*15. 1817.-MADAME DE STAEL DIED.

In point of intellect, literary attainments, and splendour of character, Madame de Stael-Holstein (daughter of M. Necker, so distinguished before the French revolution for his financial talents) was one of the most extraordinary women of her age. Her character,' says Lady Morgan in her "France," was uniformly described to me, by her friends, as largely partaking of a disposition whose kindness knew no bounds; and of feelings which lent themselves in ready sympathy to every claim of friendship, and every call of benevolence. Among those who knew her well, the, splendour of her reputation seems sunk in the popularity of her character; and "c'est une excellente personne"-" c'est un bon enfant," were epithets of praise constantly lavished on one who has so many more brilliant claims to celebrity.' She died at Paris, aged 53; having, only the evening before, enjoyed the fresh air of her garden. She expired in a gentle slumber; and it is remarkable, that, as if foreseeing this catastrophe, she never, for some months previous to her dissolution, felt an inclination to sleep without dread.

*15. 1662.-ROYAL SOCIETY CHARTERED.

The Royal Society, on the day of its creation, was the whetstone of the wit of their patron Charles II. With a peculiar gravity of countenance, he proposed to the assembly the following question for their solution:- Suppose two pails of water were fixed in two different scales equally poised, and which weighed equally alike, and that two live bream, or small fish, were put into either of these pails, he wanted to know the reason why that pail, with such addition, should not weigh more than the other pail which stood against it.'-Every one was ready to set at rest the royal curiosity; but it appeared that every one was giving a different opinion. One, at length, offered so ridiculous a solution, that another of the members could not refrain from a loud laugh; when

the King, turning to him, insisted that he should give his sentiments as well as the rest. This he did without hesitation, and told his Majesty, in plain terms, that he denied the fact. On which the King, in high mirth, exclaimed, Odds fish, brother, you are in the right!'

20.-SAINT MARGARET.

She was born at Antioch, and was the daughter of a Pagan priest. Olybius, president of the East, under the Romans, wished to marry her; but finding that Margaret was a Christian, he postponed his intended nuptials until he could prevail on her to renounce her religion. Our saint, however, was inflexible, and was first tortured, and then beheaded, in the year 278. 22. MARY MAGDALEN.

This day was first dedicated to the memory of St. Mary Magdalen, by King Edward VI. And in his Common Prayer, the Gospel for the day is from St. Luke, chap. vii, verse 36. Our reformers, however, upon a more strict inquiry, finding it doubtful whether this woman, mentioned in the Gospel, was really Mary Magdalen, thought it prudent to discontinue the festival.

25.-SAINT JAMES.

James was surnamed the Great, either on account of his age, being esteemed older than the other James, or for some particular honour conferred upon him by our Lord. He was by birth a Galilean, and partner with Peter in fishing, from which our Lord called him to be one of his disciples: Mark i, 19, 20. Of his ardent zeal, no other proof is necessary than his becoming the victim of Herod Agrippa. The Spaniards esteem James their tutelar saint.

26.-SAINT ANNE.

She was the mother of the Virgin Mary, and the wife of Joachim her father. Her festival is celebrat

ed by the Latin church.

P

Astronomical Occurrences

In JULY 1819.

THE Sun enters Leo at 48 m. after 6 in the evening of the 23d 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.

July 1st, Sun rises 46 m. after 3. Sets 14 m. after 8

The numbers in the following table must be added to the time as shown by a good sun-dial, in order to have the mean time at the instant as shown by a well regulated clock.

Thursday, July 1st, to the time by the dial add 3 16

Tuesday,

6th,

Sunday,

11th,

Friday,

16th,

Wednesday,

Monday,

26th,

Saturday,

31st,

4 11

Moon's Passage over the first Meridian.

Should the weather prove favourable, the Moon may be seen to pass the first meridian, adopted by the astronomers of this country, at the following times during this month: viz.

Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites.

There will be four eclipses of Jupiter's first satellite visible at the Royal Observatory this month, and two of his second satellite: the immersions will take place within a few seconds of the following times:

1st Satellite, 3d day, at 59 m. after 11 at night.

11th 19th

53 16

1 morning. 10 evening.

O morning.
11 night.
2 morning.

Transverse axis

July 1st

Conjugate axis

1.000 -0098

Other Phenomena.

T
He will

Mercury will be in superior conjunction at past 3 in the afternoon of the 1st of this month. also be in conjunction with a in Leo on the 27th, when the star will be 7 south of the planet. The Moon will be in conjunction with a in Scorpio at 34 m. after 3 in the morning of the 5th; with Saturn at 59 m. after 6 in the evening of the 12th; with ẞ in Taurus, at 30 m. past 1 in the morning of the 19th; and with Pollux at 2 in the afternoon of the 21st.

On TIME and its APPLICATION.

[Continued fromp. 151.]

One of the most important applications of time, is that which constitutes the science of chronology, or

the arrangement of historical events according to the order of the epochs at which they happened. One of the chief bases upon which this science rests, is astronomy. Accordingly, we find that chronology, comparatively speaking, is but a modern science; for until astronomy had made great progress, and the doctrine and calculation of eclipses become well understood, their application to the purpose of determining the epochs of ancient events could not take place. Besides the natural and obvious divisions of time, as years, months, weeks and days, which result from the immediate revolutions of the heavenly bodies, there are others which result from the less obvious consequences of these revolutions, and which are denominated cycles and periods. These cycles have chiefly arisen from the incommensurability of the revolutions of the heavenly bodies with each other. The apparent revolution of the Sun about the Earth being arbitrarily divided into 24 h., becomes the basis of all our mensuration of time. But neither the annual motion of the Sun nor that of the other heavenly bodies can be measured exactly by hours and their multiples. The Earth, for instance, occupies nearly 365 d. 5h. and 49 m. in making one revolution in her orbit, which period constitutes the length of our year; and the Moon requires 29 d. 12 h. and 44 m. to complete one revolution about the Earth: it was therefore to express a number of complete revolutions in years and days only that cycles were introduced. A cycle is, therefore, such a period of time, which, after several revolutions of the same body, bring it to the same place in the heavens, or to the same division of time.

The cycle of the Sun is a period of 28 years, in which the days of the month return again to the same days of the week; the Sun's place to the same signs and degrees of the ecliptic on the same months and days; or at least so nearly so as to deviate only about one degree in 100 years. The leap years also begin