, 1860-03-06

lk rom NxHSfEAhE& Altt1f41ef.l j
We have had ocea;lon to peruse q ren'arka.
p4tmosph<re It do Ia .Itr, By Lieut.. Julien.
distinguished officer in the French navy. The
greater part Of the book is devoted to general
description Of Lieut.. sfauEy = splendid theory OF
curtent winds, by which he explains recurrence
Of storms and other meteorological phenomena;
but what bus chiefly eft1aeted our attention is |
new theory on the ineritabIe periodical return |
Of d cataclysm similar TO that known under the |
name of the universal lcinGe, subject which |
the author treats wisl singular }ucid'ty, and Of
which We will here endruver to glve an outline:
The author starts fru,n certain facts, SOME Of |
which aza generally known, yiz:-1. TIlat the |
tsother1nal lines Zines where the same degree Of
Taemth is observed on our E!obe) Of the high
est temperature are uuelualiy distributed be-
tween northern and southern hemisphcres,
the fspaee they occupy in tho former being
about the double Of that which they occupy
south Of the equator, 80 that the southern
hemisphere is considerable colder, especially
towards the poie,~ than the northern one.
9. That the. accumulation Of ice ut The Antarc.
tic pole, Is much more considerable than at the
northern. T.. That the earth performs the
shortest portion Of its revolution, viz: that
uearest TO the perih=!ion that period Of the year
which comprises the autumn and winter OF the
northern hemisphere. Hence it follows that tue
winter Of the latter Is shorter (by about eight
days) than that Of the southern hemisphere;
A1Q II - CURING IQI3 l0uE .NHeu tHE E.AAA
is furthesest from the sun, thu. the solar rays
must lose in strength what they guin in dura~
tion. 70 this cause Of di,ninution of tcmpera-
ture must be added the loss Of calor by radsa-
ton, and then it will be easy to perceive the
reason Of the difference Of Temperature between
the two hemispheres. Observation. moreover,
has shown that the quantity Of calof1c lost ut
the south pole in the course Of u year Is equal
to the surplus absorbed ut the north pole.
Now let US, with the author, mentally repre-
sent to ourselves the ear1h ut The moment OF its
creation, when the whole surface WAS covered
| with its Eeometrical centre. From that mo
ment its revolutlon around the sun commenced,
| and all those causes which hare led to the ine-
| quality Of temperature between the two hen'i-
spheres began to operate. In the course OF q
| few centuries the ice at the south pole became
/ in consequence heayier than that accumulated
at The north pole, and the centre Of gravity was
| displaced southwlrd5; nathcn1atlclaus, IN tacs,
state The distance between tbs latter and the
| geometricM centre much more rapidly than tho
| other, and at about ,stU metres.
Under these circumstances, what could tue
liquid surface Of the globe do but How south
ward, leaving all the continent We are SO fainil-
| lar with uncovered? Here VI. julien observes
that all the regions Of the southern hemisphere
| beaz unmistakable marks Of subnaersiou ; 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
| Sue SUuult3 OF WQuQLAln ranges, 21u 4G1I I44tut
Maury's soundiogs slow that tue coasts Oh that
side desccnls abruptly into t1c sea. lie further
states the curious fact that in going from the
north to the south pole, ut every parallel The
ratio Of the extent Of land to that OF the d.
miuishes regularly and progressively.
| Let US now take into consideration the phe'
nomcnon called the recession OF the equinoxes
in virtue Of which the hsst point uf al les re-
ctdt: upon the ecliptic by about 80 seconds IN a
year. This gradually causes u complete change
in the seasons; aud counting FROM NY gwen
time, there must eiapse ut least FL ,1u0 .efore
the seasons can return nt precisely the saice
periods Of the year. 1t has been ascertained
that up to the year l34S Of the Christian era, q
year in which the FIRST dag Of winter precisely
coincided with the earth's passage through its
1 perlheliou, the temperature Of the southern
hemisphere had been in constant course Of dim.
mutton. 1t is moreover clear that after lapse Of
$50 Years The scasons on our globe must
| be exncily reversed. Hence about lv,u0l years
| before the year LIS, or II uuu years before out
present time, it WAS tile nortl, pole and not ltd
| opposite one which wus in its maximum Of re-,
fHgeration our present continents were tlcr
| submerged, according to the Mosaic tradition 0i
to us in tile southern len.spheres. And a,aiu
l0,5UU years after the last cataclysm, d new ont
wilt occur, which will again subnleryc the north
cru hemisphere, and u{low new world tG
emerge from the ocean in the southern one.
Such is the theory Of u. Jullcn-a ,hrory we
may add. which is perfect accordance with
the sphere OF ouT actual knowledge.