, 1873-03-09
a philosophic fact BY means Of exact measure

|
thrown By the wonderful researches which were
begun in 1859 by two men, united by the closest
bonds OF . friendship which boro rich fruit fo1
science. After the light Of the sun had, in the
third decade OF this century, been brought into
the service Of art by Niepce aa1 Daguorre, Bun
sen and Kirchhon compelled it also to render
service to chemistry and astronomy. Like those
I u1agicans Of the legend who, through tho power
| Of their knowledge, compelled the spirits OF tie
elements to disclose their zccond::e secEets the
Of light imprisoned in tho spectrum ao-
pa-atus to make revelation Of things In
| the world Of stars which the curiosity OF
| men had deemed forever inaccessible.
Already had Kirchhor ascertained what terres-
trial elements were present in the SUMS atmoe-
Fherc, and what we're not; quite recently has it
| been discovered TINT there is even present in
the sun o substance (ltet:sm) which hitherto has
| neen unknown on the earth. Moreover, also,
| tne inner structure Of the sun, the distribution
ITS luminous and colored envelope, the nature Of
Its spots and pro.uberarceB-a this is no longer
play ground for fantastic imsgininge but the
|. subject OF exact research Since tho. grent
Huggns, and Father Sccchi have observed daY
after day, storms, ullirlwinds, fla1ne-sheaves.
outbursta OF burning hydrogen to tho height
OF 20, 600 miles; thus has been developed
ology of the sun. Moreover, On other obscure
regions Of tho heavens, on the physical and
chemical conditions oven on the laWs Of tho
movements Of tho fixed and double stars, on
nebuln and milky waya, oil planots and comets,
on zodiacal aud northern lights, has spectrum
analysis thrown ita cniighteniug rays. No less
by rigorous mathematical method, through
which astronomy, even at an earlior period, had
been brought to certain amount OF perfection,
has she in the most recent time enjoyed an un-.
/ expected triumph, by solving, through the re-
searches Of schispareli, the riddle Of thecomets,
IN being able to recognize the identity OF their
nature with thai OF tho swarms Of shooting-stars
whose remarkable brilliancy long ago made them
universally known.
During the last quarter OF century, the his
tory Of tho formation of our earth Inns assumed
the opinion prevailed that. our earth, once
globe Of liquid fire, became covered with a crust
of congealcd scorie on which, by-aud-bv. the
first animal and plant-life made its appearance.
After IN almost infinite length of tiuo during
which the silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous,
catastrophe. affecting simultaneously the whole
earth. 80 completely destroyed the first palmo-
zoic life, that not single species survived the
oas & aa uRsn the Life
then the secondary Fauna and Flora,
entirely unconnectad with and Diff
fercnt from the eztinguished one, until, after
frequent repetitions Of the came process at
AoA6cA VI SAUL toA iAIe4 sa1s, A!An A1aue us hp-
peaiance, anu, along with him, ell existing
plants aud ANIMALS. with nm boglns the His
toricai @ period, whose duration mas not exceeded
6.oo0 years. Tho Causes OF these worldwide
revolutions ION geology sought IN the yoont Ieae-
lion OF the molten interior against the once ex-
tEemely SLENDER crust.
In opposition to these views, tho opinion Pc
ca1iarly associated With the name OF Lyell has
made wa5, that no violent revolutions, returning
Mt intervals. destroyed tho external structure Of
earth, and all the lie 1t sustained, but that
al changes. even IN the earliest times,
ahected only tile earths surface, md
that these could only BE- the re-
suits OF the same powers OF Nature which are
actively at work On the earth at the present
time; and that, moreover, the gradual but ever
active powers OF water, air, and Of chemical
change, have perhaps had greater share II &C.
compnshing these trans1or1natlons than the
fierce heat OF suotofranean masees Of lava. The
explorers OF the buried remnlns OF plants aud
anlmas show 1t to be Impossible that al life IN
tho8e geo!ogacal formations could have been de-
stfoyod simultaneously, Tor many species are |
common 1t several stages IN particular, many I
existing animals and plants reach far back into |
tho primitive world. Man himself could be
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