The New York herald., 1871-10-31

large series cf startling disasters which have
occurred ia this country within the present
yesr. The same calamities have revived the
great question Of the Middle Ages, ~ to
whether Gre or pestilence was the destroying
angel Of the ancient Hebrews. But as this 10
not the time Tor abstract discussion We need
take no further notice Of those points than to
remark that with us Gre, In one form or an
other. has been the chief destroyer but much
mischief a. Il he's done. IL is not 30 bad ~ an
epidemic pcstilcoce. This IL were easy to show
by referring 10 the devas.ations Of the plague,
as described BY the most reliable historians,
ancient aud modern. The ruin produced even
si Chicago woald seem very slight II compared
with the terrible scourgings inflicted on
Athens, Rome, MarseIlles, Florence and Lon
don, without either Ore or steam, battering
ran, or cannon.
None win deny. on reflection, that i Is better
that one hundred and 6fty millions worth OF
property. or three hundred millions worth,
should be destroyed. than that two-thirds, one
half, one-third or even one-tenth Of the inhabi-
tants Of populous city should be put 10 death
In such manner as 10 render them loathsome
to those to whom they are most dear. That
so large proportion a. the two-thirds Of the
population OF q great city should be de-
stroyed may well seem incredible; but we
need not 60 beyond Florence for an example,
aud Florence was thus stricken down In the
days of her greatest glory. Thea, as to the
moral effect OF those scourges on the sur
vivors. oil the great fires OF the world have not
produced so much decentralization. II was In
order to illustrate this, and not 10 make any
exhibition Of his courage or contempt Of
death, that Archimsdes uttered his famous
apothegm. When informed that Syracuse, the
beloved city he had saved more than once by
bis learning aud genius. was in flames. and
that he would soon be consumed If he did not
Immediately seek refuge In flight the only
reply of the philosoper was, THAT Ia true,
for 1t is the nature OF fire to act in circle"
There is much more science and philosophy
ia this brief remark Of Archimedes than Is ap-
parent at first view II is also more applicable
to existing circumstances. Whatever may
have been the immediate causes Of our great
fires and great explosions, both the latter
have occurred In accordance with laws which
were as much in force In Sicily two thousand
years ago as they are to-day in the United
States. If there were not insurance com.
panies then to be deffauded by means Of the
torch, q certain class of people
coveted their neighbors share quite as much
as the same class do now; and nothing
except perhaps high onical positlou-afIords
a more favorable opportunity for pesulation
than great fire in wealthy city.
If it be denied that incendiaries, like other
act in Q circle on the Archi-
nedean principle; If the progress Of science
q our time requires that we go beyond the
surface Of things to discover the causes Of so
many great igneous catastrophes, il there not
fre enough in the earth still TO destroy dozens
Of cities2 Precisely because We claim to be
q scientific and thoughtful people we ought TO
that extensive forests, and even
mountains, in state Of confagration are no
forests have taken fire spontaneously during
hot summers In Russia and other
parts of the world, II is beyond dispute
that the slightest accident has set them on
fire. Upon the other hand, the intense cold
and almost perpetual snow of Iceland cannot
cool its boiling springs.
1t may be asked why should either the solar
heat or the terrestrial heat become so much
more intense and destructive this year in cer-
tain parts Of this country than 1t has ever been
known to be before? But the simplest
Treatise on geology will answer the question.
It is only necessary to bear in mind that the
internal sea of liquid fire is constantly advanc-
ing in one part and receding in the other ex-
actly as the external ocean does. This may
account for the increased or diminished tenn
perature in any locality without assuming that
he solar heat has undergone any change. II
was in accordance with this law that Sir
Charles Lyell found the temperature of the
1orthern shore of Lake Superior considerably
higher than that of the southern shore at
nidwinter. Then it seems the tendency Of
he igneous sea was towards the Canadian
,hore. If it now evinces more partiality for
our Western country there is nothing in the
TACT that ought to overwhelm us with astonish-
ment. True, this theory does not account for
disasters like the explosion Of the Staten
Island ferryboat; but, having explained that
phenomenon on former occasion, we need
not allude to it any further now than to OBJ
serve that the Westfeld catastrophe also was
the result of natural causes, those causes
assuming in this case the forms of avarice,
greed, ignorance, dilapidation, rust, &c.
Since it is at least possible, according to the
best scientific authorities, that the great fires
in our Western country have thus been pro-
duced without malice or any human agency. it
is as well to regard them in that light as to
attribute them to the love of plunder. If men