The Nevada Democrat., 1860-02-29
WHOLE NO. 334.
pELuGE PREDICTED.


We have had occasion, says Galignani's Ass-
sengsr, to peruse a remarkable work just pub
lished, entitled "Courants ct Revolutions dc
rAtmOspherr ct de Ia Mer,n BY Lieut.. Julien,
a distinguished officer in the French navy.
The greater part Of the book is devoted to .
general description Of Lieut.. Maury's splendid
theory Of currents aud winds, by which be ex-
plains the recurrence Of storms and other mcts-
geological phenomena; but what has chiefly
attracted our attention is q new theory on the
inevitable periodical return of cataclysm
similar to that known under the name Of The
Universal Deluge, q subject which the author
treats with singular lucidy, and of which we
will here endeavor to give an outline.
The author starts from certain facts, some Of
which are generally known. viz; l. That The
isothermal lines (lines where the same degree
Of warmth 10 observed on our glohe) Of the
highest temperature are unequally distributed
between Northern and Southern hemispherss,
the space they occupy in the former being about
the double of that which they occupy south Of
the equator so that the Southern hemisphere is
considerably colder, especially towards the pole,
than the Northern one. q That the accumula.
tion Of ice at the Antarctic pole is much more
considerable than at the Northern. 3. That
the earth performs the shortest portion of itR
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 il is during this long winter,
when the earth is furthest 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 caloro
by radiation, and il will then be easy to per-
ceive the reason Of the difference Of tempera-
ture between the two hemispheres. Observation
moreover, has shown that the quantity Of calor-
10 lost at the South pole In the course OF q year
is equal to the surplus absorbed at the North
POLE Now let us, with the author, mentally
represent to ourselves the earth at the moment
Of its creation when lis whole surface was COW
cred with water, and its center of gravity coin
cided with its geometrical center. From that
moment Its revolution around the sun c0mmen-
ced, 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 lee at the South pole
became, in consequence, heavier than that ac-
cumulated at the North pole, and the center OF
gravity was displaced southwards; mathemati-
clans in fact, state the distance between the
latter and the geometr!eal center to be about
ltOU mtlTeH OuueT tuebb CHCuiusthuCeh, WHub
could the liquid surface Of the globe do but
flow southwark, leaving oil the continent wo
arc so familiar with uncovered? Here NJ Juli-
en- observes that all the regions Of the Southern
hemisphere bear unmisiakeable morks Of sub
mersion that America, Africa and India end
In points, oil turned towards the South pole
that the islands Of the Southern regions have
the appearance OF the SUBMITS of mountain
ranges, and that Lieut.. Maury's soundings show
that the coasts on that side all descend abruptly
into the sea. lie further states the curiousfa 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 sea diminlshes regularly and pro.
gressively.
Let US now take into The consideration tho
phenomenon called the Procession of the Equi-
noxes, in virtue Of which the frst point OF Aries
reoedes upon the eclipto by about lfty seconds
in year. This gradually causes q complete
change in the seasons; and counting from any
given time, there must elapse at least Il 900
before the seasons can return at precisely the
same periods Of the year. II has been ascer-
tained that up 10 the year l24S Of the Christian
era, year in which on the first day Of winter
precisely cOincided with the earth's passage
through it's perbclion, the temperature Of the
Southern hemisphere had been in constant
course Of diminuton. IL Is moreover clear that
after the lapse of 10000 years the seasons Of
our globe must be exactly reversed. Hence,
about 10000 years before l248 or ii 900 years
before our present time, II was the North pole,
aud not its opposite one, which was in its maxi
mum Of refrigeration; our present continents
were then submerged, according to the Mosaic
tradition OF the Deluge, and there were conti-
nenls unknown to us in the Southern hemis-
phere. And again, by the same astronomical
and natural laws, 10 800 years after tho last
cataclysm, a new one will occur. which will
again submerge the Northern hemisphere, and
allow new world TO emerge from the ocean
in the Southern one.
Such is the theory Of NJ. Julien--a theory we
may add which is in perfect accordance with
facts within the sphere Of our actual knowledge.
The Real Legislators.
aOnAnaia..aI