The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-31 00:00:00

PERIODICAL PIIENOMEN.I.

M. Quetelet, director of the Observatory at
Brussels, has, for more than 20 years, been engaged
in extending to every order of facts the study of
periodical phenomena, a study hitherto exclusively
confined to astronomy and meteorology. While the
earth pursues its regular course along its orbit, the
change of season produced by this annual revolution
leads to the renewal of various well-known pheno-
mena, such as the development of plants, the hatching
of certain insects, the migration of various species of
animals, &c. By simultaneously observing all such
phenomena at many places, very curious laws might
be discovered. A single plant might afford useful
information. We have traced on our globe, for in-
stance, what are called isothermal lines, that is,
those along which the average temperature is the
same ; why could not synchronous lines be traced
in regard to vegetation ? At Paris, let us say, a
given plant left to itself will put forth its lea' es on
the Ist of May ; what are the places where this phe-
nomenon generally occurs at the same period? We
may at once observe that the line connecting all
these places will not be a terrestrial parallel, since the
phenomenon in a great measure depends on mois-
ture and temperature ; it may occur earlier in a flat
than in a hilly country ; in one protected from the
northern winds than in one exposed to them, &c. ;
and it will then be interesting to see whether the
synchronous line coincides or not with the isother-
mal one. Again, will the former one, determined
in regard to the production of the leaves, be the
same as that which may be determined in regard to
the blossoming of the same plant ? The line of the
latter phenomenon would constitute an isanthemic
line. Lastly, will fructification take place equally
on the same line, or will the isoporic one be different
from the isanthemic one? So much for plants : it
is evident similar researches might be instituted for
the insect and animal world generally, and even
for social phenomena of periodical occurrence. The
vast field of inquiry thus opened cannot but interest
all thinking minds.

7.11 E LIFEGUARDSMAN AT KNIGHTS-

BRIDGE.

A curious case was heard on Wednesday at the
Marylebone County Court. The plaintiff, a do-
mestic servant, sued defendant for the sum of £5,
which she had lent him two or three years ago,
while he was a private in the 2d Life Guards at
Knightsbridge. She had accidentally become
acquainted with him, and, as he represented him-
self to be only a poor private and " hard-up,"
she acted very generously towards him. They
frequented music halls and other places of amuse-
ment, she paying the whole expenses. Meeting him
in the park ono day she asked for the £5, and
ne said he would pay her as soon as he could,
but afterwards he denied having had any loan
from her at all. She had no written acknow-
ledgment of the debt, and no one was present when
she lent the money. She afterwards heard that he
had £lOO in the bank at the very time when she
lent the money. In answer to the judge as to
whether he was not ashamed of himself to live upon
the hard-earned wages of a domestic servant, de-
fendant said the other Life Guardsmen did it.
When servants walked out with soldiers they knew
they had to pay. On one occasion plaintiff asked
him to bring another soldier to meet her and a
fellow-servant at Hyde Park-corner, in order to go
down together to Hampton races. He and a cor-
poral went down with the two girls in a " drag"
to the races. Neither he nor the corporal paid
the expenses. He supposed the girls made that
all right. Plaintiff, he admitted, had treated
him in the most generous manner, but he denied
receiving £5 as a loan. The Judge, in non-suiting
the plaintiff on the ground that she had no direct
corroborative evidence, said he was glad the in-
habitants of Knightsbridge were making an effort
to remove the cavalry barracks from their neigh-
bourhood, on account of the intolerable demoralisa-
tion they caused. If plaintiff could get additional
evidence he would be glad to hear it. As for the
defendant, he ought to be ashamed of himself.
" The defendant," says the Times, " slunk out of
court with a broad grin on his features, greatly to
the disgust of those present."