The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-10-23

ance whatever. In thb thcy wilrhsvs the sym
| patty ana oo-operatisa Of The American people
| nom the Atlantic 10 ne Pacific shore.
HsSeI. I'm Ysximilisn's sorvfce--Oac sf
| Then
Our last news from Mexico informs u
that among the Americans who have ac-
copied official positions under Macmillan
is "Senor N. +. Mssry," moi unknown to the
world In connection with science, who was at
one time . naval officer under the United States
government, and whe afterwards renowned
his allegiance and vioIsted his 0ath'to join the
rebel serviea A good record to an ambitious
man u his stock in trade. In Whatever branch
Of the public service, or In whatever cspacity
In public life he may have made himself conss
spicuous, II his record DO not genuine his
character Is likely to suffer: He may be hero
or he may be humbug, according - the truth
Of history Is made manifest
There was prevailing idea that Mr..
Maury, formerly lieutenant and subsequently
commander IN the United States Navy,
was entitled 10 certain credit for import
ant discoveries In the laws Of currents,
winds, and 90 forth. Maury was in . high
of8cial position as director Of the National
Observatory IN Warrington, where he had
every opportunity Of obtaining information
upon the subjects whereof he treated. According
to instructions Issued by the Navy Department
while Mr.. Maury was at the head Of the Obser-
vatory, every naval officer and captain of
ship In the merchant marine furnished to Mr..
Maury all the observations which came within
his experience of winds and tides and currents.
Upon these data Mr.. Maury, lying quietly in his
seclusion in Washington for nearly eighteen
years that he was at the head Of the National
Observatory, published q report and made
reputation by his theory on winds and
currents. The men who furnished the ma
terials got no credit Maury, exscommander
of the United States Navy, ex-President
Of the National Observatory, and present
official Of Macmillan, gathered al the credit
into his own fold. 1t Is now very well under
stood that Maury had very little to do with
the practical operation Of those discoveries
with which his name Is connected; and it is
which be advanced in connection with the At
lantic telegraph and the submarine plateau be-
tween Newfoundland and the coast of Ireland
have been subsequently proved erroneous
For instance, his theory that the pressure Of the
water in the Atlantic Ocean must extinguish.
yard, that no vitality could be found there,
was upset by the experiments Of Colonel
Tai. P. Schaffer, Of Kentucky, who made a
voyage in northern latitudes, in the region Of
Iceland, and by bis soundings found mollusc0e,
with all the evidences Of life. He reported the
fact to tho. British government, and they sent
out explorers on the same route. who found
plenty Of the mollusk tribe ON their sounding
lines, full of life in the highest condition known
to that low class of the animal kingdom.
So much for Maury's graveyard theory
The survey Of the great Atlantic plateau was
anticipated by Commodore Bergman, Of the
United States Navy, when the Atlantic cable
was first projected, and the information which
he obtained by experiment he communicated
to tho British government upon his arrival In
England. For this he was brought to task by
Maury, and in like manner all the labors Of
other United States officers were absorbed by
the head Of. the, National Observatory and
placed to his own credit In fact, q far back
% l84S Colonel Sherburne had announced this
Atlantic plateau, and arrived ct the same con-
| illusions which have since been established
with the exception Of Maury's graveyard
| notion. ~
We see, therefore, how easy 1t is for man
| In power to manufacture q reputation upon
| the industry of others. There were many off,
GERS Of the navy who would have been willing
to have assumed the position Of Lieutenant
Maury, and fully as competent to fulfil its
duties; but he was the lucky one, and he has
succeeded In obtaining . name in naval
science at the expense Of others-a NAME
however, which his recent career has blotted
all over with infamy.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE On REGIoNs.-The
first mission Of importance to the oil regions Of
Pennsylvania was that sent by the New YORK
HERALD over year ago. The HERALD repre-.
SCENTS the capital Of the whole world, and Petro-
liza had the benefit of its influence otherwise, in
bringing out the riches Of its oily caverns
Subsequently mission consisting Of a number
of the most prominent capitalists Of Europe
representing from two to three hundred mil.
lions, visited the same regions; and, more re.
cently,a mission consisting Of some two hun
dred American capitalists, representing, 1t Il
stated, from one to two hundred millions, has
just made the tour of the oleaginous districts
What the precise objects Of these latter mis-.
sions are, following as they do the pioneer
mission OF the HERALD, which operated SO won.
derfully in opening the country more than q