The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-03-07

gists explain it? If the weather gets to such |
freaks as this "weather-probabi!ity men,
might as well quit.-Rock5ridge Citizen.
Tic Coming Comet.
A few weeks since Swiss newspaper in
formed its readers that u. Plantamour, an
astronomer of extraordinary skill, had pre-
dicted the arrival, early next August, of a
comet which would come into collision with
the earth. 1t is undeninble that this story
has produced considerable uneasiness in
Europe among the unscientifc and credu-
lous people who put faith in their newspa-
pers, and unless the fictitious character of
both n. Plantamour and his comet should
be established, there are multitudes who will
watch uneasily for the coming Of the fiery
stranger.
Years ago the dread of cometary collision
was quite common. The comet was then
supposed to be wholly independent body,
which, in utter scorn of the planetary time
table, ran its erratic course needless Of the
safety of itself and of the planets. Since
then we have learned that the comets of our
solar system are as regular in their habits as
our Oldest and staidcst planets, and that they
are, moreover, for the most part, constituted
Of such tenuous vapor that a collision be-
tween the largest Of them and the earth
would be imperceptible, except in the form
Of slight increase in the haZiness Of the at
nosphere. 1t is true that degree of irreso-
luton is sometimes shown by these bodies
as in the case of the susceptible comet which
was detained in its route by the destinations
of the moons of Jupiter-still it was conceded
that this particular comet intended no yio-
lence, but, like very young man who meets
Il bevy OF pretty boarding-School girls taking
the air together, was induced to pause in adj
miration until the seductive moons were led
away by their matronly planet.
The comet of NJ. Plantamour is not, how
ever, one OF the tune, domesticated, and
eminently respectable comets of our system,
but wild and dangerous wanderer from the
interstelar wildernesSes. OF its constitution,
whether gaseous or solid, it is yet impossible
to Judge, but we are assured that it is Of
enormous size, and il heading directly to-
ward the earth. Should it consist of burn
ing hydrogen, it would hardly fail to add
very unpleasantly to the heat Of August,
WHILE if it is solid body, it will undoubt-
edIy smash the earth to pieces, and convert
it into scores Of small mctcoric bodies.
An elaborate calculation of the force with
which it will strike shows that, while every
thing ut the point of collision will be pull
verified, all objects OH the opposite side Of
the earth will be driven into space, there to
revolvc on orbits of their own. Thus, should
the comet strike the American continent,
| the reg ion Of space directly under our feet
would be filled with the fragments of China,
| while mctcoric te;-chests and aerolite
Cinnamon would thencclorth circle forever
| round the sun i'll orbits Of greater or less &C.
centricity. This fact will become matter of
immense importance when the time Of COL
iSion draws near. So long as a choice re-
mains, no one who can become IN independ-
cnt acrulite will prefer to remain where he
must inevitably he smashed. We may, there
fore, expect to find the greater part Of the
human race collected next August on that
hemisphere where they will be safe from
pulyerization, but whence they will start in
endless journeyings through space. Whether
the ingenuity OF inventors will provide pa.
tent safety planets, filled with condensed
food and allordipg room for small families
50 that tic horrors OF solitary travelling may
be avoided, remains to he seen. At all events
lovers who await the shock clasped i'll eacf
others arms can look forward with certainty
to = union which will never be broken unit
the force Of gravity shall lose its power.
Lovers, however, may not be the only
ones who will be compelled to journey
hand-ir-hand together. Imagination recoil
from the contemplation Of the fate OF that in
discreet husband who may incautiously b.
found near his mothcr-in-law at the momen
Of collision, and thus he forced to form witt
her new sort of double star, whose titfu
light, as the fiery old lady and the saddenet
husband should alternately present them
selves to the observer, would challenge thu
spcctroscope in vain. We may, however
fancy Mayor Hall seeking courage from th'
presence of his Tammany friends, and thu
becoming new Saturn, surrounded by
ring wherein the diamonds of Tweed woul(
flash with the brilliancy of the self-luminou
stars; and danced about by attendant ant
perpetualjy full-taced moons In the shape o
Horace Greeley and Nathaniel Sands. Shoult
the dispossessed inhabitants of earth joil
that wonderful meteoric belt from which ou
November neteors come, they will contribute
to such other planets as their orbits ina.
cross showers tar more interesting to th
Tenusian or Martial astronomers than thu
commonplace showers of meteoric iron hay'
been to VI. PIantamour and his brethren.
But, after all, it is not probable that TIL
predicted catastrophe will occur. There i
llO SOou iGttSul! W suppoac tliat tNC tHeoly v
the astronomer Plantamour has any cXistenc,
except in the brain of the writer for tn
Suiss Times, and there is a plain impossi
blity of predicting the path of strang
comet that has not yet passed its perihelion
Even wcrea new comet coming from beyond
the bounds of our system to be discovered
there would be no good reason to dread it
As great authority has said, the impinge
mcnt of q comet upon the earth would onl!
he like body of vapor dashiny across u can
non.ball.- NeU York Times.
Professor John Tyndall, the highest al
thority on the subject, says in one of hi
ESSAYS that he could make sky Us good a
ours out of handful of the proper material
and that 1--WE are not quite sure, but such i
our impression,) the whole Of comet To-
: perhaps of its tall could be crowded into
one-horse cart.l .-,--.
The telegraph uses the papers too much t.
advertise the Philadelphia centennial. The
New York Tribune asserts that Philadelphia
not satisfied with the enormous profits tina
must accrue to her from such 4 concourse Q