The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-06-18

comets and is stronger than that law. The
sun influences comets rs much rs tho mag
net docs the needle.
Comctary matter often settles round the
body Of comet and increases instead of
diminishing rs it removes from the sun,
which the lecturer thought could be ex
planned by the hypothesis that the comet
became cold and hence tho atmosphere
about it assumed the shape of vapor, SO
presenting the seeming enlargement.
More than thirty years ago, a distinguish
ed astronomer had taken daily observations
of the spots upon the sun, caused by cavi
ties i'll the solar atmosphere, and had found
that they steadily increased for certain
period and then diminished; and after u
long and careful calculation, that the max
lima and minima Of these spots exactly cor
responded with the variations of the mag
netic needle.
Tho largest comet if compressed into Il
solid form would not weigh onc-tcnth as
much as the earth. They did not effect the
planets at all, but were themselves liable to
gravitation.
There were, in the opinion of the lee
turer, about threo million five hundred
thousand comets passing through space, in
elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic curves,
which at certain periods, bring them back
to view.
1t was matter of importance TO know
if any of the plants had ever come into
collision will, any Of these comets, or if
any injury had been received thercfrom by
the starry system. Astronomy could dis
cover and would know if any such COLI
sion had at any time occurred. The mo-
tions and revolutions Of the earth had not
been changed a particle in five thousand
years; nor had Jupiter, nor Saturn, nor the
Moon, in the least. The equilibrium of all
had been exactly preserved.
Thus we see that G cd has made the Uni
verse, and it must stand. a Comet may
strike the Earth within a month. No one
can, nor will Science ever be enabled to de-
terminc this, the lecturer thought; but rea-
soning from the past, and from the good
ness, wisdom, md Gnnipotcnce Of the
Greater, we must conclude He had made
the system such that chance could not in
tervenc.
The lscturer deemed itimportant it to in
qure what fills the measureIess expanse of
space! Was it the pure ether that conveys
light, and gives life or docs it contain a
resisting powcr9 Many astronomers had
thought so; but the lecturer could not
agree with them; although they had ad
vanced, rs an argument in favor of their
theory, that Comets Oh their re-appearance
were smaller than before. This the profes.
sor ascrbcd to the effect of the sun upon
the comcts-parts Of their ncbulous sub
stance being thrown off by its heat. If
space were filed with resisting medium,
tho comets and the earth would in time,
be plunged into the sun, and destroyed.
In conclusion he referred 10 the present
anxiety upon the subject of comets; said it
had arisen upon trivial grounds, and that
we had no more cause to fear the destruc-
ton of the earth by a comet than to doubt
the wisdom Of an ovcrruling Providence
Cincinnati Gazette.
Count 1hem-Count what? Why count
tho mercies which have been quietly fall
ing in your path through every period Of
your history. Down they come every NOR