CALENDARIUM;

OR,

AN ALMANACK

FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD

1848,

BEING BISSEXTILE, OR LEAP YEAR,

AND THE TWELFTH OF THE REIGN OF HER PRESENT MAJESTY.

"Quis est tam vecors, qui, cum suspexerit in cœlum, non sentiat Deum esse ?"-CICERO,

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY JOHN MASON, 14, CITY-ROAD;
AND SOLD AT 66, PATERNOSTER-ROW.

SOLD ALSO BY SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL, STATIONERS'-HALL COURT;
AND BY THE BOOKSELLERS.

Clock

bef. O D m. S. 1 3 36

4 5 0 7 6 21

10 7 38

13 8 491

LUNATIONS AND WEATHER.

d. h. m.

New Moon, 6 0 8 afternoon. Some heavy snow, or cold rain.
First Quarter, 13 11 47 forenoon.-Cold high wind, with snow.
O Full Moon, 20 0 5 afternoon.-Winterly weather continues.
Last Quarter, 28 11 59 forenoon.-Windy, with rain or snow.

PLANETS' GEOCENTRIC LONGITUDES, DECLINATIONS, AND RIGHT ASCENSIONS,

1st day. H's Long. Y 14°: Decl. N. 5: R. A. 0h. 54m.-)'s 8 ± 4° 52′.

REMARKABLE DAYS.

O Sun Sun Sun's

D's Dris. Moon HighW

Wrises. sets. dec. S long. & sets south. Lon.B. A.

h. m. h. m.

1 S CIRCUMCISION. Operigee. 108 2 B2 SUN. AFT. CHRISTMAS 118 3 M Sun's semid. 16′ 17′′

sig. h. m. h. m. h. m. d.

128

12 WD in perigee. DH 218
13Th St. Hil. Old N. Y. D. Cam. 238
14 F Oxf. Term begins [T. beg. 248
15 S Day increased 33m.

16 B2 SUN. AFT. EPIPHANY
17 M Jupiter rises 3h. 2m. aft.
18 Tu Priscu. Old Twelfth-Day
19 W Copernicus born, 1472
20 Th Fabian. Day br. 5h. 56m.
21 F Agnes. Twil. ends 6h. 27m.
22 S Vincent. Day incr. 52m.
23 B3 SUN. AFT. EPIPHANY
24 M Mars south 6h. 34m. aft.
25 Tu CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL
26 W Jupiter sou. 10h. 35m, aft.
27 Thin apogee
28 F Mars sets 2h. 9m. mo.
29 S Jupiter sets 6h. 39m, mo.

258 268

1

34 15 21
24 1721
14 18 21
04 2021
277 594 21 20 51
28 7 584 23 20 39
297 574 24 20 27
7 564 2620 14 N
17 554 28 20
27 544 30 19
37 534 31 19
47 524 33 19
57 514 3519
67 504 36 18 51
77 49 4 38 18 36
87 474 40 18 20 m
97 464 42 18 5

53 38 8 5510 36 10 19 4 45 9 5111 5311' 3 5 44 10 47 morn.12 16 6 38 11 41 0 53 18'

48

34 mg
20

6

30 B4 SUN. AFT. EPIPH. K. CH.107 454 44 17 487 31 M Hilary Term e. [I. MART. 117 434 45 17 32

PROPER LESSONS FOR

EVERY SUNDAY. 22 Sunday after Christ. 91 Sun. aft. Epiphany 16 2 Sun. aft. Epiphany 23 3 Sun. aft. Epiphany 30 4 Sun. aft. Epiphany

i. Isaiah

vii xiv. xxi. xxvii.

lvii."

2 Lesson.

xliii. Romans
xlvi.

liii.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONTH.

THE word January is derived from the Latin Januarius, a name given to the month by the Romans, from Janus, one of their divinities, to whom they attribute two faces; because on the one side, the first of January looked towards the new year, and on the other side towards the old one.

CHRONOLOGICAL OCCURRENCES.

JANUARY 1, 1801, Ireland united to England.-6, 1786, the Hasewell lost: this, one of the finest East-Indiamen, was wrecked near St. Adelm's head, a famous sea-mark, consisting of a bold cliff, rising to the height of almost three hundred feet, near Encombe, in Dorsetshire.-9, 1806, Cape of Good Hope taken. -14, 1831, Henry Mackenzie died, aged eighty: this popular author was the son of Dr. Joshua Mackenzie, an eminent physician of Edinburgh: Sir Walter Scott dedicated "Waverley" to him, and styled him the Scottish Addison.—12, 1808, massacre at Lisbon by the French.-15, 1559, Queen Elizabeth crowned.-18, 1829, Sir William Curtis died, aged seventy-seven: this very active and serviceable Member of Parliament was the son of a biscuit-baker at Wapping: his politics were once expressed in the brief sentence, “I fear God and honour the King."-1846, the mildest January in England on record.

ASTRONOMICAL NOTICES.

THE planet Venus appears with refulgent brightness in the mornings during this month, in the south-eastern part of the heavens; Saturn exhibits his dull orb in the south-west, after the bright monarch of day has descended below the western horizen. Jupiter is a magnificent object near the eastern verge, early in the evenings, and as night advances seems to climb up heaven's steep way; and is due south near the midnight hour. Mars is somewhat conspicuous in the southeast after sun-set: he is easily distinguished by his ruddy hue.

METEOROLOGICAL, ZOOLOGICAL, AND BOTANICAL PHENOMENA.

"SADDEN'D with vapours, shivering in the frost,
The torpid muse when rigid winter sways,
Too hoarse to warble e'en the lowest lays,
Bewails her lyre unstrung, her measures lost.
Can naked boughs, with freezing rime emboss'd;
Can icicles reflecting gemmy rays;

Or the pale sun, by fleeting vapours cross'd;

He

Atone for hours when rose wreath'd summer smiled, When scattering balm and fruit she zoneless danced; For brilliant suns with black clouds undefiled, For clear short nights, when soft-eyed Dian glanced Through silver'd shades, or on the heathy wild, Can long dark nights contracting cheerless days, With fuller lustre, raptured thoughts entranced?" "He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?" (Psalm cxlvii. 16, 17.) But snow has fertilizing properties; and the ground long covered with snow in the winter, is always found to be very productive of vegetation in the spring: hence is manifest the goodness of God. "We miss the bat, the hedge-hog, the dormouse: they may, however, soon be found; but in what circumstances? In quiet slumber,-a slumber termed hybernation,-during which the blood slowly circulates, the temperature of the body is reduced nearly to that of the atmosphere, and the vital functions are almost suspended. Is not this just one remove from death? No! it is the Creator's mode of preserving from death. It is a state of insensibility which the breath of spring will dissolve, at once restoring animation and vigour. Then, if life be spared, we shall see the bat wheel again round the tower, or the trees; the hedge-hog interrupt our walks at eventide, and roll itself up at our approach; and the little dormouse will build its little nest in the thicket, when that can afford it concealment."-Sights in Winter.

FARMING AND GARDENING DIRECTIONS.

CLEAN ditches and water-courses; plant and repair quickset hedges, and lop forest-trees. In open weather plough fallows for peas, beans, and barley.

Not much can be done in the garden during this bleak month. Prune wall and standard trees, and protect tender potted plants from frost.

PLANETS' GEOCENTRIC LONGITUDES, DECLINATIONS, AND RIGHT ASCENSIONS.

127 414 47 17 15
137 404 49 16 58
147 38 50 16 41

Dris. Moon High W long. & sets. south. Lon. B.A.{ sig. h. m.h. m.h. m.

1 Tu Sun's semidiam. 16′ 15′′
2 W PURIF. CANDLEMAS DAY.
3 Th Blaise. ris. 5h. 16m. mo.
4 F Twilight ends 6h. 46m.
5 SAgatha. Day br. 5h. 40m. 167 344 5416
6B 5 SUN. AFT. EPIPHANY 177 334 56 15 47 *
7Mh sets 7h. 10m. aft. Moon 18 7 31 57 15 29
TuD in perigee

274m29 8m58 11m3 26 10 5 22 950 0a1327 24 6 810 44 1 328

22 sets

157 36

52 16 23

7 5 50 11 39 1 50 29

5

0a34 2 33

59 15 10 T

014 51

5 9 43 3 14 4 34 1911 047

214 318

4 morn. 5 1

414 12

[near h 197 294 9 W Mars south 6h. 2m. aft. 207 275 10 Th QUEEN VICTORIA M. 1840 217 265 11 F Mars sets 1h. 51m. mo. 227 245 12 S Jupiter south 9h. 21m. aft. 237 225 13 B6 SUN. AFT. EPIPHANY 14 M St. Valentine. Old Can. D. 15 Tu Venus rises 5h. 28m. mo. 16 W Length of day 10h. 0m. 17 Th Jupiter sets 5h. 19m. mo. 18 F Day increased 2h. 23. 19 S Mercury sets 6h. 50m. aft. 20 B SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY 21 M Sirius south 8h. 36m. aft. 22 Tu Procyon south 9h. 25m. aft. 23 W Jupiter south 8h. 35m. aft. 24 Th DUKE OF CAMB. B. Din 56 595 29 9 40 m 25 F ST. MATTHIAS [apogee 26 S Mercury sets 7h. 20m. aft. 27 B SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY 28 M Camb. Term div. noon

47

35 25 10 23
15 27 10 2

66 56 5 30 9 17
76 545 32 8 55
86 525 34 8 33

96 505 36 8 10

15 2 36

7 46 8 50%

29 3 38 8 40 10 14
12 4 31 9 34 11 4010
26 5 19 10 26 morn.
9 5 56 11 16 0 4612

21

6 50morn.

4 rises

1 3615

0 3 2 2114' 16 7 a 8 0 49 2 59 28 8 12 1 33 3 3316

9 15 2 16 4 4 2210 17 2 59 4 37 18 411 19 3 42 5 61 16 morn. 4 26 5 3920 28 0 19 5 11 6 1321 10 1 18 5 58 652 22 2 15 6 47 7 3725

29 Tu Regulus sou. 11h. 26m. aft. 106 485 37 7 48 v 5 3 8 7 37 8 4924

Note. In the columns of Moon's rising and setting, Moon's southing, and High Water London Bridge, "m" between the hours and minutes implies morning; and "a" afternoo

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONTH.

SOME etymologists derive February from Februa, an epithet given to Juno, as the goddess of " purification; while others attribute the origin of the name to Feralia, sacrifices offered to the manes of the gods at this season.

CHRONOLOGICAL OCCURRENCES.

FEBRUARY 5, 1829, John Bird died, aged sixty-one, a self-taught artist of some eminence, who, without the aid of a liberal education, or early instruction in his art, rose into reputation by the force of strong original intellect, and habits of close application and persevering industry.—13, 1689, William and Mary proclaimed King and Queen.-22, 1832, John Bigland died, aged eighty-two: he was the author of numerous works: Mr. Rhodes, in his "Yorkshire Scenery," published in 1826, speaking of Mr. Bigland, says, "We found him in his garden, rearing flowers and cultivating vegetables: this veteran author lives a life of patriarchal simplicity, systematically dividing his hours between his books and his garden."-26, 1815, Buonaparte escaped from Elba.-28, 1828, Brunswick Theatre fell, and destroyed thirteen persons.

ASTRONOMICAL NOTICES.

VENUS still beautifies the mornings with her silvery rays. Saturn disappears in the evening sky after the first week. Mars, in the neighbourhood of the Pleiades or seven stars, appears high in the southern skies early in the evenings; at which time Jupiter, not far from Castor and Pollux, in the eastern part of the heavens, exhibits his magnificent orb, and with his belts and satellites greatly entertains the telescopic observer.

Note. The planet Mercury is not often to be seen, owing to his proximity to the Sun; but if the last week of this month prove clear, he may be easily seen every evening near the western horizon, about an hour after sun-set.

METEOROLOGICAL, ZOOLOGICAL,

"THE verdure of the plain lies buried deep
Beneath the dazzling deluge; and the bents
And coarser grass, uprearing o'er the rest,
Of late unsightly and unseen, now shine
Conspicuous, and in bright apparel clad,
And fledged with icy feathers, nod superh.
The cattle mourn in corners where the fence
Screens them, and seem half petrified to sleep
In unrecumbent sadness. There they wait
Their wonted fodder; not, like hungering man,

AND BOTANICAL PHENOMENA.
Fretful if unsupplied; but silent, meek,
And patient of the slow-paced swain's delay.
He from the stack carves out the' accustom'd load,
Deep-plunging, and again deep-plunging oft
His broad keen knife into the solid mass:
Smooth as a wall the upright remnant stands,
With such undeviating and even force
He severs it away: no needless care,
Lest storms should overset the leaning pile
Deciduous, or its own unbalanced weight."

The woodlark renews his note, and the thrush commences his song: the sweet warblings of the hedge-sparrow are heard, and the sprightly note of the wren

arrests our attention.

The laurustinus and China-rose continue in blossom, and the buds of lilac-tree are very forward. The admirer of nature's beauties will not consider the snowdrop and the crocus beneath his notice.

FARMING AND GARDENING DIRECTIONS.

KEEP calves warm, clean, and dry. Give hay and sliced roots, in addition to liquid food, to those that are rearing. Attend to ditches and water-furrows,

especially if much rain fall, or deep snows on the ground suddenly thaw.

Remove cauliflower plants from under glasses; clean and thin strawberry-beds, and sow carrots, parsnips, spinach, and lettuce. Top-dress auriculas with rich compost. Plant roses in soils made with loam and dung in equal quantities, and set choice dahlias in pots of light mould.