The herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1835-1837, 1836-01-15

the earths orbit without any percepfible influence
and il has been already stated that Lexcs comet APP
pro'ched to within six times the distance of the moon
from It's period diminished more than
days, by the earhs action but the reaction Of the
did not affect tides Indeed the greater
number of comets move SO rapidly, that
their attraction greater than il is there not time for
sufficient accumulation of impetus to produce any
effect on the ocean, SO that we have not deluge
dread.
Since the proximity Of comets gives no ground Of
aar,he only other Of apprehension that remains
be considered the chance Of collision which is by
no impossible, when consider the mu!titudes Of
that constantly raversing system in all
directions certainly the velocity with which they move
would make the conclusion dreadful if the mass were
of any magnitude but the chance of collision is still
less than that Of appulse and much would depend upon
the direction liz which the two bodies might be moving,
at the instant Of meeting. Sheud the motions of both
be in the direction such would slide off from the
surface of the other, without doing than local
HARM Ii might indeed, DETECTION in the path
of the earth and a change in its velocity The NEST
fatal effect would be produced by comets having retro
gade motions, the of which might be directly
opposite TO that Of the earth, and the momentum might
be sufficient destroy the progressive motion Of both
bodies, in which the suns attraction would
both to fall TO his surface Such would be the fate Of
the earth if il struck by a comet with mass only
about four times that Of the moon, and moving in a
contrary direction the Of million him.
dred and hirryfour feet in second-both bodies would
arrive al the sun in about hftyfour and half days. If
any thing had destroyed the velocity Of the Of
$780, when nearest to the sun, il would have fallen
his surface three minutes which places the compare
tive distances Of that comet and the earth, from the
in a strong point of view.
Were the earth to receive a violent conclusion frem
comet Of considerable density, the position Of the
axis, of its diurna revolution, would in all probability
be changed. The consequence would be a sudden
rush Of all the Of the from their ancient
bed which would overflow the land, sweeping before
them animate and inanimae beings in one undstin-
,hah1 no nj tho nln I.a ka~~
testimony TO the and destructive effects of foods
of mighty The debris of multitudes OF plants
and Of animals deeply buried in the ground show that
long before became its inhabitant the earth
tenanted by nnumerabe of beings altogether diff
erent from those which share with the present
of things and which have vanished from existence
thousands of ago. because the state under which
they ure found, show that sometimes the pre-
vailed for numberless centuries the beds contan
ing them, and sometimes the dry land.
Enormous masses Of rock from their native hills
have been born extensive countries TO far distant
regions and deposits OF the deep on the tops of the
ofiiest mountain chains declare the irresistible force
and magnitude of tho which in times
have carried destruction the face Of nature
These effects have been attributed TO the foundations
produced by the shock OF comet in former ages but
the atmosphere has shown that such is not the
that the length Of the day, which is the of the
celestial motions, is mmutable, and exhibits trace of
change and that il the earth had been struck by
a comet, 70 change the axis about which il per
forms its durnal rotation the effects would still be per-
cepble in the variations which il would have occasion
ed in the geo raphca attitudes As nothog is known
of the earth's primitive velocity, a comet may have
given it shock and only destroyed part Of lie pro
gressve velocity without changing the axis Of rotation
In this the effect would have been make il 60
nearer tine sum- and in q smaller orbit which
Though absolutely impossible is very improbable.
Indeed, instead of having become warmer, the tropi-
cal nature of the fossil remains in the most northern
-ions of Europe and America have led the belief that
the general climate ofhe earth is Of lower tempera-
ture now than il in the extremely remote ages, in
which these plants and animals must have honrished.
The earth is in greater danger of a shock from the
two small comets belonging system. than from
any others-Encke's comet which revolves orbit,
lying nearly between those Of Mercury and Pallas,
crosses the earths path more than sixty times in
fury, and in the immensely Of tme il may meet with the
EARTH and but for its extreme tenuty, might do incalcu
liable damage, still il is not easy say how far velocity
might compensate for OF in increasing the
momentum.