Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-01-05

NOTES OF THE WEEK.-I0 day IS the second
Sunday after Christmas This day coming 50 soon after
the festival of the circumcision is considered a part Of that
feast, and its altar services is repeated Monday is the
festival of the Epiphany the name is Greek, Epiphnsia,
aud means appearance, manifestation. 1t is often called
the manifestation Of Christ to the Gentles. The Greek
Church terms it the Theophany, or appearance Of God.
The Eastern Christians gave it the name Of " The Feast
Of Light" In Germany II known as the festival Of the
holy King. Some Of the OarIy fathers took it to be the
day of the Sayiors baptism. This festival celebrates the
visit of the three wise men Of the East to the Savior, and
is in England commonly called Twelfth Day In the
Roman Catholic Church it is a holiday Of obligation
that IL, it must be observed in the same manner the Sun
days are, by abstaining from servile work and manual
labor, and attending Mass In England, on this day, at
the altar Of the Chapel Royal Of St. James, the Queen
still pays her Twelfth Day oblaton at the Ofertory, in
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Wednesday Is the anniversary Of the battle Of New
Orleans, in 1915, Of the secession of Florida, aud of the
taking of Forts Caswell and johnson in 1861. Thursday
Mississippi seeded in 1861 also steamship Star Of the
West was fired into and driven OFF by the Carolina bat
teries on Morris Island also failure Of the attempt to
reinforce Fort Sumter. Frday-Fo IS Jackson ST. Phil
lips and Pike, near New Orleans, captured by Louisiana
troops. Saturday-Alabama seeded, 1861.
The periodical comet called Encke's comet, is now Wis
Ible with the aid Of a small telescope OF moderate power.
Il is in the constellation Pegasus which is in the neigh
borhood Of the better known Aries. On the 9th Of F,b-
ruary It win be at the point Of is orbit, which is nearest
the sun. This comet was discovered by the astronomer
Pons, OF Marsailles, in France, i'm Isis, but IL Is called by
the name of Encke because of the discoveries he made
with respect to It's periodicity. Johann Franz Encke Is a
German astronomer, born in Hamburg lie was first a
soldier against Napoleon, but was afterward attached to
the royal observato at Berlin. From the time Of the
discovery of the comet by Pons he applied himself 10 the
determination OF its orbit lie showed that it's period Of
recurrence must be about three aud a fourth years, and
that Il was probably The same comet us Meehain OBJ
served in 1856. Miss Herschel in l795, and Pous in 1905
lie predicted its return in 1872 On June 3rd Of that ga
twas discovered in New South Wales. He predictedts
return in 1925. Il a peared then, and also in October
1898. Observations made at these appearances enabled
him 10 fix is orbit rs within thar Of Jupiter, its greatest
distance from the sun being four times that OF the earth,
and its least distance one third that Of the earth, It's period
Of revolution three years and three.tenths, He also dis
covered On important fact never before known in this
movement of a celestial body-that there was a grad
ual quickenlng of Its motion to the amount Of pa hours
IN eseh revolution. Eneke was Of opinion that this
was owing TO . resisting medium existing in space, which
shortened the time Of the revolution by giving greater
effect 10 the suns attraction. II the cause he supposed
TO be in existence is the true one, a period Of time
must arrive when the centrifugal tendency Of the ooiets
motion will be destroyed, then the comet must flf On tie
body of the sun. What would be the such q
catastrophe we cannot know. Encke also was ahle,by
observing the disturbing effects Of the planetary hodes
upon this comet to, show Important errors iH-tea sssfnafss
befo e made Of the masses OF Jupiter and MercwyTsh9w-
ing that the former was Of Larger aud the latter fsmall
bulk than had been supposed These circumstances give
to Encke's comet an interest entirely independeat % its
size; il is "a straw that shows which way the wind
blows and each return is carefully noted by asirons
mers, who seek from it light upon some most Interesting
problems regarding the duration Of The planetaEy sstsN
III which we form a bart.