Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-09-28
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1864 3Oo IS 1852 80 2727 80 0l3 u.
1850 ai. l2 1852 20 27io ~ 05o :

The interval included between rhs Two epoch- ID
about 292 years, which would place s return IN 'h-
Year l843 Accordingly, MIR. Hind, OF Bishop Oh
serva'ory, predicted its r.turn 10 that year. bur ~
subsequently discovered that, IN consequence al
planetary disturbance, its return will oe between III
years 1856 aud the close Of 1850 One class "f .l-
renrs would lead 10 expect It's return III Augis;
the present year. and hence it's supposed ind"ntY
With too third body now appearing IN our north-tn
heavens. But We csunot tell what ths element. "'
this body are, because its movements have not heen
-stirnsted We have, therefore, no mesDs ot id.nii
Tying it. and cannot tell whether It has the Same
ohyscal appearance, nr an identity in its movements
with the great comet 40 long expected 30 much
searched for, and often predicted IL ga slhgulnr
act that all the three bodies now engaging thr rp-
cisi attention OF astronomers. hav. portions dlif-r-
ing widely from the comets with which II lie sought to
identify them.
Those who look upon the nebulous comet now vi-'
ue can hardly realize the terrific appearance oi TN
.ame object when, in 1854 II approached the -un
with tail one hundred degrees in snRthI liz ral
came streaming up ID the morning several hours b.
,ore its head. aud when its nucleus was IN th'- .h
h. train stretched below ihe Western horlz 'n iir
train very broad, but II i-crea-ed IN "I6 H.
extending enormously in length. IL ls snid {" hsN"
disappeared Oct 81. on the day "i Ihe death ot P'p"
Urban Nv. Ii was, OF COURSE thought specai lur-
runner OF that event
This comet had appeared before in 975. and ALL" ~
sos and l04 a. mentioned by Chimes nunn!l-fs
This would give it period OF about 291 Years IT,
g75 it's tail WIS ~ degrees in length, and a nuc-u-
head WIS so bright ss ~ br visible u IN d.v ''ne
Its next appearances, after 1864. wss in l55b. IN i-
month OF February. Its aspect WAS very sn'inr '"
iis present one, being "aom-what pa-r Than ID"
planst Mara, and with Train OF four degr-rs III
inuyth" II has been known as 'the great comet "'
Charles W. because il appeared in the year 10 wh.h
his sbdcstion took place. In. Emp-r'r lChnr'--
nf Sosipl considered il All omen at hls DEATH aitboLgh
ba snrviy.d # some years Fnbrious bis Astronomer,
manned out its path describing its course Through
Virgo and Booss past the pole OF the heavens 'nfo
Cepheus and Caasopea.'
What rendered this comet particularly n'eres''ng
was ia nesr approach TO the earth bsing on the II
| uf March only seven mlliOns OF miles distant HE
urbjt of the comet of l26I computed by Pngrc
| and Dunthoms willis that Of 1856 was computed by
| Hnlly and afterwards by Hind Ot thu S"uthvi!l-
| ohssrvatorv R,eeut's Park, England IL was i"unt
that the two orbits agreed, and Pingrs concludrda'
hey were the same and that il would return again IN
l848 1t was accordingly expected Al tha' ''m-' ana
| it's nor. appearance stimulated some 10 ~ rhamhn-
| t;on of the prsyOu calculations. MIR btro-r '"uhd
tina, tho attraction of the outer planets Jupiter So
turn and Hersche had retarded it. Dir H.rd pre-
dcted irs appearance 10 1853, after making allowance
for the d,stufoa rna The excitement and crude rp-c
uations relative TO il. anticipated near approach to
| the earth last year is sill in evsrybodY's memory.
Thsrs |, no necessity of repeating that were COM"
TO strike the earth it could not penetrate the earIhH
atmosphere on account of the superior den'y OF IDS
latter But the inclination Of the comet TO roe ehr'h
orbit being 80 great 36 dsgrees there could scarcely
be a possibility of "brush" from ifs tail al any tlIne
I, IA interesting 10 consider this object in the light OF
traveller, like vou Humboldt. journey OF Two nun
drsd and ninety two years - ~ NM, n o as,t aver,
Rail and Constantine WILL reigned over the Eastern
| Empire. In England the horrld murder OF Edward
the martyr by his step mother. Eda, had just been
consumnated The Norw-gians were maRlnS 'i-eo'
| veri6s in Gre"Disuu, apu 9'o' o. -'A'S0 Np
! ...i continent. -.
In ot;, cp s rext v;sl, witnessed the first rssa
q, pa,;smen; III E ,.-.d. gro 10" - ''s. &; 'he
The Crussd.s nai bes - to-! il thar efiec; upon
the culture o. thr ~;
In 1856, il found America discovered and greedy
Spaninrds roting in wealth and hi"o ~ the ancient
capital of the Astecs and in the is:r''a. -
Oneep Elizah.. ue3 j.st been established IN Eng
| land and Montg'e us Scaigsr, Jerome Csrden, las
~ C.moeps Carvsntes, Phillip Sidney, we're all ia
tbs flower OF their vigor. and the worlds greatest
genius Shakespeare, WAS just Learning to walk
In 1913 its visits may very reasonably be supposed
IN haye beeu postponed in order to witness the CON-
pIson of the Atlantic cable scheme. Viewed IN this
light VA may consider it special indication Of good
! will or The ri IF that illustrious unlnary.
The Ls-t ,4talogue Of comets known Ia that OF Mos
tuan-lip r. C.insse Astronomer whose oi.dcn IN "a
tended from 6i3 Je,rs before Christ TO u. lo''
ov or two thousand yeais Ih.re have o.en rscoF eI
about ssgen hundred in all, Of which tho orolfs ol
about nne hundred and eighty have ooen caicua ~
by astronomers. The periodic revolutions vary 'rotn
three years TO several thousand years. some ap-
proach in their Perheon uear to the sun as 10 o'
heated to a white heat, a. some suppose.
Although the number OF comets u % 'n1se .ue'
are comparatively few which appear TO ths nah.c
I'VE; only about fourteen in century. bu. 10 Tue
,.lsscops. hardly year passes without the ob'erva-
/ ,inn Of one or more. ln ls%o fouf were 'een' II
Sir Issso Newton 6rst calculated the orbit OF I
oo,n., and demonstrated that they moved IN -lpt'ca
u.'h. B.fors that time it was generally supposed
ns, ,hsy moved 10 psraooias an. never RETURNED
,,,. -,ls1 :, s.cm after leaving IT..
r, name scomet" is derived from Creek w"r'
,b.,,o meaning hair, and II was suppored that me
. .,., 4 war and pest,lence from their ho'tid hsr'