, 1860-03-30

to peruse a remarkable work just published
entitled "COurants ct Revolutions de PAT
moSphere ct de Ia Mer," by Lieut.. Julieu, 4
distinguished officer in the French navy
The greater part Of the book is devoted t
II general description of Lieut.. Maury'
splendid theory Of currents and winds, by
which be explains the recurrence of storms
aud other meteorological phenomena; bul
what has chiefly attracted our attention i,
a new theory on the inevitable periodca
return Of q GaIaclysm similar TO that knoWI
under the name of the Universal Delnge, 9
"A subject which the author treats with sin
gulur lucidity, aud Of VIII ch we will here
endeavOr TO give an outline.
The author starts from certain facts
some of which are generally known, viz: l.
That the sothermaI lines Zines where the
same degree Of warmth is observed on our
globe) of the highest temperature are une-
qually distributed between Northern and
Southern hemiSpheres, the space they orcu-
py in the former being about the double Of
that which they occupy south Of the equa-
tor so that the Southern hemisphere is con-
siderably colder, especially towards the
pole, than the Northern one. 2. That the
accumulation oil ice st the Antarctic pole
is much more considerable than at the Nor.
thern. 8, That the earth performs the
shortest portion of its revelation, viz: that
nearest to the periheion, much more rap
idly than the other, and At that period Of
the year which comprizss the autumn aud
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 furthest
from tue sun, that the solar rays must lose
iu strength what they gain in DURATION
10 this cause Of dmiuutiou Of temperature
must be added the loss Of caloric by rada-
ton, aud it will then be easy to perceive
the reason Of the difference Of temperature
between the two hsmispheres. ObserVa-
ton, moreover, has saoWn that the quaR-
tity Of calOric lost at the South pole in the
course Of year is equal to the surplus ab-
sorbed at the Norm pole. Now let Us,
with the author, mentally represent 10 our
selves the earth at the moment Of itS cren-
tion, when its whole surface was covered
with water, aud its centre Of gravity coin
cided with its geometrical centre. From
that moment its revolution around the SUI
commenced, and all those caases which have
led TO the inequality Of temperature between
the two hemispheres begau to operate. In
the course Of few centuries the ice at the
South pole became, in consequence, heavier
than that accumulated ut the North pole,
and the centre Of gravity was displaced
southwards; mathematician, in fact, state
the distance between the hitter and the
geometrical centre to be about 100 me-
tres. Under these circumstances, what
could the liquid surface Of the globe do bot
aow southWard, leaving all the continent
we are 50 familiar with uncovered Hcre
NJ, Julien observes that all the regions Of
the Southern hemisphere bear unmistakeaa
BILE marks Of submersion that America,
Africa aud India end 10 points, oil turned
towards the South pole; that the islands Of
the Southern regions have the appearance
OF the SUBMITS OF mountain rauges, and that
Lieut. Manry's soundings show that the
COASTS on that side al descend abruptly TO-
TO the sea. He further states the curious
fact that in going from the North 10 The
South pole at every parallel the ratio Of the
extent Of land TO that Of the sea diminishes
regularly aud progressively.
Let US now take into consideration the
phenomenon called the Procession Of the
Equinoxes, 10 virtue Of which the FIRST point
oil Aries recedes upon The ecliptic by about
ffty seconds in a year This gradually
causes a complete change 10 the seasons;
and counting from any given time, there
must elapse at least $1,000 before the sea-
sous cah return at precisely the same pc
RODS Of the year II has been uscertained
that up to the year l24S Of the CHRISTIAN
era, year in which Ou the FIRST day Of vim
ter precisely cOincided with the earth's pas
sage through lis periheliou, the tempera-
ture Of the Southern hemisphere had been
in constant course OF diminntion. II IS
clear that alter tile lapse Of TO-
500 years the seasons on our glo6e must Be
exactly reversed. Hence, about l0.500
years before l24s, or 1000 years before
our present time, it was The north pole, and
not It's opposite one, which was in its max
imam Of refrigeration; our present eontln'
eus were then submerged, according TO the
Mosaic tradition Of the Deluge, and there
we're continents unknown 70 Us 10 the
Southern hemisphere. Aud again, by the
same astronomical and natural laws, 10, 800
years after the last cataclysm, a new one
will occur, which will agaiu snbmerge the
Northern hemisphere, and allow new
world to emerge from the ocean in the
Southern one.
Such is the theory Of NJ. Julien--a The
ory, we may add, which is in perfect aeeor-
dance with facts within the sphere OF our
actual knowledge.
~ Dr. Franklin said: "When see