The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-08-10
ANCIENT AND MODERN DIVISIONS
OF TIME.
From Appleton's Journal.

From AppletonS Journal.
It is not generally known that, a
little more than q century ago, New
Years was celebrated on the 25th of
March, throughout the British do
minions, including America.
The following enactments, adopted
by Parliament, entitled Gan act reg
ulating the Commencement of the
Year, and correcting the calendar
in use," were passed in tho twenty.
fourth year Of the reign of George
H.:
"PREAMBLE.- Whsreas, The legal
stipulation of the year of our Lord
according to which the year begin.
meth on the 18th day of March
hath been found by experience to be
attended with divers inconvenien.
ces," etc.
"Endctnaents-That throughout his
Majesty's dominicns in Europe, Asia,
Africa, and America, the said suppu-
tation, according to which the year
of our Lord beginneth on the 25th
day of March, shall not be made use
Of from and after the last day of
December, 1851 /; and that the first
day of January next following the
said day of December shall be reck-
oned, taken, deemed and accounted,
to be the first day of our Lord, 1852,
and so on from time to time. The
first day of January in every year
which shall happen in time to come,
shall be deemed and reckoned the
first day of the year," etc.
The act further corrects the calen-
dar thus:
"And that the natural day next
Immediately following the I'd day of
September shall be called and &C.
counted to be the 18th day of Sep.
tcmber, emitting for that time only
the eleventh intermediate nominal
days of the common calendar"
We believe that in the State of
Rhode Island to this day all farm
and other leases date from the date
of the ancient New Year, namely
the 10Th of March.
The ancient divisions OF the day
differed widely from the customs OF
our own time.
The Chaldeans, Syrians, Persians,
and Indians, began the day at sun
rise, and divided the day and night
into four parts. This division of the
day into quarters was in use long be-
fore the division into hours.
The Chinese, who begin their day
at midnight, and reckon to the mid
night following, divide the interval
into twelve hours, each equal to two
of ours, and known by name and
particular figure.
In Egypt the day was divided in
to unequal hours. The clock inven.
ted by Cresibius of Alexandra, B.
g. $50, was 80 contrived as TO length
en- or shorten the hour by tho flowing
of water.
The Greeks divided the natural
day into twelve hours-a practice
derived from tho Babylonians.
The Romans called the time be
tween the rising and setting sun the
natural day !; and the time in the
twenty-four hours the civil day
They began and ended their civil
day at midnight, and took this prac
tice from their ancient laws, and
customs, and rites of religion, in use
long before they had any idea of the
divisions into hours.
The first sun-dial seen at Rome
was brought from Catania, in Sicily
in the first Punic war, as part Of
the spoils of that city; and, after
this period, they divided the day into
twenty. four hours. An officer, call
ed dccensus, at one time proclaimed
the hours, and at the bench of justice
announced every three hours the
time of day. In the Turkish empire
time is reckoned by certain portions
Of the natural day, resembling the
"watches' of the ancient Jews and
Romans. Public clocks not being in
use, there divisions OF time are pro
claimed from the minarets.