New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-12-04

Survey Of the Heavens. e. The Problem OF the Uni
verse. The Laws OF Motion-Of Gravity-Of Centri-
fugal Foree....The Esrths Revolution. Influence Of
the Moon upon the Earth .Perturbaions Calculated
The Return Of Comet now expected. The FIXED
Measurement, Of the Distance to the Moon.
Oh the Fixed staIs-The Immensely OF their Distance
ffofn us..The Nebola. Present State Of Astronon-
zeal Observations at Cincinnati
large aud respectable audience assembled on We'd
resday evening Dee J, a. the Broadway Tabernacle on
occasion Of the delivery Of the first Of Course Of Six
Lectures Astronomy TO be given by the learned and
eloquent Professor MITCHELL of Cincinnati The lee
prer introduced to the audience by Prof CHARLES
DAVIES, in the following remarks
LADIES AND GEsTLEMES It is little than twenty
years since Professor Of Mathematics in our Military
Academy was struck with the nitiaory examination Of
vonng lad from an nor town in Ohio on the occasion Of
bis presenting himself for admission into that Institution
he passed regularly through the various classes received
the FIRST hono aud retained two years after he grad
uated, assistant in departments Of Science few
years since that Professor had occasion visit the West
rn country and he stopped for few days at Cincinnati
sbeautifu city Of the banks OF the ONO encif'
sbesys The day after his arrival he received call from
his esrly friend aud pupil and after the hrs sautation
incident TO the meeting Of old friends who had been long
separated from each other he received invitation to
visit the Observatory What" said he an Observatory
tree. and stumps are fairly cleared away I" Ger.
ianly" was the reply, such an one as you will be
deli GIFTED TO visit; which hope you will do tomorrow
evening" If the weather 10 fair and the skies auspcous
10 the meantime that Professor having some curiosity In
regard this Observatory, learned through his friends
that his Young pupil-red with the love OF Scienceon
MS return bis nsye State. had conceived the noble pro
iset OF establishing At Cincnnot-the Queen City OF the
West the cultivation and diff
fusion OF Astronomical Science lie learned farther that
feeling which he had excited the Inhabitants Of that
city for the promotion Of this object had been enabled 10
realize sufficient which hsd been sent TO Europe for
the purchase Of Instruments and he had in fact caused
Observatory to be erected on one Of the neehbonns
n s',' w yshs IN sA's"e"'s VIII" '''"'''
On evening according to promise the P5qtsso,
bswsy up the steep ascent Of that hill and found
u crowned by building in ell respects equal 70 more
widely ObservatoTies Of Europe. lie found library
enriched by the choicest collections from European store
and the table in the study were letters from
Argo Rosse-sl the results oil their
observations, and soliciting contributions to science
,us 10 SAW that St Peop has the honor to in
troduce that pupil, in the person OF Prof MITCHELL
Prof MITCHELL then rose, and, after the ap-
plause had subsidized, spoke ss follows If any
thing could increase the embarrassment which l
would naturally feel in appearing before an aud
fence ia this City, it is the manner in which have
now been presented to you. whole tide OF rem
iniscence has been sweeping through my mind
have been carried back to period twenty years
ago: How varied and wonderful has been my for
time within that time / hope therefore, that you
will pardon in the outset of the effort am about
to make tonight any imperfections which you
cannot fail to notice
nifty of choosing my topic | come not to awaken
your sympathes in behalf of suffering nation I;
| come not accompanied with the spirit stirring
trump war sounding in your ears; come not
TO rouse you to great commercial efforts where the
wealth o. the world Is to be the result of enter
prise Far away from Earth, in the boundless
Ocean of Space, mighty worlds wing their rapid
flight, voiceess in their movement-silent In their
career. Yetas they sweep onward in their courses
they are measuring out the vast periods OF Time,
and in their CONGREGATIONS tolling the deeptoned
bell OF Eternity itself These are the objects to
which would raise your thoughts, and to which
would direct your attention this evening. Let as,
then. leave this world of ours for short hour
its cares its turmoils its woes, its confusion and
converse with the far-of stars
When we look upon the beavens-when we
watch the movements of those silent orbs-when
we wing our flight upward, aud take IN the I'M
\ mcnse range by which we are surrounded, even
u extending beyond the narrow limits OF human
vision-can we contem plate the scene without be-
ing filed with wonder and establishment This
same scene opened upon the first eye that was per
mitted TO see the light and from that hour down
through long succeeding ages, this wondrous scene
above US has ever fastened the attention aud d.
rected the gaze of the best and most wonderful
minds that have adorned this Earth The Science
10 which would direct your attention is one which
has furnished the theme for the Investigation oil Tue
most exalted intellects in every age aud from the
earliest observation down to the present moment
We find the human mind occupied in It's effort to
,olye these mysteries,-grasping the most difficult
problems, and sterny pushing its Investigations
onward and onward until darkness disappears
and lght-even a flood Of light-breaks in from
. bsN nd
must ever be. God has given these works for our
termination and has given 10 US intellect by which
~ are enabled 10 comprehend their structure ;
and il is by this that we are enabled To rise-to
slimb-to assemble soar, by our own Efforts and
tv His aid till we stand upon lofty summit
shence we look out upon the wonders by which
Ee are surrounded and behold the evidences OF
His wisdom, power and glory, who has created all
things in beauty and perfection
In the few moments that | shall detsin you 10
night allow me TO direct your attention TO the scale
upon which the Universe is built aud to The grand
problem involved in solving the mysteries py wnich
It's surrounded.
First let me inquire if there be laws governing
he movements of all these bodies, and 4 II IS pos
nele 10 ascertain the nature OF these laws Are
Aey 10 be comprehended by the human mind or
are they beyond the reach Of the intellect which
has been given us ] answer, they are not -
tAey are within reach, aud we permitted to
y understand them; and in understanding them We
II permitted 10 tAttuu OnNhru anu OnNGlu IN our
K career of examination and discovery
Il The first law to which direct your attention is
| the Law of Motion. Ii body be located in Space,
L and receive single impulse It VIII move ON Tor
i ever in a right line. and always maintain its on
/ ward career never turning to the night nor leit
Il and never relaxing its speed. Now Is TINS ne
cessary law OF matterl answer, It m There Is
no necessity why this law, in preference TO any
other. should have been adopted. It's the WISDOM
| Of God which has assigned tins law 70 MOTION
Bat Why should not this motion be retarded ana re-
4 lax and decline and gradually die away J euen
Il laws govern other moeons, aud why rot IN ms
case Again, we have the Law OF draviy a nu
what is this ? Its law which tells us that every
particle OF matter in the Universe attracts every
other particle with force which varies In proper
tioo 10 the mass. and decreasing in certain ratio
with the distance. This isl second law.-Anotner
law is this: Every revolving body, in sweeping
y about from its center. has tendency 10 fly from
that center with certain force called Centrifugal
Force Now. combining these three together, we
have al the laws which govern the movements and
I guide the motions OF the heavenly bodies. These
ell 1ar