New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-06

louhor'
There is another of,he Smiths better known IN M,
country, perhaps, than the hero historian and a,,r,
tor Of Mont Blanc This is Alexander Smith, who's.
volume Of poems VIII be published in May h
has recently changed his condition, having spprcpn.
ately concluded bis actual Life Drama by marry.
ing young lady with tha; honey of British domestic
life little independence, IN the way Of property.
OF al the Smiths, whose name Is legion this poe,eL
Alexander is the luckiest living. He viii not b.
twenty years old until the last day Of the preseu,
year. OF TIE many poets pa;ronzed by that us;rioa.
seuterce-wcGver George GilfIsn the Apouodor,
Of Ay;oun's spasmodic drama Frmilian - Smith
i. almost the only who has actually established
himself in the public mind In 1853, he won repu,s.
ton by his poem In 1854 he was made easy for RI,
by being appointed Secretary, with 1900 year. to
the University of Edubmgh-he owed this good tur,
TO the Duke of Argyle, son-in-aw Of the celebrated
Duchess If Sutherland. In 1856 he joined Mr. DobeI
in writing "Sonnets on the War In 1885,, he pub.
fishes another poem, and becomes "Benslick, the
married man." He is also reported to be wyitinsa
prose work on Literary History.
Lieutenant Morrison, formerly Of the Royal Navy
Of England, whose name does no. fgure among the
printed records of Men OF the Time, though he i,
certainly an original well as volumnous author,
ia about publishing a book which, if noticed at al,
will puzzle the critics II would be unfair not to give
its title in full viz: "The Solar System as j, Is, art
not as it is Represented. Showing that the suns
motion through space, admitted by all AstronOmerst
proves the impossibility of the planetary bcdes
moving in ellpses; also showing that the Earth and
the Planets do not move round the Sun, and tia:
the Moon does not revolye round the Earth This
is about as bold novelty as Cuens theory that the
Sun is a lumnaTy somewhat about six feet in dame.
ter. Morrison, who was an active aud energetic OH.
Ger on board ship thirty years ago. had the fortune 10
be placed in command of a company OF the Coast
Preventive Guard on the Irish coast, in wild part Of
the country, where he far from society-hls only
business being to look out for smuggers aud prevent
their landing contraband goods to the detrinent the
public revenue. Thrown into this almost solitude,
with q smatterng of science he cell back ON the few
books to be met with in an out-oi-the-way place.
Among them were sundry treatises on As,rolosy and
Alchemy which the naval Lieutenant read and reread
until he became indoctrinated with their theories.
With alchemca pursuits he did little beyond reading,
but went so thoroughly into Astrology as to form the
belief that " like the Chadeans he could read the
starr" Retiring from the service about fve-and.
twenty years ago, he fixed his residence near Liver
pool, whore he set up as a proiessed fortune-eler
Not one of your vulgar, advertising, putting
quncks but as Master in the Scenca
Hs cast nativities, secHHdam artem, at not
less than five guineas head, and had business IN
that line from al parts of England. BY great good
luck many Of his predictions came out true-one, in
particular, where he foretold that by a certain day
Liverpool publisher ian unbelieyer) would break
limb, which accident actually occurred before the
time stated had expired the skeptc getting CON-
pound fracture of the leg. Morrison actually invented
an apparatus for foretelng the weather by measur.
ing the quantity of electricity in the air and ascertain
ing the amount of humidity in the atmosphere The
instrument very simple, and is believed to have
been well coutrived. The Meteorological SoeetyoI
London admitted the inventor into honorary member.
ship, on the strength of It's merits and he dsaded
himself with the vain hope that was to make hs ior'
tune. In that hope he shifted his tent to London,
where his business name, "Zadkiel, the Seer was
already well known. Here he commenced "Zad
kiels Almanack,' in opposition to the wel-knowu
prophetic annual called Vox S,ellarum by Francis
Moore, Physician" which, for a century and
a half two-thirds of the country-folk over Eng
land had placed immense reliance. But Zadkiel was
q vast improvement Moore. In the latter, the
weaiher-prophecy for eHch month regularly down
the page, somewhat in this manner: Erpcct-nues
--roin-- aGOBt - this time -if-not- R-wAl-te--
otkorse. But Zadkie took holder flight, and gaye
aditihe prophecy forthe weather of every day through
the coming year. Very often he was right, Of course
--as he was too knowing to predict summer-heat N
January, promise and frost in June. Against
him. in year or two sprung up Patrick Murphy
with Weather Almanack of his own. This pubhca'
ton declared that January l6 1885, would be the very
coolest day in England since the great frost of 1872,
h.
circumstance and there then ensued such rush for
Murphy" that policemen had to guard the premises
of Whitaker, the publisher, while sale of nearly
$50 eco copies took pluce in few weeks. Murphy
published amanacs up to 1918, when he died in grea.
poverty but his first great guess never equaed.
From predicting weather Zadkiel speedily rose 10
predicting events. His Almanac contained under each
month set of magnloquent Vaccinations Of events
10 happen every year. lie wrote so vaguely thn
some Of bis soothsayDgs might be taken fulfilled.
And each year. reoapituating the occurrences, no
would boldly claim the merit Of having foretod all Of
the most important. He omitted oil enumeration OF
his blunders Zadkels Al nanac i, still issued, and
has become a pretty property. Zadkiel has edited
William Lillys works and other books Of that Glass;
lie lives near London mot far from Windsor, getting
rich on the creduiity of the wealthy and many who
uisDeneYe Inc common report thae TuoeH 'i"''-
secretly consults the noted old woman in Westminster
Road who must have her hand crossed with gold are
fully persuaded that Zedkielis her confidential friend
and counselor! At all events, he Is sharp, knowing
fellow. He really has some knowledge Of Astronomy,
and at any rate, will be likely to argue with consider
able plsurbility that the Earth and planets do not
move round the Sun, and that the Moon does not re-
vove round the Earth.
AMERICAN.
Dir. Henry Tuckermans Thoughts on the Poets
ha. been translated into German by Emil Muller, add
.ooor,Iv rpblshed in thar country The Iepsic