Sir, - John Morris (July 11th) claims James Ussher's calculation that creation took place in 4004 BC implies that the universe will be 6000 years old this year. This is not so.
It is obvious from Ussher's tables of dates, which were published in 1654, that he would have appreciated that the interval between January of 1 BC and January of AD 1 was one year, and likewise that the interval between 4004 BC and AD 1996 would he 5,999 years. - Yours, etc.,
Rathdown Park,
Dublin 6W.