, 1874-07-19
THE GREAT COMET OF 1853.

ctr1T<d IN New HddtlQ, ou aAe 1149oiseiPPts
Is not expected ia return until the e1pir1-
tion Of 5000 ycarz and that many other
comets that have been heretofore dis
covered may como and go without re-
vea1ln. as much OF their continued exist
Jack q Lsntcrn Or igais fatuue. Few comets
created greater eenaation than that OF 1858,
which was remarkable tor richness in brilhancr
the length of its tail, and he uniformity Of its
breadth It enUne when war Was raging u Chlna
between TINT Empire aad the Western Po~era
when tho Indhan rnut1a5 seos IN prosress and
when Gen Johnson Was approaching das1
Lake to bring tha insuhordinata Hosmona to
their senses- Walker, tco. waa Operating n
Nicaraoua and there we're decidedly ho8sAlo
measures proposed ii Congress in consequences
Of ths T,atinE Of America1 yesrols On tho high
seas by English ships-of-wax- 1nundahons
caused great suffering and loss m tho United
States, and there was grand eruption o1 Mount
VesuyiuR Sickness prevailed to an Alarming
nh and to make the rear etA more memoirs
ble, there Eas total eoliEss ot aho sun IN the
mouth Of March.
THE COMET OF 1853
WIS discovered June of TINT year BY DR.. &. T.
Douati (whose name it beaIB) at Florence IL
WAS thea distant from the earth z23, ,0Oo, wv Of
miles and Was for some time afteEward visible
as It's couree Was obsezved II was announced that
It would poss Desx tho eaSth. close to the son
md SO near 70 Venus thai that planet would be
Ii daagez. Trsoas Of , tail wera not'ced AUG
2l and later it WAS peEcephb9e to tie naked eye
in the northwestern heavens It presented Wien
viewed in this manner more etsiking and re-
us.rkabao appearance than when examined
through the tale<oope- The comet arrived at its
last distance from the sun on the 30th OF
September, being then separated from :hat orn
by space OF s., ,Oo0, 600 OF miles, For The ne1s
ton DAYS its appearance WAS extremely maggnln-
rant TEa nucleus or he8u rB8em0leQ
4 6boBz or LIGHT,
c:uthe1 IN eeyerN envelopes Of lesser brllliancy.
The outet1uo6t Of E;6.o envelopes Tas continued
i1uIef1uitely 10 the nofthwA.d in two bauda. villa
lssser light bstween them forming tia tail
This remarkable etnanaslon might % desesoeo
ends streaming behind the Enclosure; - the
Eavss OF taa sea THROWN out On either t'de oy
the paarage OF ship, with a dark, smooth wake
betxeen In 6optexnbeT the tad extended
90. .ooa, COO miles and early IN tee onn eose.ad
36 dsgreea- TIA appearance of the nuciecs ana
ia envelopes varied IN very rornsskaote naaa'
cer. frequently assuming the form of = gas 1et'
Ena1ations OF daahes Of Light from the bead aI'
reared to pnse along the tah in instantaneous
Tibrntious. The stars o9 the constellation
Bootes vera plainly visible through the Tail and
suffered no diminution Of brightness; they
rather assumed pale, ciear, stesdy aspect
The comet passed nearest 70 tne euu osps'
a. and FRS At its least distance from tho earth
-
the 18th It approached Venus within o-1o0 Of
the eazth's distance from the aun Had 1t been
i've DAYS earlier tho two bodies must have come
in collision 1ts rapid passage TO the sontnef1 !,
hemisphere rendered it invisible IN tho United
States after the end Of October, but It VAS fot-
lowed At Santiago de- Chilli and tbs Cape Of Good
Hope for soma months afterwards. and WAS Last
observed 1t the htte- place March 4. 1853. In
California Donatis comet Was seen 70 great aa-
vantage. It occupied large place IN tue heav-
ems. 1ud WAS wonderfully boautltol, oiaz1ns oo,
iect, and WIS Visible both in the morning and
evening.
sroRxs AND FOUNDATIONS II TEE UNITED sTA1Es-
Whatever may be- said as to comets portend
ing dire effects, it is beyond question that tho
United States suffered most severely from
storms and floods during tho GUNNER and fall
Of 1855 The brilliant spectacle offered by the
could have brought but little consolation to
tha hoteeIess aud half drowned people In
the Western and Southern parts OF the
Union. dreadful hurricane passed over
Bentoayi1le, Ark, in the month OF JUG. ~
which nearly every house in tho town was blown
down and twenty-five lives lost. The heavy
rains that fell caused the flooding OF the
Lover 1fissiseippi. The storms oi wlnd were
terrific. The Herald Of Nav 16, 1858, gave
aeplorable account Of the deatruction OF prop
lev exceptions. covered the country on both
sides ct It from tho mouth Of Lake pEovldsnce
~ Mamnh;s a distauce Of 700 miles, aud the
people hid to remain IN the upper stories o.
their houses, the lower rooms beng 1ail OIL
vatet The doods continued for months 20 N.
f};ct .raat damage and caused intense alarm al
over the counkxy. Tue xatc< ran over the level
| nlaing Of Ohio; Cairo uas in imminent danger.
and Mound City WIS entirely eubnerged,, Ia
June fearful tornado passed over tue su4aee
Of Ellison. III. Every house IN the place WEE
blown down and several parsons dangerously
wounded. The Loss OF property Was es'imAseo
at 81, ,0o0, 900.
| ArzARFUL TORNADO N NEW YORK.
| On the 21st OF June the City of New York Was
vjnited by a terrific tornado and thunderstorm
It lasted only half an hour, but III thae shoTt
| space 3 vast amount OF damage We. ooas; s1a. ~
began 1t 4 o'clock in the afternoon Aang
| houses we're injured, trees nprooted,, ano avn
| inoy blown down. Ten or fifteen large t1ees
were torn up By tha roots in Unton square, anu
three or four ia Tonpkins Square. 4 church n
Fifty fourth street vas neary oen'Dit"aeu aiad ~
| tho streets by the force OF the "1ud. Chimneys
werp lu,,let down and vessels were forcod II ON
| their mornings and driven into the stream The
| American Flint-Glaes Works, st Hontet's Po1nt'
was wrecked and two men sl1ea; lne !t taes sntnp.
| lnokad Ike running rivers. New York Was. II
| f,ct nnoer water for half an hour during that
memorable day in June, 1858. In September,
! the town OF HoldeTuesa, n: H., suffered from
| pretty severe shock OF earthquake
ERUPTION or MOUNT yEsCTzUs.
| On the 2lst Of May commenced Al eruption OF
| " ,uut Ves1vius OF great grandeur. It continued
| fur considerable ,Me, aud the magnlfceocs OF
| the spectacle brought large number Of viel:ori
| To the spot. No fewer than seven new cratert
opened IN The side OF the mountain, whence the
lava iseued in broad streams and fell in eplendie
cascades over the transrerse ridges. The burn
| ing torrents in their course overwhelmed forests
| vineyards, aod homesteads. They vera not dulc