New-York tribune., 1841-12-10

tine OF Its revolution. ana ioUbd tlat X US 90
wears.
Before 100. the appearance Of 40 comets wns
recorded. atn the date Of each. Ofthese, hswevsr,
oag had been carefsiIy observed and their paths
distinctly calculated and known. Hale took these
ard wen, through lie labor OF conPuung TIE actual
paths frcm observations made, win ;nls view:
II these bodies. Re thought reyolye around the
Sun lae the planets. Z e probable that OF i1ese
Il some tro sr three were The same oae return
iag over and over ezai and 10 ascertain his point
j, was necessary To find wat then courses wers@
Ii b. fosnd thar Jvo OF three Of jacm followed ,h-
-ar-e ,,atn. h. would believe them me SAN. comet
returning in II own track Tri- theory v5aid %
vcr aed If II could be shown thai The intervals p--
tween the appearance, of them were eGual. A.rer
several unsuccessful ATTEMPTS be took me one
which appeered and was observed oy hiulse I u
1852 ard after examining II path ae fo-nt By
computation that come; had appeared In l6J7
;na followed nearly the same path - the otter.
! GA must always remember mat when | -peaa OF
- path | m-an the small parJ that j. yi-iole- =
/, was therefore highly probable tbs; ;ney were
Tire same BODY sgcces-rely returning IL is revol-
t!oa. l. il we're 30, the constant In,ervai would
be Is year He therefore searched GU. the re-
cord. and found that oHe bad appeared IL l53I-i
giving al Interval Of 76 years a.ary; AID oa max
ing the necessary calculations, be- tJuni that = io.-
9gyed nearly the same path q that OF 1882.
Arrived a, tins point, he had 10 doubt hat he
had made grand discovery That ne mad found e
new member OF the Solar System. body having
a RESOLUTION IN d period Of - or 76 wears and r.
turning with great regularity. BIT .lch vas tie
extreme di-,rust WIKI which .uca sacca'aticn-
wore received, tha; he scarcely dared Venture h.
cherished suspicion even 10 NJ neares. friend IN
III he had Investigated il sf:li farther. According
&, he carried hi inquiries s'il farther back. lie
osud that in 1855 YER remarkable rsnei had
appeared sell known In hi-tory from the fact t,at
IL. appearance was accompanied by several re-
markabie events: he Turks invading Ch..Jendom,
4ad Cons,auunople being taken Inc same year
The appearance Of this brilliant comet spread
great alarm IN these >uperstiiogs times. Tor 1t was
regarded o. the aarDuger o. misfortune 10 hrist-
-udon ana d the egii genius taar brought with
j, t.e Turks End their de-o=iIag barbarian SO
,rong va. TINS fear, that prayers we're offered up,
-lise q. aims, the comet and the Turks The sin
yular appearance Of the ,ail. winch CHANGED to be
slightly curved ati-s extremity aud which was fam
ci,d by the terro'stfick>n people OF nose times
To- resemble Turkish scin!lar, lent additional
strength TO their fears.
This come, was 50 well known in history, that
Ha.es attention could not t4l to be arrested by IT,
The interval between 4JG and the time % Is next
appearance was - years and lie also found That
is Path wss nearly the same. In going sill far
Aer back, he found that !; had appeared IN 1850,
IN 1905, and in 1890. Before thu, period, It's ap
2earauce must have passed without record for BE-
found no mention OF 1t until l00j which compri-
.ed three revolutions. The next was 10 93G; the
next in 500, period OF five revolutions having
eap-ed the next in 500 after two revolutions.
and tho next in 323- From that time no mention
Is made of it until 100 B. {. when IL appearance
i again recorded after four revolutions Nothing
shows the distinctive superiority OF modern sci
eace, in which astronomers coufue their researches
10 the collection, arrangement ard comparison OF
acts instead OF amusing themselves by theories
OF old more clearly than TINS history Of Hallcs
comet.
When these calculations were announced TO the
world, they were accompanied by prediction
mat the comet would reappear in H53. OF course
Halle and his contemporaries could not expect 10
present to verify hs prediction; but he assigned
as legacy 10 future astronomers to see is tahl
m-nt and 70 bear testimony to the theory OF gravi-
taton. In the interim betweeo 1862 and tic Pc
rod of the comets reappearance the physical
sciences made rapid advances. and a the period
approached, constant attention drawn to the
question of the expected fuifiment Of Halle pro-
phecy.
As 1888 approached, scientific men began to ex-
cite each other to conduct the investigation, which
vs.. this: the comet of Halle had departed from
tic Solar System in 1882; it had since been pur-
-ung lis silent and invisible path in the abyss OF
space; meantime the intellect Of MAJ track
ing It's steps through th- darkness of it, noiseless
journey. In order TO verify me theory OF graylia
lion by means of this path, through space, it was
cc-ssry TO calculate, foot by foot as il were, the
wanderngs and deviations OF this citizen OF the
Universe. To DO ,hi7 involved labor the mag
nitudc of which, it Is Impossible to appreciate. Ii
was first sary take the largest bodies Of the
Solar System, Ju9iter, and 10 estimate taeir at
traction on the comet Is 1t was leaving the system
Not day passed in which this calculation vas not
necessary. The calculation would have been dit
ncuit eneugh if Jupiter had remained at rest; but
while the comet j. proceeding on IL way, Jupiter
is going forward in his own orbit-yarying every
day tde elements oil the calculation and involving
q labor OF which it Is impossible TO form any con
cep,ion In ,hi, work the first difficulty that &C.
carried was 70 ind rules torthc calculation his
was effected by ClaraGlt, distinguished mathe-
matician who under ooh the mathematical part
of the work he found the formula BY which the
attraction Of the planet a sonnet may be estls1a
led II any one could be found sold enough to IN
dcrtuke the calculation.
Two persons were found possessed OF a sci-n-
tiic spirit, which induced than 10 Sacrifices Por-
,ion OF their health and lives / TINS labor. One
Of them was the French astronomer, Lalande. VINO
undertook the arhinelcal part OF the calculation;
his assistant, singular 1t may appear, wa,
.ady Madam Lepsute, the wife s matchmaker.
They accordingy proceeded: and as the year l758
approached, YOU may Judge what was The excite
nenr Of the Astronomical! world, aad how grea,
was tae anxieIy OF tar tro get their calculations
Completed lest The comet should anticipate the
prediction, by It's appearance. We aaye remain
ing manuscript OF Lalande. in which be says
During .iN months we ca!cn!a.e9f.om !norEIns