Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-06-12

dcnouncing "th9 folly and immortality of mn
moon story, and declaring that | sought to 10
ranked in the class of liars and deccivers," he,
talks about teaching the inhabitants Of the moon
the alphabet, in the following manner:
cit has sometimes been a subject of s~pecula-
ton whether it might be possible. by any symbol.
TO correspond with the inhabitants of the moon.
Gruithuiscn see Edinburgh New Philosophical
Journal for October 20, p. 800 in a convcr,a-
ton with the great continental astronomer
Gauas, after describing the regular figures ho
had discovered in the lnoof. spoke Of the possl-
biity Of correspondence wilh The lunar inlaIit-
ants. He brought to CAUSES recollection tho
idea he bad communicated many years ago to-
Zimmerman. Gauss answered that the plan OF
erecting a econetrical figure OH the plains of ST.
IBERIA correspondent with his opinion, because.
according to his vleG, a correspondence with tie
irllabitonts Of lie moon could only be Iegun by
mcan-,nf eacd ma'hpri teal contcrnplatioi.s anj
IDEAS as we and they must have in common.
Were The inhabitants Of the neon to recognize
such q figure. erected on an immense scale, as
"a signal of correspondence, they NIGH, perhaps
q erect a similar one in reply
And oar Dundee philosopher indicates his ro-
grct that tour terrestrial sovcroigns are to-
much engaged in plundcr and warfare to think Of
spending their revenues in so costly an expert
ment. He farther expresses the opionion that
"schemes, far more foolish and pre- p~osterous than
the above have been ~contriyed and acted upon in
every age of the world" Among philosophers,
then, we presume, for it is difficult to conceive
, any thing half so preposterOus among the practl-
cal portion of mankind. Only think of one of
:" our terrestrial sov~ereigns," being so amiably
moon-struck, under the advice of his wise men.
as to suffer his unastronomical enemies to over
run his sublunary provinces, and plllage their
thoroughly discovered inhabitants, while he is
heavily taxing his wondering sublectst to construct
/" a large Triangle or ellpsis of many miles IN eH-
tent" as DR.. Dick has if, by way of opening an
interesting correspondence and establishing a
treaty of peace with lypoihical lu%nariGns!
Iu-c imagine the Secretary Of the Treasury
applying to Congress for authority to issue "a
magnanimous batch of treasury notes, with
power to reissue, as he exigcncics of the public
service might require, fortle purpose of erecting
somewhere in Michigan. a scini-circle, fifty
? miles in diameter, witha line Of Martello tower
of proportionable dimensions and altitude, to
dot out a radius. and then a luminous argument
, in a new Presidents inaugural message, clearly
showing that the l~unarians COOL make neither
. head nor tail of the diagram without Il sine and
b vcrscd of white marble to indicate two terus, rs
y the proposition! Imagine, too, a warm
sadly personal debate to arise in couseqr
of a numerously signed memorial from Pea
e vania, representing that the arc which !, ?
h constructed at such immense expense,
| tirely unknown to the man bats; and +
I, mcnding a general suspension Of all eXcSk
G a singularly angular railroad and
% cited patriotism of a radical memH
Tammany. resolved to 90 the emf
q denouncing suspensions on tLcA
of chord, and learnedly conrTainrV
OF nt.y 'unKfE2vn" arc might be b
difficulty. because. as the chord Of han
IT forms an angle with the chord of the WN
IT equal to half the angle formed by the tango!
IT and chord Of the whole, so it is only to say tina,
as half the chord is to radius, so is the measur
Of its versed sine TO the tangent of the opposit
10 angle. which taken, like the presidency, twia
+ over, is C lual TO the angle measuring the WI
- arc-which is quite O. X! And conceive
J. debate in the Senate upon the whole quest(
le MessrS, Benton and Calhoun contcnding thai
m were better to defer the works until the spec
id clause OF the sub-treasury shall have driyl
III every shred of rag money ont of circulation,
" then TO prosecute them only by direct taxaion
Id and Messrs. Clay and Webster defendyi tn
n position that it would he found Impossible, bot
then and thereafter, TO regulate the ey- mango
" signals without a national hank!
Is Only sketch to the minds eye the oonsterna
le ton in Wall-strect among the hc!dars OF Il,
r New Comic Section Stock, on its slddIIini ~
e l'iIH itiI Il 'itlNLuIl y. -
70 Stouinrtou- . eoSN
that the l.nar ma,KeY eyldonF"
rs nothing Of urigonolnci}M> they had ia,.ed :
n commence any diagra.T. illustrative Of the.
% me nod Of measuring an arc Of the meridian
zee, too. a new Common Council, meeting i
JOINT ballot to appoint moon-survcyors and len,
inspectors in every ward or suddenly caile
from their o. sters 20 the roof Of the City Hall t
al le2rn The gratifying INTEL gcnce t''n.. from som
hitherto uuo!servcd appearances in the Vale
the Iria3', jhG geoine'rcilns Of hat c~c,ebfaic
vi region were probably about to Ell ect in the cours
OF the present century, an acute ang'e thercb
pointcd.v indicating that thew recognised I'll
Independence of the United states. and ~cr
T. likely to take sides with Maine on the boui'd'r
IN question, Ala Oh! what glorious Jolly tnIc
Of for y lets aud magazines WHAT iroNe
and rumours and discussions ,-3o want {
% change when the !Ioon Il IN the market !-iio'
ri a puugcnt IN dit for The aud nunC@. to the ote'
that t'r. IAN tont, The hitherto respected an
IN sirai ghl-:Jrw4al treasurer of the Long-lSlai
TrageliIm Company, h3i SGT o!rumthe as'oi
pc ished circle OF his acquaintance with all -
ed available furd1~rt.e concern, and left r-lLIln
NJ but the ieUJtsN..l 3D.. IN pencil, 10 S~-G a
t. problem OF his dostination-now an eiabwal
atc.e IN the Dandee Diane, describing.al
d. lar figure huili ni some kind of blilliant S!oheT
The breast Of the great mountain Buliia'dec
and proving i 70 be an exact copy of the line
,r stone profile O. DR.. Dick erected by the subscriI
nv zion OF hi numerous disciples at home q,
abroad AND now a learned, though %sarcast.
H. reply Of Nr, Fowler the ihrenologist, in I'll
he New iort Crescent, showing that The topogrs
ply @. this lunar structure, though probab'
no nothing more ,hanthe iancifu' outline Of COY
OF s%picuous cavity, bears a striking resemblanc
Ks to the vertical section of a calls head!
Ut So immoderately absurd a proposition rs tina
of of opening any experimental correspondence
IS with Tho inhabitants Of the moon by means
vast structures o. zone, which it would reqnlr
as half am AGE 0.d a In.ne of wealth to construc
e. without the least tangible probability, either
lie reason or science, that they would answer tn
IL intended purpose, even in the reniotest degree
40 would be 700 cN,rayagant for ridicule, If 1t wer
presented alone, rs a solitary cccenaicity
en- m.nd. But e actually constitutes bu' a mln'
ls feature ofthe qsendop philosophy whichlas la'c'
"a ster ,'l 'oy;'s IN tho h4hjlimcnts of pie'y al
ny Gath. II is merely a specimen of a Systcm;
dy component; part Of an aggregate is .carce.
- ,l,ub.f,l u-hctl,r IL 1,ps not inyol,o tho t,Mr