Red Wing sentinel. [volume] (Red Wing, M.T. [i.e. Minn.]) 1855-1861, 1860-01-28
Fly, swiftly fly
Through yon tair sky.
From the New York Herald.
LEAP YEAR.

The year 1860 is "Leap Year." and
consists of $50 days, one day being
added to the shortest month, Fcbru-
airy, which will, therefore; ls:tve TWEEN
ty-nine days this year; and on it's last,
Or additional day, is claimed by the
ladies a privilege which belongs at all
other times to the conference.-the
privilege Of popping the question
Leap Year occurs every fourth year,
and is so called because it leaps over
a day more than does any ordinary
year. For instance, in other years, i'll
Christmas day or New Years day fall
on a Sunday, it will fall on Monday in
the following year; but in Leap Year,
it will fall or Tuesday, being thus two
days later in the week, instead of one.
1t is also called bissixtile-from the
Latin bis, twice, and sertus, sixth
meaning that the sixth of the calends
Of March corresponding to the oath
of February was reckoned twice eve
ny fourth year by the INTERPOLATION of
a day. The 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 given day, but
with a fraction of day. If it were
not for this arrangement Christmas in
course Of time would be in midsum-
mer, 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 rev.
olution around the sun, which is de-
termined by its coming back to the
same point in the zodiac from which
it started; but as the calender must
consist Of complete days, these six
hours are omitted, and in fonr years
they make up whole day, when one
Is added to the year, making what is
called Leap Year. This, however, is
not strictly correct, for it is ascertained
by accurate calculations that solar
year is exactly 3e5 days, s hours, 4s
minutes and ST. seconds; consequent
ly, in putting on the six hours, we add
IL minutes l2.4 seconds in four years.
This in the course of 158 IL years
would amount to twenty-four hours,
or complete day. Every year the
number Of which is divisable by four
without remainder is Leap Year,
except the last year of the century,
which is Leap Year only when di-
visable by 400 without remainder
Thus the year l 200 will not be Leap
Year. g.,
The Roman year. originally had but
ten months, as may be seen in the
meaning OF the name December, which
is " Tenth month" March was the
first month of the year in the time of
Romulus, and December was the last.
But Numa Pompilus, who knew as
tronomy better, added January and
February.
While Rome's great founder made the times
Ten months he chose to constitute year;
But Euma, better skilled in astrollore,
To Romnlus' adJoined two more.
The Egyptians were the first who
approximated to the real length of the
year, which they made to consist of
$50 days. They afterwards added S
days, as was done by Thales, one Of
the seven wise men of the Greeks
The Jews, Syrians, Philippians, Ro-
mans, Persians, and Arabs, all had
years of different lengths.
The day on which the year COM
mences is also different in different
countries, but in all it is held in great