by Amphialus, a priest of Caerleon in Monmouthshire, who, flying from persecution, was hospitably entertained by St. Alban, at Verulam, in Hertfordshire, now called, from him, St. Albans. Amphialus being closely pursued, made his escape, dressed in St. Alban's clothes. This, however, being soon discovered, exposed St. Alban to the fury of the Pagans; and our saint refusing to perform the sacrifice to their gods, was first miserably tortured, and then put to death.

20.—translaTION OF EDWARD, King of the West Saxons.

Edward, being barbarously murdered by his mother-in-law, was first buried at Warham, without any solemnity; but, after three years, was carried by Duke Alferus to the minster of Shrewsbury, and there interred with great pomp.

21.-LONGEST DAY.

This day is, in Loudon, 16h. 34 m. 5 s., allowing 9 m. 16 s. for refraction.

*21. 1813.-BATTLE OF VITTORIA.

24. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, AND MIDSUMMER-DAY. This festival is first noticed by Maximus Tauri censis, who lived about the year 400.

The custom observed in most Catholic countries, of making bonfires on the eve of St. John the Baptist, is still preserved in Ireland, though somewhat on the decline. An addition to it prevails here, however, never, we believe, seen abroad, that the children and cattle are made to pass through the fire; grown people will also not unfrequently do it voluntarily: it is considered a certain preservative against disease or accident. When the fire is dying away, the old women assemble round, and each takes away a burning stick to carry home with her, which is to bring a blessing on the house, and is carefully preserved till the next year. It is reckoned very dangerous to be exposed to the air after sunset on this day, for the evil-ones are about, and are then endowed with particular power to harm anybody. At all times

it is thought hazardous to be near a wood at night, but the risk is never so great as on St. John's eve. (Plumptre's Residence in Ireland.) Consult also T.T. for 1814, p. 142; for 1817, p. 164; and our last volume, p. 139.

29.-SAINT PETER.

Peter's original name, Simon, was not abolished by Christ, but that of Cephas was added to it, which, in Syriac, the vulgar language of the Jews, signifies a stone or rock; hence the Greek Пérpes, and our Peter. The apostle's father was Jonah, probably a fisherman of Bethsaida. His brother Andrew, being first converted, was said to be an instrument of Peter's conversion, John i, 40, 41.

Astronomical Occurrences

In JUNE 1819.

THE Sun enters Cancer at 59 m. after 7 in the morning of the 22d of this month, and he rises and sets, during the same period, as in the following

TABLE

Of the Sun's Rising and Setting for every fifth Day. June 1st, Sun rises 53 m. after 3. Sets 7 m. past 8

6th,

11th,

3

3

8

8

Equation of Time.

The following numbers must be subtracted from, or added to the time indicated by a good sun-dial, in order to obtain the mean time corresponding to the time of observation.

Tuesday, June 1st, from the time by the dial subtract 3 40

Sunday,

Friday,

Wednesday,

6th, 11th, 16th,

Monday,

Saturday,

21st,
26th,

The Moon will pass the meridian of the Royal Observatory at the following times, which will be convenient for observing her in that situation, if the weather prove favourable, viz.

There will be one visible eclipse of Jupiter's first satellite on the 18th day of this month, and one of his second satellite on the 29th. The immersions will take place as follows:

IMMERSIONS.

1st Satellite, 18th day, at 42 m. after 1 morning.

2d

29th,

Other Phenomena.

Saturn will be in quadrature on the 22d of this month, at half past 6 in the evening. Georgium Sidus will be in opposition at 15 m. after 11 in the morning of the 14th. The Moon will be in conjunction with Antares at 14 m. after 5 in the evening of the 7th; with Saturn at 13 m. after 11 in the morning of the N

15th; with Mars at 47 m. past 5 in the morning of the 18th; with ẞ in Taurus at 48 m. after 7 in the evening of the 21st; and with Pollux at 2 m. after 8 in the morning of the 24th.

On TIME and its APPLICATION.

[Continued from p. 132.]

The astronomical day, which is the interval bctween two consecutive passages of the Sun over the same meridian, is, in common language, divided into the two portions of day and night; these, however, separately considered, are not always of the same duration, but vary both in the same place at different times, and in different regions of the globe at the same time. These variations depend upon astronomical principles, and shall now be explained.

As the regular return of day and night results from the Earth's revolution on its axis, so the variation in these is occasioned by the inclination of this axis to the plane of its orbit; for in consequence of this inclination, and the parallelism of the axis during the Earth's annual revolution, sometimes one pole and sometimes the other is more inclined to the Sun. By this means the circle of illumination, which separates light from darkness, divides the parallels of latitude into two unequal parts, at all seasons of the year, except when the Sun is in the plane of the equator, and at that time the days and nights are equal to each other in all parts of the Earth, while at all other times they are unequal, except at the equator, where this equality is always preserved. If we suppose a line to be drawn perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit, the inclination of the axis to this line will be equal to 23° 28′; and consequently, when the Sun is in either tropic, a space of 23° 28′ in breadth round the corresponding pole will be completely enlightened, and the same space round the opposite pole as entirely involved in constant darkness. The days and nights, therefore, are

equal to each other at the equator only, and gradually become more and more unequal, as the latitude increases, till there is but one day and one night, or, more properly speaking, only one period of light and one of darkness, in the course of the year at the poles.

This day and night, however, are not of equal duration, as we should be led to suppose, by regarding the position of these regions with respect to the Sun only; for various causes combine to render the day much longer than the night. A person situated at the pole would see the Sun revolving round him parallel to the horizon; hence his upper limb would first re-appear above that circle, and several revolutions would be completed before his centre could be seen, which is the time, astronomically considered, that would separate the night from the day. But as the smallest visible portion of the solar disc is sufficient to cause day, this begins several diurnal revolutions before his centre appears in the horizon. Refraction, which makes all the heavenly bodies appear more elevated than they really are, also increases this effect, and so much the more as it is greater in these cold regions where the density of the air is so much increased by the diminution of temperature. This is also confirmed by observation; for the Dutchmen who were obliged to winter in Nova Zembla, in 1597, saw the Sun rise many days before they expected his re-appearance, and long before he could have been seen, if it had not been that the refraction was so much augmented by the increase of the cold.

The revolution of the Earth about the Sun joined to the obliquity of its axis produces the regular succession of the seasons; which flow from the combined influence of the varying length of the day, and the different inclinations with which the solar rays fall upon the surface of the Earth. When the Sun crosses the equator in his progress from south to north, and