New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-03-14

Of glasses. Such testimonies nave since oeeh le.
c,ived IA leave no reason tod5dbt that one OF Two
days OF les, week the present coine' vas ~ SUI"
position and Of such brightness IS 70 oe seen
midday by the naked eye; ms lHous eA'A o-''
rare, is not without PreeedsM' ,l:.L
no. 80, ar the death of Denesrius, King of oy-
1as vears before Christ, which was said TO be
49, large as the sun. Another appeared at the
hi-,b Of Nithridaies, which, according TO the awe
struck chrenclers of that age, emitted more light
! rhan the sun and embraced the whole heavens
1 Blu, these accounts are evidently fabulous
The following remarkable cases, IN the opinion
Of the present eminent French Astronomer Royal,
Arago, are well auested:
| In the year % before Christ, a e hairy star
appeared which could be seen in daylight uath
the naked eye. 1t is hardly NECESSARY to add that
the supers,itious Romans considered this as the
deifcation of the soul of Cesar, who had been
.assina,ed a shor, time previously.
In the wear 1902 otter Christ two comets OF
great brilliancy appeared. One Of them was SO
5rgh. that the nucleus, and he tail, could be
seen a, d-dav in March the other could be seen
before sun Get.
Cardan relates that in 1882, the curiosity of the
inhabitants Of Milan was greatly excited by :"
star which could be seen at midday venus not
being in position to be seen at the ttne the star
| of Cardan is believed to have been comet.
"Tne beautiful comet Of 1877 was discovered"
says Arago, "en the 18th dag OF November, by
| Tycho Brahe before sin set
| We have before alluded to the great comet OF
l774. On the lst of February this, according to
| the Astronomer Chezeaux, was more conspicuous
than Sirius the brightest of the stars on the 9th
it equaled Jupiter few days after, 1t was only
eonaled bv Venus On the 1st of March 1t was
visible to the naked eye for several hours about
midday.
The present comet, supposlton that the tes-
tnoaies which have reached US shosd prove good,
will raak among the most extraordinary ever seen
It is no doub, moving with great raPldity. Should
the evenings be cloudy for week 10 come we may
possibly not see it again.
Time was when the appearance OF so strange
visitor, flaming through the armament, spread uni
versal terror and CONSERVATION. That time, we
hope has, in great measure, passed away TO re-
turn no more But the world is evidently net yet
fully purged Of the old leeven OF ignorance and su
perstition There would seem to be some among
us who are incorrigibly bent upon making reason
and common sense subordinate to the most child
ish fears. and the most whimsical and proposter
Gus fancies. Predicted martyrdona at the tail of
q
Whether there is any cure for such ignorance and
fears we know not. 1t may be well, however, tor
such to consider That comets are part OF the crea
ton which God made. Theypursue their respec-
tive and appointed courses with as much order and
harmony, in respect to the great laws OF planetary
motion, as do the members of our own little sys-
TEN. They are, so TO say messengers, from one
system TO another; and come back to US from the
long travel of thousand years, to announce to US
tina. harmony and order pervade the universe.
Comets are not so rare as may at first be sup
posed. From 1902 to 1881, no less than 43 were
seen, In 1926 FIVE comets were seen, and all new
ones The probability is that about three new
comets will be seen every two years
remark or two we intended to make upon the
probability of the Earths being some time or other
destroyed by the collision of acomet 1t is suttl'
Client perhap s to sey that The possibility of such
collision is admitted. The probability oil it has
been computed with great care. The result is
gwen by Arago. 1t may possibly minister some
consolation to those who dread such q catastrophe
TO be informed that the Earth minds her own busi-
ness and gives to all idle wanderers an Immensely
wide berth. The chances of escape are Isl ,UO0,'
900 to of collision.
The effect, moreover, ofsuch collision might be
very disastrous; but the real probability ID that
tho Earth would bear of in the upper regions OF
her al atmosphere the effused matter OF many COM
cts without in the least disturbing the composure
Of US poor mortals in these neither parts.
We cannot but hope, therefore, that this inter
es,ins visitor will remain with US long enough TO
fairly make the acquaintance, and leave US to carry
TO other and distant portions OF the universe the
same welcome intelligence which it brings to US,
ina. law, order, and harmony reign through
boundless space. Z.
Broup University, March. 9ti l84S.