The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-10-04
HON. JAMES II. GRoOME
COMPUTATION OF TIME.
A VERY INTERESTING PAMPHLET

We have received an intere,tin. and val
liable pamphlet on this subject from our
friend Spencer I:ensall, who has long been
in the employ Of the pennsylvania Histari-
cal Society. The pamphlet includes the sub
stance of series of articles recently pub
lished in the Pennsylvania Mga.ine Of HIS
tory ond Bio9rdPhy, and contain. all the in
formation that it is desirable to have upon
the subjects of which it treats.
Nothing is more perplcxn@ and harder to
comprehend by the student or writer Of his
tory than the change that has been made
from Old 10 new style. ME- i.onsai las
succeeded in making this matter plain
that any person Of ordinary comprehension
can easily understand it. The pamphlet
also contains full instructions for the Use of
the Dominica letter, by the application OF
which 4 person KNOWN. on what day of
the week certain event took place Cor may
happen in the fpturel or, having the day of
the week, can easily ascertain What dag OF
the month will correspond TO it, Mr. Bon
sail has not only exhausted the subject of
the changes in the modern computation Of
time, but has extended his researches to the
nrimeyal times Of the Egyptians and Baby
lnnians, aud thrown MIeh light upon the
fabulous ages of the old ratriarGls. We
regret that We have not room for more
copiouS extracts from this interesting work,
but the following will serve to give the
reader an idea of its character:
at is stated in Hutten's Philosophical
and Mathematical Dictionary that year,
originally, GeGofcd 2 revolution; ard was
not lirnited to that Of the SIN Accordingly
we find by tho oldest accounts, that people
have, at different times, expressed other
revolutions by it, particularly that of the
moon: and consequently, that the years OF
some accounts are to be rcckoned only
months, and sometimes periods of two, or
three, or four months This will assist Ills
greatly in understanding the traditions that
certain rations give of their own antiquity,
and PERHAPS a SO of the great age Of men.
We read expressly in several Of the old
Greek writers, that the Egyptian year, at
one period, was only month; and we are
also told that at other periods it was three
mentnS, Oh io"r non, hS, AID ii is probable
that the children of Israel followed the
Egyptian mode of computin. their years
The Egyptians boasted, nearly two thousand
years ago that they mad historical records
Of events, happening forty-eisht thousand
years before that period. This statement
was evidcatlS intea.te0 ~ dstcise .he
Greeks, with the design of making them
believe that they, the Egyptians, were the
Chinese attempt, at present, to initiate,
striving to impress us with the idea that
they are the oldest people on the earth.
lso,n ito l.ress4t ;fsiG tie early ilrrostors
have pretended to ancient observations Of
tho heavenly bodies and recounted eclipses,
in particular, to vouch for the truth Of their
statements. Since the time in which the
solar year, or period Of the earth's revolu-
ton round the sun, has been received, We
ma, calculate with certainly; bat in regard
tt ih..ss +s,orI rats, III Which We sc not
precisely know what is meant by The term
year. it is impossible 10 form any SatiSfac-
tory conjecture of the duration of time, as
computed by the ancients in their chron-
icleS.
The Babylonians pretend to an antiquity
of the same fabulous kind they boast of
f4r;v. s., er thousand years in which they
had kept observations, uut ue 4aa! Judge
of these As of the others. The Egyptians
speak of the stars having four times altered
their courses in that period which they
claim for their history, and that the sun set
twice in the east. They were not such per-
tac. ;.s,rlEOirCrS hrt that, atrr = round
about voyage, they might perhaps mistake
the east for the west, when they came in
again, particularly rs the use of the maei-
nsr's compass was unknown to them
An interesting feature of the work is a
table con.ainins i,y SiirHips Of the Eoman
and Arabic numerals, which is as interest
ing rs it is curious. Altogether tlss little
work contains more information upon tho
subjects of which it treats than any other
we have eYor Seer and Mr. Bonsall deserves
and will receive The thanks OF every SUDDEN,
Of history who has tue Opportunity 70 avail
himself Of its use.