Hannibal journal and western union. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1851-1852, 1851-10-23
Extraordinary Theory.

The Baltimore .american says: "The follow
ing article comes from respected correspond
ept. Perhaps the senior editorof the National
Intelligencer may be able and willing to furnish
the information to which he refers, respecting
Simms and his Polar Theory:''
GENTLEMEk Your readers have doubtless
been generally interested with the recent return
Of the EMPLOYING vessels Fin search of Sir John
Franklin and bis missing crews. Your paper
Of the 4th instant, has an article from the New
York Journal of Commerce, containing the fol-
lowing extract;
cit is supposed, however, that little north
Of this ice-bound region, and in the sea that
surrounds the Pole, called the Polinar sea, the
winter is more open. Capt. Penny Preferred to
in Lady Franklin's letter, published yesterday }
states that he proceeded with sleds in another
meridian over the intervening ice to that sea
which he found open.
"Many navigators believe that such an open
sea exists and the officers of the expedition lust
returned, concur in stating that with North
wind the thermometer always rises, and falls
when it is from the Southwark. Whether the
missing expedition reached those waters, or was
caught in the intermediate ice, is matter for
conjecture" ...2
= Gsie s~sToftiDiy reminded the writer of Lieu
tenant Simms' theory of The formation Of the
earth, published in all our papers, and much
talked of, nearly thirty years ago. j. r. Rey-
nolds, Esq, of New York united with Simms in
ecturing on their theory, in Washington, and
most Of our large cities. The writer thinks
for ne depends only on his memory about it)
that in consequence of these lectures, two YES
sells, the American and Penguin, were sent out
hxy -, 1909 10 l..
les around the South Pole and ]. r. REYNOLDS
went with them. The expedition was quite a
failure, the country was then too much absorbed
with the election Of Gen. jackson to attend to
Polar discoveries, and ''Simms' Theory seems
to have been quite forgotten, except as an occa-
siOnai subject for jesting about Simms Hole.
The writer heard one of the lectures, of
which he thinks the theory was, that our earth
is deeply indented at both the Poles, and proba-
bly, hollow entirely through; and that this inner
region is lighted by the same sun, and may Weld
productions of the same character as our outer
surface. Some Of their proofs were that the
magnetic needle loses its attraction entirely, at
the latitude Of IA, where. as they argued, the
curve commences, leaving an opening aronnd
the poles of 81 Q Diameter hole of some map-
nitude this! That the reindeer, and other ami
mails, as well as the whales, in those high lati-
itudes, at the approach of winter, are known TO
run directly northward; and trees and shrub
berry, such as are known only to tropical climates
are brought by northerly currents to the coasts
of Spitzbergen and Greenland. Navigators
were largely cited, and geological questions an
swered in proof of their theory. One navga-
tor is cited as having reported the appearance of
immovable clouds in the distance supposed BY
them to be the opposite side of these openings;
and they may have used the fact above stated
(tho"Sh the writer does not remember il with
regard to the rise and fall of the thermometer.
There must be deeply interesting mysteries
connected with this subject. Can't you, gentle
men, or some of your contributors, interest your
readers by furnishing some account of Lieuten-
ant Simms and his theory? Who can tell whe-5
Their Sir John Franklin may not still be explo-
ring these open Polar seas, and may vet return
to the joy Of his most interesting lady, and give
to future generations name far more honored
for discoveries than that of Columbus