The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-03-15
= : :
Trial a Commander mckenzie.

q certihcate from Dr. Lescsck, u s. Navy was pre-
scented, certify ing that Commander slideli Mckenzie
indisposed with influenza and sore throat to be
| unable to appear before the Court this day.
The PansprNr Hereford ordeie ed the certificate to be
placed the record and ordered that the Court stand adj
journsd to Wednesday, at l0o'clock.
o. AT the reques. Of Captain Bolton sate that the
following paragraph from the Express which mpute to
him the ampering with the witness, McKiny, is wholly
| incorrect
| Questioned by Capt BoLroN-I born in Boston
have liv ed therehave been waiter at Towards Hotel
in this city. have been spoken to once by you only
Captain Bolton asked the witness, McKiny ques.
ton on Saturday. Captain Soa put question to Mckn-
y Is to his previous Occupation and place Of BIRTH The
times he has been questioned by him the Judge Advocate
previous to his being placed on the stand :,
On reference to report in the Herald Of Sunday II
will be that Captain Bottoms is not mentioned
| in the cross examination
Tm STRANGE SIGN IN TILE HEAvENs.-The mys-
terry which continues to hang over this strange and
unknown vsiter to our usually quite solar system,
has very greatly increased the excitement in rela
ton to it. 1t is indeed very marvellous celestial
| phenomenon, and with cool contempt sets all me
theological astrological theological, and all other
oogical sciences at defiance. 1t puzzles astrono-
mers, Iconfounds philosophers, alarms fanatics con-
firms the Milerites, and is quietly observed by the
wise.
So far as the Miller deluson is concerned, this
"sceptre" appears at singularly nauspicous point
of time. For such dcveurng deusion it would
seem that the late and continued earthquakes were
fuel enough. But not SO. In the immutable pro-
gress of events, and the revolution OF natural phs
nomena, very remarkable concurrence of terres-
trial and celestial wonders has TRANSFERRED. Earth
quakes, and comets have, individually, in all ages
of the world been regarded by the ignorant fear
full representations of some dire svents-it may be
of war and revolution, Of famine, of pcstilence
And designing men have always taken advantage
of their occurrence to work their purposes upon
the fanaticsm and ignorance si those who may be
duped. On this point all history is full of sound in
struction. The wise will read and grow wiser
fools will contsmn and become more foolish.
Astothe present strange light" in the heavens,we
have had several opportunities of looking it, but
content ourselves with announcing it's nightly ap-
pcarance. a celestial performer, ''at o'clock
precisely" the bills say, "for few nights only,
as it's engagement is limited" 1t "draws WELL" for
oil the world go TO see it,
We have no scientific opinion to express of it our
selves but give one or two extracts from very in.
teresting account of it, in Washington paper BY
Lieut. Maury, of the U S. Navy
The sTRAses LIoHr.--HyDRseRArHroAL OrrIcE,
March 10, ls43On Monday morning, the 9th, aten.
ten was TO paragraph in the newspapers stating
that Comet was visible near the sun at mid day with the
naked eye
Soon after had retired the officer of the watch an
phenomenon sublime and beautiful. The needle was
greatly agtated and strongly marked pencil of light
was streaming mp from the path Of the in obqus
direction to the southwark and eastward its edges
parallel It was about deg 80 min. broad and 30 deg
long. starscoud bssee twinkling through it, and
doubt AZ Hrst entertained but that this the tail Of
the Comet
"TuE STRANGE LIGHT" HYpRoepApnrcAL on.
FOE, March IL, 1913.
which have already reached from different parts of the
country, there appears now to be but little doubt but that
this is the tail OF Comet and that the head itself has
been at midday in the East with the naked dye If
for length of tail sad magnitude OF nebula it may
cassed among the most remarkable that have appear
ed In the year a. CO. historians tell us Of hairy star
that by day light In the year A. D. l402 Co.
meta in broad day. and the tail of OF them
Tycho Brahe discovered a Comet by daylight in
577 The Comet in I74s could be seen in the day time
without the aid OF glasses Its tail though long
tins was h as had an arc 81 10
which varied from 80 deg to 40 deg The Comet Of 1850
the most celebrated Of modern tmes-had tail com.
pucd az from 10 deg to 90 deg. That of 1913 had the
largest tail rscordlo4 deg and this yies with that in
length
the Comet approaches its perheon Immediately after
which it is longest and most luminous and then it lit
moving the tail then decreases"
this Comet has obeyed this rule has already dou-
bled the sum- and its way back to be again
M. F. MAURY, Lieut. U. s. Navy.
We copy from the Philadelphia North American,
the following accounts of observations of the comet
taken Saturday night, 18th instant at Havertord
School, and at the High School in that city:-
OBSERVATIONS AT HAvERToRp-The nucleus Of the Co.
met the tail of which has been conspicuous
at Haverford School on the evening of the 18th inst
II was visible short time to the max ed eye although
its brightness was inferior to that Of star of the third
magnitude.
As through the telescopes, il situated to the
right Of line joining the stars Zea and Chi of the Con-
sellaon Cetus and formed with them triangle nearly
equilaeral-the angle at the Comet being somewhat the
greatest
The tail was about forty degrees in length and appear
ed slightly Curved with the sonve,y uPW va. ISL was
change was probably owing in part to the Increase OF
light from the moon.
OBSERVATION AT THE Hen scHooL--The Comet,
which by some has been mistaken for the zodiaca light
last night distinctly in its passage from the sun,
having moved far eastward that the nucleus body
could be distinctly seen through the telescope By OBJ
servations the High School observatory by Professor
Kendall and Mr. Walker assisted by Professor Bache and
Dr. Patterson the right enson Of the nucleus at
hours 81 minutes and II seconds hour As minutes
and second and the declnaton south IL degrees 35 mi
nutes and % seconds was % minutes Of space south
of Zeta Ce star of the third magnitude and of
about the brightness Of that star Though the comet
searcher Of the High School, the nucleus appeared like
planetary Disc and through the nine feet equatorial like
nebula the density Of which increased towards the
tire.
iIhe tail OF Comet extended the position Just
mentioned for the nucleus to the feet of Orion. Should
not the diminished brightness Of the Comet IL to dis
appear we may expect to see it moving still further east
ward ndsouthward for many evenings.
We learn that the nucleus OF the Comet by
Messs. Jsnton and j. A Clay, and by Mr.. Tobias Wag-
neT, as well as by the gentlemen above mentioned
OBSERVATIONS AT Providence, r. IA writer in the
Providence Journal says there to doubt
that this beam Of light is the tail of Comet We have
said that unlocked for Since the mmencement
of the Christian era five six hundred different comets,
OF least different appearances of COMETS have been
ced OF this number the orbits of about 40 have been
computed The orbits nearly all Of parabolc form,
that is the path OF the comet does not return into itself
When has left system II leaves to return
unless its should be disturbed by the attraction OF
some heavenly body and its bit changed
Three Comets only are known TO revoive in Ellpses,
and to regular intervals They the follow.
ing -
I. Halley's which has period Of about 20 years.
passed its perheon nearest approach 10 the sun,
the 10th OF Nov 1885. 1t will not again return till the
Il