San Andreas independent., 1857-05-16
Prom La Presse.
The Comet of june IS, 1857.


journal, which pronounced as the predic-
ton of a German astronomer the destruc-
tion of the world by comet, on the 18th
of June next This ridiculous news. re-
peated by the echoes great and small, has
spread over Europe with amazing rapidity.
1t is now the universal topic of conversa-
tion in every class of society. What is
there-not to speak of truth, but-of prob
ability in this prediction relative to the
comet said to be expected on the 18th of
June! Nothing-absolutely nothing. In
the first place, what is the name of the
German astronomer who has undertaken
to warn the world of its premature end !?
No one was able to cite the name, although
latterly something has leaked out ON this
subject 1t now appears that the prophet
of evil is Matthew Lensberg.
But Matthew Lensberg is neither a
German nor an Astronomer. He is Bel
gian and canon of Licge His sole title
to reputation is his having compiled the
first Liege Almanac. Moreover, what is
this predicted comet? Is it something
new, or is it comet already known, of
which they foretell the return? IF it is a
new comet, we know well that an unknown
comet cannot be predicted; for to announce
beforehand the apparition of such body
1t is necessary to be true prophet. If the
prediction relates only to a comet previ-
ously observed, the orbit of which is known,
let them give us the elements of this wan
dering star, let them produce its progress
day by day, and let them publish the calcu-
lation which demonstrates the possibility of
its collision with the earth From tie mo-
ment that 1t becomes question of a comet
known to professed astronomers, it is to
those astronomers and their observations
that we are to look for the oracle But all
the observatories are silent, and they are
silent because they have the certitude that
there exists no comet at all menacing the
earth and destined to strike it on the 18th
of June this year.
An influential journal has unwisely en-
tertained its readers, in the midst of these
chimerical terrors, with an account of the
comet of 1864, which SO much alarmed the
Emperor Charles V when it reappeared in
1856. But this comet accomplished its
revolution in in 292 years it was, there
fore, in 1913 that it should have shown
itself in the heavens but it was nowhere
perceived at that period. Planetary per-
turbations may have, without doubt, re-
tarded 1t In its course, so that its appari-
tion may yet be expected, if indeed, it did
not, in 1858, arrive at its perihelion invis-
ible to us-a circumstance that happens
sometimes to this kind of stars, which atmos-
pheric accidents or permanent clouds him
der us from observing when they should
otherwise be accessible to our sight Let
us admit, nevertheless, that the comet of
Charles V is yet to appear.
Never, certainly, has any astronomer
thought of making it a cause of alarm to
the inhabitants of our globe The inclina-
tion of its orbit on the ecliptic is more than
80 degrees; it is, then, far from following
the same track as the earth Moreover,
many astronomers Hind amongst
others-have recently traced the epheme-
rides of the comet; they could, then, tell
us exactly in what point of space, and at
what distance from the earth this comet
ought to be found on the 18th of June,
1857. But to ask them such questions
would be to give an air of seriousness to a
ridiculous prediction. With respect to the
question SO often discussed as to the posi-
bility of a conclusion between comet and
the earth, we cannot do better than quote
from 'L' 'Astronomie Populaire" of Arago,
which gives all that can with reason be
advanced on the subject. Arago has cal
culated the chances which exist of the
shock of a comet against the earth in con-
sidering separately the concussion with the
nucleus of the comet, and that which would
result from contact with the fluid mass
which surrounds or follows it, commonly
known as the tail.
:" For shock by the nucleus of COM
et," says Arago, (which might destroy
the earth, we have found one likely chance
for 281 100000 of unlikely chances. For
a contact with the tail of comet the
chances are 10 to 20 in 281, 100000. Ad-
hitting for moment that the nucleus of
comets striking the earth would annihilate
the human species, the danger of death
which would result to each individual from
the apparition of an unknown comet would
be exactly equal to the chances he would
run if in an urn he had but one white ball
in total of 2S1, 100000 balls, and his
condemnation to death would be the inev-
liable consequence of his drawing this
white ball at the first draw. Every man
who makes use of his senses must laugh at
a danger so remote.
Although comets occupy an immense
space in the heavens, surprising millions
of leagues, yet by reason of the absence of
atmosphere in those regions, permitting
fluids to be infinitely rarifed, the matter
of these bodies is reduced to the most fee
BILE proportions. Laplace says on this sub
] iact C lfhonnh the dimensions of tails OF