Encyclopædia americana. A popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, a new ed.; including a copious collection of original articles in American biography; on the basis of the 7th ed. of the German Conversations-lexicon. Ed. by Francis Lieber, assisted by E. Wigglesworth ...

CALENDAR. 403
of 365-~ days exceeds the true by about 11 tains the old style, which now differs 12
minutes; so that, for every such Julian days from the new. —In France, during
year, the equinox receded 11 minutes, or the revolution, a new calendar was introa day in about 130 years. Inconsequence duced by a decree ofthe national convenof this, in the 16th century, the vernal tion, Nov. 24, 1793. The time from
equinox had changed its place in the cal- which the new reckoning was to comendar from the 21st to the 10th; i. e., it rmence was the autumnal equinox of
really took place on the 10th instead of 1792, which fell upon the 22d of Sept.,
the 21st, on which it was placed in the at 18 minutes and 30 seconds after 9
calendar. Aloysius Lilius, a physician of A. M., Paris time. This day was select
Verona, projected a plan for amending ed as that on which the first decree of
the calendar, which, after his death, was the new republic had been promulgated.
presented by his brother to pope Gregory The year was made to consist of 12
XIII. To carry it into execution, the months of 30 days each, and, to complete
pope assembled a number of prelates and the full number of days,.5 jours complelearned men. In 1577, the proposed mentaires were added to the end of it, in
change was adopted by all the Catholic common years, and 6 in leap years. Each
princes; and, in 1582, Gregory issued a period of 4 years, terminating with a leap
brief abolishing the Julian calendar in all year, was called a franciade. Instead of
Catholic countries, and.introducing in its weeks, each month was divided into 3
stead the one now in use, under the name parts, called decades, consisting of 10 days
of the Gregorian or reformed calendar, or each; the other divisions being also acthe new style, as the other was now called commodated to the decimal system. The
the old style. The amendment consisted names of the months were so chosen as
in this:-10 days were dropped after the to indicate, by their etymology, the time
4th of Oct.,1582, and the 15th was reckon- of year to which they belonged. They
ed immediately after the 4th. Every 100th were as follows: —Autumn, from the 22d
year, which, by the old style, was to have Sept. to the 22d Dec.; Vendniaire, vintbeen a leap year, was now to be a com- age month (Oct.); Brumaire, foggy month
mon year, the 4th excepted; i. e., 1600 (Nov.); F-imaire, sleet month (Dec.):was to remain a leap year, but 1700, 1800, Winter, from 22d Dec. to 22d March;
1900, to be of the common length, and Nivose, snowy month (Jan.); Ventose,
2000 a leap year again. In this calendar, windy month (Feb.); Pluvidse, rainy
the length of the solar year was taken to month (March): —Spring, from 22d March
be 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 to 22d June; Germinal, bud month
seconds. Later observations of Zach, (April); Floreal, flower month (May);
Lalande and, Delambre fix the average Prairial, meadow month (June):-Sumlength of the tropical year at about 27 mer, from 22d June to 22d Sept.;.iffessiseconds less; but it is unnecessary to di- dor, harvest month (July); Thermidor,
rect the attention of the reader to the er- hot month (Aug.); Pructidor, fruit month
ror arising from this difference, as it will (Sept.).-The 10 days of each decade were
amount to a day only in the space of 3000 called, 1. Primidi, 2. Duodi, 3. Tridi, -4.
years. Notwithstanding the above im- Quartidi, 5. QuintidIi, 6. Sextidi, 7. Sepprovement, the Protestants retained the tidi, 8. Octidi, 9. JNonidi, 10. Decadi (the
Julian calendar till 1700, when they also Sabbath). Besides this, each day in the
adopted the new style, with this differ- year had its particular name, appropriate
ence, that they assigned the feast of to the time when it occurred; e. g., the
Easter to the day of the first full moon 7th of vintage month, Vendemiaire, was
after the astrononmical equinox. But this named carottes (carrots). This calendar
arrangement produced new variations. was abolished, at the command of N'apo
In 1724 and 1744, the Easter of the Cath- leon, by a decree of the senate, 9th Sept..
olics was eight days later than that of the 1805, and the common Christian or GreProtestants. On this account, the Grego- gorian calendar introduced throughout
nian calendar was finally adopted, 1777, the French empire. (For a pretty full
in Germany, under the name:of the gen- historical account of this subject, see
eral calendar:of the empire, or, as it is now Bfisch's Handbuch der Erfindungen, vol1
called, the reformed calendar, in order that vii. p. 152 et seq.; also Gebelin's Histhe Catholics and Protestants might cele- toire du Calendrier. There are also astrobrate Easter, and, consequently, all the nomical calendars, to which. the Astromovable feasts, at the same time. Eng- nomical Year-Book of professor Bode
land introduced the new style in 1752, belongs, and of which 50 vols. had apand Sweden in 1753. Russia only re- peared in 1822. It is still continued.: tOf