Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-10-02

LIE CoMET OF 1S56.-For tn
last three Or four evenings and NOR
nings, the comet Of 1853 has beef
plainly exhibiting its pale face ant
doatingl locks, in the N orth " esterr
and North Eastern sky. In the
former, just above the horizon, anc
tor g few minutes only, about sever
O'Clock IN the evening: in the later
(about due North East from hall
past three in the morning, until
lost in the dawn's grey light. Al
four o'clock yesterday it was about
ten degrees aboue the horizon: the
nucleus appearing to the naked eye
nearly as large as the planet Saturn;
but Of a paler color, with its tail
streaming away from the sun and
in direction Of the North star. It
will probably grow brighter daily
for some time, aid may yet present
a magnificent spectacle in our
Heavens.
We are not able to say whether
this is, or is not, the great comet Of
1864. No computations of its ele-
ments have yet been published}
rendering it's identity certain Z; but
If it is the same, what food for
thought is presented in its history !!
It is OF course known to every
reader that the identity of these
strange visitants is only proved by
coincidence in their calculated ele-
rnents. The changes Of appearance,
even 10 those nearest to us and
oftenest returning, are so great as
to present nothing to predicate even
a guess upon: It is the form of the
elipse in which they travel, their
distance when nearest the sun, the
direction Of their motion, thcir time
Of revolution, the inclination and
eccentricities Of their orbits, the
longitude Of their nodes, ETC., that
serve to identify the comet of to-day
with the comet Of fire, Or five hun
dred years ago. Where these ap-
proach similitude, there is proba
bility increases, until the astronomer
confidently predicts return upon
such a year Or month.
The looked for the comet Of 1868
is the one reported by the Chinese
to have been seen in the year 104,
595 and 975. In this last year it
5hone brightly even at midday,
while its tail spread over 10 degrees
IF the heavens. In 1894, this ap-
pendage is said to have extended /
The distance Of 100 degrees. From
;he horizon to the zenith, the line of
,hat immense train stretched over a
quarter Of d great circle Of the sky. |
In 1856, it appeared shorn of its
splendor,its lightpaler, and its train
'educed. If the present visitant be
he one Of 302 years since, just re-
:urning from those immense depth
# space in which it has been loiter-
ng a century, at distance forty
lines beyound that Of the planet.
in which it will still /
higher our Suns attractive influence
han that Of any Of the starry suns,
which from our own stellar system
what q history can not inagina-
ions pen draw for it.! But also
he tale it unfolds, is one Of refec~
ion only and not Of utterance II
More startling,,nore wonderful even
han these still dark depth where it
las been wandering5 are the records
# earth's history in the. year Of its
Seven times VIII it have
listed our sky, since the Star of
Bethlehem shone upon the world,
md each time how strangely alter~1
d was that worlds history, in man
lers, in government, in art, science.
nd knowledge. But these are
hemes for tile poet or the essayist,
nd not for the daily Journalist -. ,
And so we stop atohes. Courier J
. DANcIyG.-The Nashville BAN
lers Of Peace, Presbyterian journ- !
!, has a commnnicatl ton, IN which !
he following passage occurs :. I
There is no condemnation Of dam
ing to be found from the beginning {
f the Old Testament to the end-j]
az Of the New Testament, but on {
he contrary, tits sanctioned by the I
abit and words Of the patriarehs, ]
L