Polynesian., 1860-04-14
Another DeIuge Predicted.

We have had occasion. says Gaigndni's Messe1-
ger, to peruse remarkable work just published
entitled % COurants ct Revolutions de Atmosphere
ct de la Mer,' by Lieut.. Julien, a distinguished
officer In the French navy. The greater part of
the book IS devoted to a general description of
Lieut.. Maury's splendid theory of currents and
winds, by which he explains the recurrence of
storms and other meteorological phenomena but
what has chiefly attracted our attention is a new
theory on the inevitable periodical return of Ca
taclysm similar to that known under the name of
the Universal Deluge, subject which the author
treats with singular lucidity, and of which we will
here endeayor to give an outline.
The author starts from certain facts, some of
which are generally known, viz: i. That the iso-
| thermal lines (lines where the same degree of
warmth is observed on our glObe) of the highest
temperature unequally distributed between the
nOrtheTl and southern hemispheres, the space they
occupy IN the former being about double of that
which they occupy south of the Equator, so that
! the southern hemisphere is considerably colder
than the northern one. 2. That the accumulation
of ice at the Antarctic pole is much more consid-
erable than at the Arctic. 8. That the earth
performs the shortest portion of its revolution,
| viz, that nearest to the perihelion, much more
rapidly than the other, and at that period of the
year which comprises the autumn and winter of
the northern hemisphere. Hence it follows that
the winter of the latter is shorter (by about eight
| days) than that of the southern hemisphere /; and
it is during this long winter, when the earth is
| farthest from the sun, that the solar rays must
| lose in strength what they gain in duration. To
this cause of diminution of temperature must be
added the loss of calOrc by radiation and it will
then be easy to perceive the reason of the differ
ence of temperature between the two hemispheres.
Observations moreover, have shown that the guam
tty of caOrc lost at the South pole in the of
a year is equal to the surplus absorbed at the
| North pole Now let US, with the author, mental
| lv Tn he rfh at ha
of its creation, when its whole surface covered
with water, and its center of gravity conceded
with it's geOmetrical center. From that moment
| its revolution around the sun commenced, and all
those causes which have led to the inequality Of
| temperature between the two hemispheres began
| to operate. In the course of few centuries the
ice at the South pole became, in consequence, heav
| ier than that accumulated at the North pole, and
| the center of gravity was displaced southwards
mathematicians, In fact, state the distance between
the latter and the geOmetrical center to be about
| 100 metres. Under these circumstances, what
could the liquid surface of the globe do but flow
southwark, leaving all the continent we so
familiar with uncovered, Here NJ. Julien OBJ
serves that all the regions of the Southern hemi-
sphere bear unmistakeable marks of submersion
| that America Africa and India end in points, all
turned towards the South pole that the islands
of the Southern regions have the appearance of the
SUBMITS of mountain ranges, and that Lieut.. Mau-
|
descend abruptly into the sea. He further states
the curious fact that in going from the North to
the South pole at every parallel the ratio of the
extent of land to that of the diminishes regu-
| larly and progressively.
| Let us now take into consideration the phenom-
enon called the Procession of the Equinoxes, in
virtue of which the first point of Aries recedes upon
the ecliptic by about fifty seconds in year. This
gradually causes complete change in the seasons
and counting from any given time there must elapse
at least q 900 before the season can return at
precisely the same periods of the year. 1t has,
been ascertained that up to the year 1248 of the
Christian era, year in which on the first day of
winter precisely concided with the earths passage
through its periheion the temperature ofthe South
hemisphere had been in constant course ofdimin
ution. 1t was moreover clear that after the lapse
of 10 500 years the seasons globe must be
exactly reversed. Hence, about l0,5OO years
before 1913. or ii 900 years before our present
time, it was the north pole, and not its opposite
one, which was in it's maximum of refrigeration
our present continents then submerged, ac-
eording to the Mosaic tradition Of the Deluge and
there were continents unknown to Us in the South
ern hemisphere. And again by the same astrouo-
mieal and natural laws 10 500 years after the last
cataelysm, q new one will occur, which will again
submerge the Northern hemisphere, and allow
new world to emerge from the ocean in the South
ern one.
Such is the theory of NJ. Julien-a theory, We
may add which is in perfect accordance with facts
within the space Of cur actual knowledge.