Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-28 00:00:00

Wednesday, December 28, 1859.

PERIODICAL RETURN OFDELUGES.

We have had occasion to peruse a remarkable work
just published, entitled, " Commits et Revolutions de
l'Atmosphere et de la Mer," by Lieutenant Julien, a dis-
tinguished officer in the French navy. The greater
part of the book is devoted' to a general description of
Lieutenant Maury's splendid theory of currents and
-winds, by which he explains the recurrence of storing
.and other meteorological phenomena; but what has'
chiefly attracted our attention is a new theory on the
inevitable peirodical return of a cataclysm similar to that
known under the name of the universal deluge, a sub-
ject which the author • treats with singular lucidity,.
and of -which we will endeavour -to give an outline.
The author starts from certain facts, some of which
are generally known—viz., 1, that the isothermal lines
(lines where the same degree of warmth is observed on
our globe) of the highest temperature are unequally
distributed bet Ween northern and southern hemispheres,-
the space they occupy in the former being about the
double of that which they occupy south of the equator,
so that the southern hemisphere is considerably colder,
especially towards the . pole, than the northern one ;
2,-
that the accumulation of ice at the antarctic pole is much,
more considerable than at the northern ; 3, that the earth.
performs the shortest portion of its revolution—viz., that
nearest to the perihelion, much more rapidly than the-
other, and at that period of the year which com-
prises the autumn and winter of the northern hemis-
phere. 'Hence it follows that the winter of the latter is
shorter (by about eight days) than that of the southern
hemisphere ; aad it is during this long winter, when the
earth is farthest from. the sun, that the solar rays must
lose in strength what they gain in duration. To this
cause of diminution of temperature must be added
the loss of caloric by radiation, and it will then be
easy to perceive the reason of the difference of tem-
perature between the two hemispheres. Observation,
moreover, has shown that the quantity of caloric
lost at the south pole in the course of a year is
equal to the surplus absorbed' at the north pole. Novi
let us, with the author, mentally represent to our-
selves the earth at the moment of its creation, when'
its .whole surface was covered with water, and its
centre of gravity coincided with its geometrical centre.
From that moment its revolution around the Ella
commenced, and all those causes which have led to
the inequality of teMperature between the two hemi-
sheres began to operate. In the course cf a few cen-
turies the ice at the south pole became in consequence
heavier than thai accumulated at the north pole, and the
centre of gravity was displaced southwards ; mathema-
ticians, in fact, state the distance between the latter and
the geometrical centre to be about 1700 metres. Under
these circumstances what could the liquid surface of the
globe do but flow southward, leaving all the continent .
we are so familiar with, uncovered ? Here M. Julien
observes that all the regions of the southern hemisphere
bear unmistakeable marks of submersion; that America,
Africa,. and India end in points all turned to-
wards the south pole ; that the islands of the
southern regions have the appearance of the summits of
mountain ranges, and that- Lieutenant Maury's sound-
ings show that- the coasts on that side all descend
abruptly into the sea. He further states the curious fact
that in going from thenorth to the south pole at every
parallel the ratio of the extent of land to that of the
sea diminishes regularly and progressively. Let us no w-
take into cons ideration the phenomenon called - the
precession of the equinoxes, in virtue of which the
first point of Aries recedes upon the ecliptic by
about 50 seconds in a year. This gradually causes
a complete change -.in the seasons; and, counting'
Pram any given time, there must elapse at lea.-t
21,900 before the seasons can return atprecisely the same
periods of the year. It haS been ascertained that up to
the year 1248 of the Christian era—a year in which the
first day of winter precisely coincided with the earth's
passage through its perihelion—the temperature of the
southern hemisphere had been in constant course of dimi-
nution, It is, moreover, clear that after the lapse of
10,500 years the seasons on our globe must be exactly
reversed. Hence, about 10,500 years before the year
1248, or 11,000 years before our present time, it was
the north pole, and net its opposite. one, which was in its
maximum of refrigation • our present continents were
then submerged, according to the Mosaic tradition or
the Deluge, and there were continents unknown to US-
in
the southern hemisphere. And again, by the same
astronomical and natural laws, 10,500 years after the
last cataclysm, a new one will occur, which will again
submerge the northern hemisphere, and allow a new
world to emerge frrm the ocean in the southern one
Such ie the theory of M. Julien.—Galignani.

The Globe understands that the War Office Committee
appointed to consider the question of an uniform for
the volunteer corps throughout the country, have
recommended that the tunic should be of a brownish'
grey colour, and that the colour of the facings and the'.
shape and colour of the nether garments should be left;
to the taste of the several corps.
SUDDEN DEATH.—On Saturday afternoon, as a train,
was about to start from Birmingham for Derby, the.
attention of the officials was directed to a man sitting
in one of the carriages, and apparently in a very ex'
hausted state. He was removed to the waiting zoom:
and from thence to the General Hospital, but when he
reached .that institution it was found that he was dead.
The deceased, who has not been identified, was a work-
ingl
1 oh
Ltn
man,o
ea r
D m and had in,his possession a. railway pass to
UNDONALD'S YOUTH.—My destination was
originally the only, whether accordant with my taste
or not ; for my father was not one of those who consi-
dered it necessary to consult the inclinations of his
children in the choice of a profession, but rather how he
could best bring family influence to bear upon their
future interests. Unfortunately for his passive-obedience
theory my penchant was for the sea. Any hint, however,
to this effect was peremptorily silenced by parental
authority, against which it was useless to contend. 2,1,1
uncle, the Hoh. Captain, afterwards Admiral,
ir
Alexander Cochrane, had the sagacity to perceiv.e
that as. inclination became more rooted with 11,
growth, passive obedience on this point
one day come to an end. Still further, he was Lai
enough to provide against such contingency shoald
it arise. Unknown to my father, he had entered nIY
name on the books of various vessels under his com-
mand ; so that, nominally, I had formed part of the coin'
plement of the Vesuvius, Carolina, La Sophie, and.
Hine ; the object—common in those days--being t)
give me a few years' standing in the service, should it
become. my profession in reality. Having, however,
relative in the' army who possessed influence at the
Horse Guards, a military commission was also pro'
cured for me; so that I had simultaneously the howl
of being an officer in his Majesty's 104th Regimen
and a nominal seaman on board my uncle's h,112;
By way of initiation into the mysteries of 'of
military profession, I- vas placed under the tuition
an old serjeant, whose :first lessons well
with his instructions not to pay attention to nil
foibles. My hair, cherished with boyish pride, was toro,
mally cut, and plastered back with a vile compositionn
candle-grease and flour, to which was added the tort7l
incident to the cultivation of an incipient queue• vol
neck, from childhood open to the lowland breez, ,)
encased in an inflexible leathern collar, or stock, selecteau:
according to my preceptor's notions of military' Eire-tito
priety ; these almost verging on strangulation- 2t,..Tior_
semi-military tunic, with red collar and cuffs, inarAlete
of the Windsor uniform, was provided, and, to c°,lll;rtai.
the tout ensemble, my father, who was a determined
partisan, insisted on my wearing yellow waistcoba.tc.flPi.
breeches ; yellow being the Whig colour, of w
was admonished never to be ashamed. A more c
mode of canine. into action the dormant obstinacyol
a sensitive high-spirited lad could not have been
tun
vised than that of converting him into a carica
hateful to himself and ridiculous to others. As
aura
accorded
be imagined, my costume was calculated to nt!
the Duke 'of Northumberland's palace, at Charinip
cross, I was beset by a troop of_ ragged boys, evlec
c_
attention,
beyond
eonmdore my so
years. from being acuc
panicdn
ae
u om
bent on amusing themselves at the expense of nly,
sonal appearance, and, in their peculiar slang, induLgi
coTipi°..
in comments- thereon far more critical than f'tota.
mentary. Staing to.the quick, I made my eseapera,
them, and rushing, home, begged my father to let
to sea with my uncle, in order ,to save me fr°eTches...
,degradation of floured head, pigtail, and yellow br
oe,, to,
This' burst of despair aroused the indignation.- c
parent: and the Whig, and 'the reply was a scan
e motstranc e Avaa uieless.; but .111 Y dislike to ;vtivYird,s;
nilitary became confirmed ;- and the events a ofil(-1.
Ainly,cost his •Majesty's 104th..reginient
r_,,vict,
~witlastanding that _my military) training.. p
11 redoubled severity.—" The. Autobier
• kt'tlic Ear? of Dtuzetana4l,