New-York tribune., 1841-12-10

F.-,h from the Sun.1 would be so great that Pc
roj It 30 600 wears would be required Tor II =
cool Il exposed 10 the common temperature OF
80 p-rhap. Comets may receive 20 great Aeat
.be1 near the Sun. that, when ihey rush OIL mo
tiley retain a considerable portion Of i: stu
+. hard 10 conceive. knowing 81 them as much a.
az. go. bow the Comet could be ii Indications for
animals at all similar 70 any with which We are
qgain;ed.
b., comets no, Only disregard the order o. Tie
p. -neiary system by noving in ova. orbit; 5ul
hey also rebel sgs.ns; the principle Of uniformity
ylrtve o. which, the planets move II The SAM
plane About 500 comets hive been chservet;
ard Of all tuo-e concerning which sufficiently coz
rect calculations have been made II ! bei;cv-d
nat about an equal number move IL every possible
direction. Some in one plaae-othsrs PerPen-
dIcglar 70 il, and others -tiii il osi.qre dlr-c-
lions. 1t J.. ". Arago | believe, who has taken
the trouble record the NUMBER OF cones - high
move .; every possible direction with regacd 20
g Echptic; and he found :. We have stated. LAT
their number j. nearly cq4sl. So that in tnis
.ueCt al.o the comets actually contend against lie
habits Of erder Observed By the planets. Another
point requires attentions the motion Of Tue = ar
ets-which i in the same direction for all, csilcd
direet notion /; and the opposite retrogrcds mo-
tor. Ihs comets are perfectly Indifferent * 20
which Of these motions they follow, whether they
follow either OF 100 comets winch have been
observed with reference TO thi-, about nall observe
he direct and the others the retrogradc !rotion.
You see, therefore. that every point not inqera-
rely insisted upon By the laws Of Nature is 81
once discarded by the comets. They obey no law
which obedience Is not enforced They are
SPECIES Of astronomical rolcdtes which rcbe.
against al! principles Of order, laugh the habit
1901 ,e.~.. r.u~ftf all rarti7rI-r d..
harmony You may easily carry the parallel --il
larlhcrif yeu remember that iney have fees co.,
red WIKI hair while their heads empty. lCreat
applause in which one or Two OF the audience dit
not ioin.
Many strong reasoncrs have believed that comet,
re attached 10 no particular System. II IS true
there have been discovered some tina. apparently
Deion- 10 our System; others do not but wander
ibout among NAM Systems. revolving around
,reat variety OF Suns, 70 none II Is pos
>lbo that they become satellites, attaching them
-e.es 10 some particular planet, Jupiter. for in
stance, and revolving after around II a.
NEON II has been thought tEat ther. Is no small
degree Of p!ausibility for the opinion that our Moon
vas .uce a comet which in its hayward wander
lns- came into our System, fascinated by TIN
terrestrial attraction and remained constant Ia that
,fnciple, thus becoming revolving satellite. WHAT
inc IputplItlfs if4le - WILL i' lNs-
,jdcred hereafter; it is by no means impossible.
1t i, said by both Ovid and Lucian that ancieri
Tradition existed among the Arcadians that theg
ancestors at remote period lived a time when
mr. Earth ind no moon If such tradition could
- proved TO have really existed, it would afford
>one color for the theory that once were moon
t-ss. AT the last evening mentioned ciFcum-
s'ance which also gave probability to the opinion
VIZ, that comet once came near Jupiter, and after
Two revolutions around the Sun again drawn
from its orbit and sent far off into the regioss OF
space.
About the year 1890, soon after the publication
Of NewtOns Principal, the question OF comets at
tractcd great attention. His new theory OF srayi
ration had lust been promulged and at first obtained
but partial acceptance. 1t soon, however, found
Is WAY 20 the different countries of Europe. The
satisfactory explanation which it afforded OF plan.
rtary morion acted in its favor in various parts OF
the Continent and 1t was soon suggested, when
seriously considered, that the comets afforded al
xcelleHt opportunity to tcst the validity ot the
new theory. DR.. Halle, Il contemporary Of New
ton and I very eminent philosopher. applied him
self to the investigation -f comets with the espe
cal object of testing Ncwtons theory OF srlyiia
ION His notion in which Newton conceded.
that these bodies nothing more than plan
OF peculiar kind class subject to the same
uws with some differences. Halle first applied
himself to examine the comet of lG80-'he one
described the last evening Us having 50 enormous
tail. ascerlanit its path round the Sun. * this
however, he failed.
Newton applied himself to tie investigates un
Ter difficulty which will now explain Only
very small point of the oval path OF comet falls
within the orbit OF Mars or of the Ims planets, and
comet can he seen while outside that orbit
Therefore Newton and Halle were only able to
watch the comet while it remained wlhln these
limits. Az basis then for calculating whs
would be tho whole orbit, they possessed only TIE
small portion of it through which the comet was
visible Now, though it be possible. kn7wiag
small portion OF circumference, 10 calculate The
Ahole, sill ,he small arc must be known with cx
IRENE accuracy. Although they carefully observed
Ibis comets path, still, ne portion Of it which was
visible could not be calculated as to compute
The immense portion Of the orbit which Was in
visible.
They. however, made computations sufficient to
render it probable that this comet revoked about
the Sun in a very oboDg oval in the space Of 80
wears the length OF its year. As II was not to ie-
urn until the expiration OF this period, they OF
could not expect TO verify their calculations
" awaiting its re-. ppearancc, nor viii any OF the
present generation be- alive TO witness it. But an
> her resource presented itself They could search
he records Of the past and ascertain the tunes in
which the comei had previously appeared. WINS
on an Ingenious mathematician found by serIe-
Of calculations that this comet OF 1850 vas, at the
time Of the Mosaic Deuge, in a position which
made it probable that it was chosen the nstru-
NEXT in the hands Of God for producing that won
lertul phenomenon. He explained and supported
ai> theory with great learning and acuteness He
,xended his calculations back, period after period
and shewcdupon ,oleraby strong grounds that here
5 reason TO believe that this GOMEZ was at such Il
distance roJs the Earth that it would exert al
.---.;.,, 90 ,ro,- -, % ,,r,,l,., 30. ,,hrvor,,nn