ALMANAC

tables or books containing a calendar, together with astronomical and statistical data, such as the times of the rising and setting of the sun and moon, of eclipses and the tides, and market days, terms of courts, ecclesiastical and other holidays, economic statistics of different countries, also genealogical and literary matter, etc. Many a’s contain prophecies as meteorological phenomena and political events. Primitive a’s were compiled by the ancients, but the earliest manuscript a. probably originated in the XII. cent. Among modern almanacs some of which show an interesting de_ velopment from older astrological calendars, are Old Moore's A., the British A., Whitaker's A.; Ephemeris and Nautical A. i ued by the chief governments. caliph of Abba sides dynasty; of a cruel and treacherous nature, but a patron of learning; persecuted the Egyptian and Syrian Christians; had Euclid’s Elements trans. into Syriac. (1836-1912), naturalized Brit. artist; b. Dronrip, Netherlands; studied at Antwerp; subjects taken largely from cla ical and medizval sources; also many portraits; A.R.A. (1876); R.A. (1879); knighted (1899); O.M. (1905).