rd of April and the 18th of De-
&C mber, yearly, and are to continue three day
each.
i Fairs in MARYLAND are kept at the city of An
napolis, the LIST OF May, and the 29th of Septem
| ber yearly"
"Genera Courts in North Carolina are held a
Edenton, the last Tuesdays in March, July anc
October.
The following is specimen of an old fashioned
advertisement: 9t4-
"Wiam Parks Printer in
Williamsburg, sells
Good writing Paper, Ink Powder, shining Japa'
Ink. Pens, Sealing Wax, Waters, also Horn. Books
Primers, Spelling books, Psalters. Testameuts
Weeks preparation to the Sacrament, with al
ahridgement of Nelson's Fasts and Feasts of tn
Church of England"
"Anv persons who may have old books that wan
new binding, may have them done there, verI
reasonable"
| hEScLUT10SS.-lhe following resolutions Wer
adopted by the Council at their adjourned meeting
on Friday evening last:
Qualifying Resolved, That committee be ap
pointed to report an ordinance fixing the time wht
the officers elected by the people or the counci
shall qualify.
Police Resolved, That the Police Commute.
enquire into the expectancy of SO amending tn,
first section of an ordinance concerning the polio,
of the city," ssssed the 18th Novem ber 1885, as q
relieve the officers and men of tine day police anc
night watch from the necessity of residing in tn,
ward in which they perform duty.
| Condemniag Land -Resolved, That the Com.
mittee of the Second Market be instructed to en-
quire into the terms on which the necessary lant
can be obtained for opening street eighteen fef
wide, extending from the Northeastern corner O
the grounds Of said Market, along the lines of tn
property OF James Lyons on the eastern side ant
the lands of the estates of Emanuel Resented
John Broucher, J. l.. Delca.npo and John o
Steger on the western side to Clay street. and re
port thereon.
GAuGING.-The Council on Friday evening afte
discussing and and voting upon various PROPOSE
tons relative to the department of gausing, fnsll,
adopted the present ordinance with sundry modif
cations and amendments. These amendments al
we stated Saturday, consisted in rectifying mis-