Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-26
COMMUNICATION.
TO THE EDITORS.

GENTLEMEN: The communication signed E., in your
paper of November H. is an evidence that scientific
men are not wholly Indifferent TO the interesting dscoye
ries of Mr. CoUEs The ingenious method OF calculating
the period Of the suns rotation its axis proposed by
this gentleman also his investigations concerning the
mean distances Of the planets from the sun, their Pc
riodc times of revolution &c., 10 be founded if
correctly apprehend the meaning Of his language in that
general law which he supposes the Creator to have i'm
posed on all the spheres Of the solar system. Having
explained how easy is deduce from this theory
the results above mentioned it might be gratifying to
many of your readers have the application thereof
tended little further Let competent astronomer
favor with decision whether the phenomena Of the
sum- moon and planets be accounted for this ny
pohess whether for example, the right ascensions and
destinations of any of these bodies, computed from
the principles of this theory accord well with those
tually observed for the given time An ephemers
of of the planets constructed the princ
Piles Of " uniform degree of velocity would per-
haps, in less than month furnish with the of
duly estimating the value and importance of the dscoye
ry. Some of your scientific readers may perhaps sug
gest more expeditions mode of testing its merits but
in opinion, satisfactory ordinary minds
could hardly be devised.
Meanwhile, the decision is pending may be inte
resting to consider the probable influence the discovery
on the several branches of astronomical science case
1t should be recognised and adopted in all its utility
The knowledge of the motions Of the heavenly bodies pos
sessed by the present generation of mankind being part
ly sustained by the deductions Of physical astronomy
must be of doubtful character since Mr. Coues utmates
that this science is destitute of truth He says sys
tenn of physical astronomy which requires life of study
and which few only comprehend is false on
its very face 1t may then become expedient to abolish
this system, and to substitute something better in its
stead-somethng which shall have least on its face
the appearance Of truth. change will then come Ger
the spirit of dream The absurd notions of unver
sal grayitaton elliptic orbits veloctes now accelerated
and retarded perturbatons planets pulling one an
other in various directions of their orbits with all
the other irregularities which pertain the present sys
tenn Of astronomy will thenceforward exist only in the
minds of the old school of mathematicans The beauti
full theory of the equality of motion viii render the study
of astronomy pleasant and agreeable Its adoption viii
greatly facilitate the elaborate computations now per-
formed in constructing nautical amanacs the formue for
such computations being thereby rendered much more
simple and concise The orbits of the planets shall then
be accurately determined and their ephemerides pre-
dcted with unerring certainty Occulaons of stars by
the moon ransits Of the inferior planets the SUMS
disc, eclpses Of the and moon will all be easily cal
culated by some short numerical process.
The mariner, in traversirg tie trackess ocean may
then observe lunar distance and out his longitude
itai " MS DelnS Vuateu by the
errors of physical astronomy The place having
been accurately predicted By the almanac compuor on the
theory Of equal equal times derived
from the comparison of distances must be very exact
Nor will the advantages of this discovery be less ap-
by those engaged in surveying and boun
diaries of different countries The observed positions Of
the fixed stars frequently used by these Swans for
the better determination Of terrestrial latitude and ongi
tude will be subjected TO easy process of reduction
The formul@ now used BY them for reducing stars to
their apparent places account Of procession notation
and alteration will perhaps undergo some slight modif
cation by expungng therefrom the which have
been introduced from physical astronomy or more pro-
badly be rejected as unnecessary determine
ton Of the true figure Of the earth supposed to be
an oblate pherod will be obtained and the yet undis
covered planets belonging to solar system will even
tuay come TO light From the beginning of the world 10
the present time physical astronomy has led to the dis
covery Of only planet and the errng science
has also disclosed atonished intellect the fact that
this discovery was only happy accident" What con-
fdence, then, be placed in science which leads to
such homogeneous conclusions Let ii be at once aban-
doned and give the simple and beautiful theory OF
9 the equality Of the motion Of the heavenly bodies"
Respectfully, your obedient servant j. NJ