The figures under the name of each month denote the number of hours nearly between sunset and sunrise. The number of points denote the hours of darkness; and their position ....... indicates, the one..... before, the other ***** after midnight. = Advent Sunday The Year 1844 is a Leap Year. ECLIPSES May 31, MOON totally eclipsed, visible IN 1844. earth generally at 10h. 29 9m. This eclipse will only be visible in a small portion of the Great Southern Ocean. November 24, MOON totally eclipsed, visible at Greenwich. Begins at 8h. 36.9m. P.M., mean time at Greenwich; middle at 11h. 44.5m; ends 25th at 2h. 52 1m. A.M. Magnitude of the eclipse (Moon's diameter=1), 1·435, on the southern limb. December 9, SUN partially eclipsed, invisible at Greenwich. Begins on the earth generally at 6h. 18 6m. P.M., mean time at Greenwich; ends on the earth generally at 9h. 44m. This eclipse will be visible in the North Pacific Ocean, and in the greater part of North America. TERMS AND RETURNS. HILARY TERM begins 11th January-Ends 31st January. The first General Return Day for every term is the fourth day before the first day of the term, both days being reckoned in the computation. In Hilary Term, therefore, the first General Return Day will be January 8; Easter Term, April 12; Trinity Term, May 19; and Michaelmas Term, Oct. 30. There were also three other General Return Days in the term upon which certain writs were returnable; but now, by the statute 1 Wm. IV., cap. 3, sec. 2, "all writs now usually returnable before any of his Majesty's Courts of King's Bench, Common Pleas, or Exchequer, respectively, on General Return Days, that shall be made returnable after the 1st of January, 1831, may be made returnable on the third day exclusive before the commencement of each term, or on any day (not being Sunday) between that day and the third day exclusive before the last day of the term; and the day for appearance shall, as heretofore, be the third day after such return, exclusive of the day of return; or, in case such third day shall fall on a Sunday, then on the fourth day after such return, exclusive of such day of return.' When the terms themselves commence on a Sunday, the term is dated from such day, although the sittings do not commence till the following day. In the calendar the duration of the term is marked by a strong line. Mich....Oct. 10... Nov. 12, m.... Dec. 16 TERMS IN ENGLAND Usually taken in Leases. 25 March Lady Day 29 Sept. .Mich. Day 24 June..Midsum. 25 Dec... Christmas IN SCOTLAND. Candlemas.. Feb. 2 | Lammas...Aug. 1 Whitsund.*. May15 | Martinmas. Nov. 11 This term, in Scotch leases, does not depend upon the inovcable Feast of Whitsuntide, but is permanent, TRANSFER DAYS. The Transfer Days are now Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Dividends are due at the following dates, and are receivable at any time subsequently. Tickets for preparing Transfer of Stock must be given in at each Office before 1 o'clock.-At the East India House before 2. Private Transfers may be made at other times than as above, the Books not being shut, by paying at the Bank, India House, and South Sea House 2s. 6d. extra for each Transfer; but no Transfer can be made after 1 o'clock on Saturdays. Transfer at the Bank must be made by half-past 2 o'clock; at India House by 3; at South Sea House by 2. Expense of Transfer in Bk. Stock, 251. & under, 9s.; above that sum, 12s. 1l. 10s. 12s. Powers of Attorney for the Sale or Transfer of Stock must be deposited at the Bank, &c., for examination, one day before they can be acted upon; if for re. ceiving Dividends, it is sufficient to present them at the time the first Dividend becomes payable. The expense of a Power of Attorney is 17. 1s. 6d. for each Stock separately, but for Bank, India, and South Sea Stock, 17. 11s. 6d.; and when required to be made out on the same day, half-past Twelve o'clock is the latest time for receiving orders. The boxes for receiving Powers of Attorney for Sale close at Two o'clock. All Probates of Wills, Letters of Administration, and other proofs of decease, are required to be left at the Bank, &c., for Registration from two to three clear days, exclusive of holidays. HOLIDAYS KEPT AT THE PUBLIC OFFICES IN 1844. By an Act of Parliament passed in 1834, much of the money business of the Exchequer is removed to the Bank of England. At the ExCHEQUER all holidays are abolished except Christmas Day and Good Friday. CUSTOM-HOUSE, EXCISE, STAMPS AND TAXES OFFICES. Good Friday, April 5. Prince of Wales's Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Birth-day, Nov. 9. All the above days are also ordered to be kept as holidays by the officers and servants of the Dock Companies of the United Kingdom. At the Stamps and Taxes Office, the Restoration of Charles II., May 29; Whit Monday and Tuesday, are kept in addition. BANK OF ENGLAND. Good Friday, April 5. Christmas Day, December 25. And, in the Transfer Offices, 1st May and 1st November in addition. N.B. Whenever the 1st May or 1st November falls on a Sunday the holiday will be kept on the Monday following. SOUTH SEA HOUSE.-Same as Bank of England. BRITISH MUSEUM. The Public are admitted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, between the hours of Ten and Four, from the 7th September to the 1st May; and between the hours of Ten and Seven from the 7th May to the 1st September. The Museum is closed between the 1st and 7th January, the 1st and 7th May, and the 1st and 7th September, and on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Christmas Day. Any Special Fast or Thanksgiving Days ordered by Authority are kept in addition by all the above establishments. QUARTER-SESSIONS IN THE SEVERAL COUNTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES. By the act 1 Will. IV., c. 70, it is enacted that "in the year 1831, and afterwards, the justices of the peace in every county, riding, or division, for which Quarter-Sessions of the Peace by law ought to be held, shall hold their general Quarter-Sessions of the Peace in the first week after the 11th of October, in the first week after the 28th of December, in the first week after the 31st of March, and in the first week after the 24th of June." The following list has been computed according to this rule. The Act 4 and 5 William IV. cap. 47, allows a discretionary power to the Justices of Peace as to the time of holding the Spring Quarter-Sessions, and empowers them to alter the day for holding the Sessions, so as not to be earlier than the 7th of March, nor later than the 22d of April. BEDFORD-W. Jan. 3, April 3, July 3, BERKS-Tu. Reading, April 2 and Oct. CORNWALL-Bodmin, Tu. same as Berks. DEVONSHIRE-Exeter, Tu. same as Berks. ESSEX-Colchester and Harwich, M. same Oct. 19 18 Spilsby. Tu. 9 Tu. 22 Bourn and Boston, Tu. as Berks, Sleaford 'MONMOUTHSHIRE-Usk, M. as Cheshire. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE-Northampton, Th. as Sussex, West Div. Peterborough, W. NORTHUMBERLAND-The County Sessions WORCESTERSHIRE-Worcester, M. same as 1. British Museum closes. MONTHLY NOTICES. the registrar of their district, without any fee whatever. their children to be registered within forty-two 1. Leipzic fair-manufactured goods and plea-days after birth, by giving personal notice to sure* (the business commences 3 or 4 days earlier). 1. Quarter Sessions commence in this week. 5. Half-yearly dividends on some species of Stock becoine due. See Table of Transfer-days. 8. Brit. Mus. 10 till 4; Reading Room, 9 till 4. 8. Fire Insurance due at Christmas must be paid by this day, or the Policy becomes void. 22, 23. Melton Mowbray fair-horses, cattle. 25. Whittlesey (Ely)-horses. 26. Brunswick-miscellaneous, including manufactured goods, &c. REGISTRATION-Births.-Persons should cause SUNDAY PROPER LESSONS, MORNING. Jan. 6 Epiphany......... Isaiah 60 Deaths. Intimation should be given of deaths in the same manner as births. This is of importance to be done early, as the undertaker must have a certificate to give to the minister who reads the funeral service, without which he may refuse to bury the body. As the cause of death is to be entered, sound discretion should be exercised in ascertaining the real nature of the deceased's death, for which important purpose every facility should be given. LESSONS. Luke 3 to ver. 23 7 1st Sun, after Epiph.,, 44 51 ,, 21 3rd 28 4th ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA. Mercury, in the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus, is an evening star till about the 27th, then invisible. On the 2nd, at 9h 49m A. M., in conjunction with Saturn, at 1° 50'S.; on the 20th, at 3h 15m A.M., stationary; at 2h 52m P.M., in Perihelion; on the 29th, at Oli 5m P.M. in inferior conjunction with the sun. Venus, in the constellations Capricornus and Aquarius, is an evening star throughout the month. On the 24th, at 8h 43m P.M., in conjunction with Jupiter, at 0° 38' S. Mars, in the constellations Aquarius and Pisces, is an evening star throughout, setting from 5h 52m to 5h 16m after the sun; on the 21st, at 11h. 10m. P.M., in conjunction with Uranus, at 00 23. Jupiter, in the constellation Aquarius, is an evening star throughout, setting from 4h 11m to 2h 4m after the sun. Saturn, in the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus, in the beginning an evening star, middle and latter end invisible. On the 19th, at 2h 32m A.M., in conjunction with the sun. Uranus, in the constellation Pisces, on the 15th passes the meridian at 4h 21m P.M. The Moon, on the 2nd, at 8h 25m P.M., in conjunc- Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. 26 F 26 Jan. 1 9 Thebet. 2 10 " 27 S 27 28 28 4 Sunday after Epiphany. Fast. Jan. 1 10 Kurban Bairam. 4 13 29 M 29 30 Tu 30 King Charles I. Martyr. 31 W 31 Hilary Term ends. The Monthly List of Fairs is only a selection of the more important ones. When they fall on Sunday they are usually held the day after. We have also added a few of the German Fairs which are of commercial interest, all of which continue for three weeks. 22 1 Fortunate |