The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-03-10

We have had occasion to peruse remarkable
work, just published, entitled Coarants ct r At
n,oSnhere ct da Ia Ner, by Lieut.. Julien, dis,
tinguishcd officer in the French navy. The
greater part of the book is devoted to a general
description of Lieut.. Maury's splendid theory OF
current winds, by which he explains recurrence
OF storms and other meteorological phenomena
but what has chiefly attracted our attention is a
new theory on the inevitable periodical return
of cataclysm similar 20 that known under the
name of the universal deluge, subject which
the author treats with singular lucidity, and
Of which we will here endeaVor to give an out
line:
The author starts from certain facts, some of
which are generally known, VIII. That the
isotherinal lines Zines where the same degree Of
warmth is observed on Our globe) of the high
esttemperature are unequay distributed between
northern and southern hemisphere, 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 north
ern one. 2. That the accumulation of ice at
the Antarctic pole, is much more considerable
than at the northern. 3. That the earth performs
the shortest portion of its revolution, viz: that
nearest the perihelion, 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 fby about eight
days) than that of the southern hemisphere; and
it is during this long winter, when the earth ia
furtherest 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 caloric by radiation, and then
it will be easy to perceive the reason OF the diff
ference of temperature between the two henis-
pheres. Observation, moreover, has shown that
the quantity of caloric lost at the south pole in
tho IF 10 af,Ylo1 IN tha ah-
sorbed at the north pole.
Now let us with the author, mentally repre-
sent to ourselves the earth at the moment Of its
creation, when the whole surface was covered
with its geometrical centre. From that moment
its revolution around the sun commenced and all
those causes which have led to the inequality OF
temperature between the two hemisbheres began
to operate. In the course of a few centuries the
ice at the south pole became in consequence
heavier than that accumulated at the north pole,
and the centre of gravity was displaced south
wards matheuaticans, in fact, state the distance
between the latter and the geometrical centre
much more rapidly than the other, and at about
700 metres.
Under these circumstances, what could the
liquid surface OF the globe do but flow south
ward leaving all the continet we are 80 familiar
with uncovereds Here NJ. Julien observes that
all the regions of the southern hemisphere bear
unmstakable marks Of submersion; that Ameri-
ca, 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.
Maury's soundings show that the coasts on that
side descend abruptly into the sea He further
states the curious fact that in going from the
north to the south pole, Mt every parallel the
ratio of the extent Of land to that Of the sea d.
minished regularly and progressively.