The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-03-30
The PlantamOur Comet.

| the pubic With regard to the ApOcrN-
phal comet Of the Geneva astronomer,
after the manner following: ave have
reasons to know that many weak peo-
!! pie have been alarmed and many still
weaker people made positively i'll, by
an announcement that has appeared
in almost all the newspapers, to the
effect that Professor Plantamour, of
Geneva, has discovered Il comet of inn
mense size, which Is to scollitle,' as our
American friends would say, with our
planet on the 18th Of August next. We
fear that there is no foundation what
ever for the runOr. In the present
state Of science nothing could be more
acceptable than the appearance of 4
good large comet, and the nearer it
comes to us the better, for the spectro-
scope has a long account to settle with
the whole genus, which, up to this
present time, has fairly eluded our
grasp. But it is not too much to sup
pose that the laymen in those matters
might imagine that the discovery
would he too dearly bought by the ruin
of our planet. Doubtless, if such ruin
were possible, or, indeed, probable
but let us discuss this point. Kep1er,
who was wont to say that there are as
many comets in the sky as flashes in
the ocean, has had his opinion indors-
ed in latter times by Arago, who has
estimated the number of these bodies
which traverse the solar system at H.
800, 900. But what follows from this?
Surely that comets are very harmless
bodies, or we should have suffered
from them long before this, even if
we do not admit that the earth is as
old as geologists would make it. But
this is not all. 1t is we'll known that
some among their number which have
withal put on a very portentous appear
ance are merely the celestial equiva-
lent Of our terrestrial swindbags'-
brought down to their proper level
they would have shrunk into very
is more comfort still. The comet Of
177O positively got so near to Jupiter,
that it got entanglcd among his moons,
the diameter Of which is only some
1900 miles; but the moons pursued
their courses as if nothing had happen
ed, while the comet was so (liscomfit-
ed by the encounter that it returned
by another road e, astrOnOmicalIy
speaking, its orbit was entirely chang
ed. While, last of all, in our cores
pondence this week will be found one
fact the more in favor Of the idea that,
in 1861, we actually did pass through q
a comet. We have n suggestion for
those weak people who are still alarm
eel by these celestial portent, and stead
lily refuse to acquaint themselves with
the most elementry work ON astrOno-
my, which would convince them how
grOundless their fears are. In India,
during the late eclipse, the priests reap
ed magnificent harveats from the offer
ings of the faithful. In England, pos
ofI 1<
to make such offerings to the priest;
but let them still be nlade-to tho Roy
al Astronomical Society. In this way
the English Philistine would approach
nearer the standard of his less civili-
zed brother; science would be benefited
and doubtless, the omen would be
averted-at all events, they always
have been.
A gentleman died a few days since
in London, at the age of 81, who, had
the revolution Of 1858 never occurred,
would have been the lawful sovereign
of England. He was known as Count
John SobieSki Stuart, and was the
eldest grandson of the young Pretcnder
A brother of Count Stuart always ac-
companied him i'll public life in Lon
don, and the following note from Il re-
cent magazine gives q clue to the habits
of these two relics Of !, period when
the Jacobite theory of divine rights
was struggling to cngraft itself upon
the Constitution:
"Am0ng the most constant frequent
ers of the rcading-room at the British
Museum may be noticed almost daily
two gentlemen, if not old, yet :dvanc-
ing rapidly into years, and dressed in
an Enthusiastically foreign costume. \
glance at their faces will at once re-
mind you of the marked type of the
Stuarts, especially about the forehead
and eyebrows and, indeed, they
! might sit for portraits of Charles and
James II respectively. The friends of
these gentlemen say that they are ohm
! Sobicski Stuart and Charles Edward
Stuart, and that they have proofs of
their descent as grandsons of the ~ ouns
Pretcnder,' and we believe we
arc not wrong in asserting that both of
the brothers, when young, held COM
missions in the French Army, and
served against It's ut Waterloo, where
one of them was Instrumental in So wing
the life of Napoleon as he fled from the
field. 1t is said that the elder brother
is busiIy engaged upon Il work on mill
tary science. 1t is this elder brother