Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-02-16
THE GAZETTE.
rHURspAY- MORNING, FrrnrARr le, 1860


The year 1860 is "leap year" and consists
of three hundred and sixty-six days, one
day being added to the shortest month";
February, which will therefore have twenty
nine DAYS this year. Leap year occurs
every fourth year, and is 50 called because
ii leaps over day more than does any otner
year. 1t is also called blsextile-irom the
Il aim 5,s twice. and seTtus sixth---mean-
as;n that the sixth of the calends OF March
q corresponding to the Oath Of February was
srecgoned twice every fourth year by the IN
tercalation OF y day.
geisThs necessity for leap year arises from the
fact that the solar year does not correspond
exactly with the civil year. in consequence OF
Its not ending exactly with q given day, but
with fraction of day. If it were not for
this arrangement, Christmas in course OF
time would be in midsummer, and the fourth
of July in the depth of winter.
The true year consists OF the time IT takes
for the earth to make one revolution around
the sun, which is determined by its coming
back TO the same point III the zodiac from
which it started, and this Is accomplished IN
three hundred and sixty-fye days and near
~ six hours; but, as the calendar must con-
sist Of complete days, these six hours are
omitted and in four years they make up a
whole day, which one Is added to the year
making what is called leap year. Tins,
however, is not strictly correct; for 1t is as
certained by accurate calculations that
solar year is exactly 365 days, hours, IS
minutes, and SIT seconds consequently,
in putting on the six hours we add ! ! MN
utes l2.4 seconds in four years. This IN
the course of 1851 years would amount to
twenty-four hours, or complete day. Eve
~ year the number of which is divisible by
four without remainder, is leap year, ex-
cept the last year of the century; which is q
leap year only when Invisible by 400 without
remainder. Thus the year 1900 will not
be leap year.
ia The Roman year originally had but ten
months, as NAV be seen in the meaning OF
thename December, which is "tenth month"
March was the FIRST month of the year in the
time Of Romulus, and December was the last;
hut Numa Pompilius, who knew astronomy
better, added January and February.
While Rome's great founder made the times his
Ten months no chose TO constitute the year;
But MINUS, better skilled in astral lore,
To Romulus' months adjoined two more.
The Egpytians were the first who approx
imated to the real length of the year, which
they made to consist of three hundred and
sixty days. Afterwards they added FIVE days,
as was done by Thales. one ofthe seven wise
men of the Greeks. Jews, Syrians, Ethlo-
plans, Romans, Persians and Arabs all had
years of different lengths.
The day on which the year commences is
also different in different countries, butln
all it is held in great veneration. The jew
ish historical year commences with the new
moon near the yernal equinox, March ~
and the civil year with the new moon near
the autumnal equinox. The Mahomedans
begin their year on the day when the sun en-
tiers Aries; the Persians in the month which
answers to our une; the Chinese and Indians
with the first new moon which happens IN
March; and the Mexicans on the 23d OF Feb
ruary, at which time the verdure IN that
country begins to appear. William the Con-
4ueror,a having been crowned on the first
day of January, gave occasion to the English
to begin their year on that day, in order to
make it correspond with the most remarka-
BILE date in their history.
Though the historical years begin in Eng
land on the festival of the Circumcision, or
the first day of January, on which day the
German and Italian year begins, yet the
civil or legal year did not commence till the
day of the Annunciation of the Virgin. the
18th of March. The part of the year be-
tweenpthose terms was usually expressed in
both these ways; either l74S-9 or ia So.
But by the act altering the style the civil
year now begins with the lst of january.
The old style followed the Julian method of
computing the year by the calendar estab-
lished by julius Caesar, in which every
fourth year consists Of 500 days, and the
other years of 365. This Julian arrange
ment of time makes, rs we have seen, ele-
ven minutes and some seconds ina year too
much Pope Gregory XIII, reformed the
calendar by retronching ten days in Octo--
Der, 1882, in order to bring back the vernal
equinox to the same day as at the Council
ofNice, A. D. 325. The Reformation was
adopted by act of Parliament in Great Bri-
tain in l75l, by which eleven days in Sep
tember, 1852, were retrenched, and the third
day was reckoned the fourteenth. This mode
Of reckoning is called new style.
ny L.