The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-12-07
fEom Geosem's Rcsorlal.l
ELDORADO.
NO VIII.
BIZ THOMAS BULFINcH.

AFTER so many abortive attempts x
reach the Golden Empire, the ardor o.
research greatly abated. No expeditions
composed of considerable mum mbers, have
since embarked in the enterprise, but
from time to time, for the century sue.
ceeding Raleighs last attempt, private
expeditions were undertaken and encour
aged by provincial governors, and several
hundred persons peris he'd miserably in
those fruitless endeavors.
The adventure we are now about to re.
cord was of an entirely different charac.
Ter, in respect to its objects and the
means employed, but it occupied the same
field of action and called into exercise the
same qualities of courage and endurance
In 1875 the French Academy of Sci
ence made arrangements for sending out
two commissioners of learned men to diff
ferent and distant parts of the world to
make measurement With view to deter
mining the dimensions and figure of the
Earth. The great astronomer Sir Isauc
Newton had deduced from theory aud
ventured to maintain that the Earth was
not perfect globe, but a spheroid, that
is, a globe, fatteued at the poles. For a
long time after Newton's SPLENDID diScov-
cries in astronomy, degree of national
jealousy prevented the French philoso-
piers from accepting his conclusions, and
they were not displeased to find, when
they could, facts opposed to them. Now
there we're some supposed facts which
were incompatible with this idea of New
toms. that the Earth was fattened at the
poles. The point was capable Of being
demonstrated by measurements with iu-
etruments on the surface. for his theory
was true, degree of Latitude would be
longer in the northern parts of the globe,
than in the regions about the Equator.
We must not allow oGr story to become
a scientific essay, and yet we should like
to give our reeders, if we could some idea
Of the principal on which this process,
which j. called the measurement of an are.
ot the meridian, was expected to show the
magnitude and form Of the earth. We
ali know that Latitude means the posi-
ton of places north or south of one anoth
er, and is determined by reference to the
North or Pole-star. 4 person south OF
the Equator woald not see the Po,e->tar
at all One at tic Equator, locking at
the Poe-star, would see it, if no inter
veuing object prevented, 10 the horizon.
Advsnciny northward, be would zee it
apparently rise and advance toward him.
As he proceeded it would continue to rise.
When be had transver<ed half the dis
tance to the pole, he would see the Pole
star about as we see it in Boston, that l.
nearly midway between the horizon and
the zenith and when be had reached the
pole. he would see the Poie-star directly
over his head. Dividing the quarter cir
Gle, which the star has moved through,
into 90 parts, we say, when the star has
asccnded oDe-binetitth part, that the OBJ
server has travelled over one degree Of
Latitude. When the observer hg, reach !
ed Boston, he has passed oger somewhat
more than ~ degrees and when he has
reached the North-2o!e, 50 degrees Of
latitude Thus we measure our latitude |
over the Earth's surface by reference to
q circle in the heavens, and because the
portions into WHICH we divide that circle /,
are equal We infer that the portions o! !
the earth's surface which corresponds TO
them arc equal. This would be true if
the earth were perfect globe, but if the
earth be spheroid, as Newon's theory
requires it to be, it would not be true
for that portion Of the Earth surface
which is fattened will have less curva-
ture than that which is not so, and less
still than that portion which is protuber-
ant. The degree of least curvature will
be longest, and those Of greatest curvature
shortest. That l., one would have to
travel further on the fattoned part Of the
earth, TO sec any difference in the posi-
tion of the North star, than in those parts
where the curvature i greater So de-
gree Of Latitude near the pole, if deter
mined by the position of the North-star,
would be found by actua! measurement,
10 b. longer than one similarly determin
ed at the Equator. 1t was to ascertain
whether the fact was % that the two sci
entifc expeditions were sent out.
The party which was sent to the North
cru EtGiOuN, II AGilSA O9%l oOO" oHN ~
stump> aud morasseS, to the Artlc circle,
and fixed their station at Tornca in Lap
land. The frozan surface of the river
afforded them a Convenient level for hx-
ing what is called By surveyors, the base
line. The cold was so intense that the
glass froze to the mouth, when they drank,
and the metallic measuring rod to the
hand In spite however Of perils and
discomforts they persevered in their task
and brought back careful measurements
of Latitude G6 North, to be compared
With those made by the other party at
the Equator, whose movements we pro-
pose more particularly to follow.
Before we take leave of the northern
Commissioners however, we will mention
another method they took Of demonstra-
ting the same fact If the Earth be de-
pressed at the poles, it must follow that
bodies Will weigh heavier there, both be-
cause they are nearer the centre Of the
earth, and because they are acted upon
by the attraction Of a larger mass OF mat