, 1876-10-01

The discovery on the 4th OF April last NJ.
sWift-mogfng spot on the face Of the sun. and
the announcement that it was probably tba
intra-mercurial planet, the existence Of which
was announced as probable By L1VERs1pp
seventeen years ago. has revived tho d,im ~
Prof. JOHN H. T1cE, OF St. Louis, that he d.
covered the said planet in 1S59,-less than kfr
months after it was seen by LEscARBAu1r
Prof. T1cE is alleged to have seen the planet H.
Gently, and to have offered to show It to his
friends. He has also calculated that the said
planet has diameter OF about 5000 miles.
and periodic time Of 23-03 days, which would
give 1t a mean distance from the SUMS centre Of
about Il, 900 miles;
The friends Of Prot. Ttcs have repeatedly
complained that he Is not credited with the
honor OF the discovery, either by the astrono-
mers Of the Old World, the lesser lights Of
Chicago, or the press generally. It Is only
proper to inform them that the same test Is ap-
piled to him as to others who claim to have
found out the existence Of something Of which
other people have no knowledge.
Very few astronomers felt or displayed cona-
dence in the calculations Of ADAMS aud LEVER
R1ER, with reference to theplanet now known as
Neptune, till the position of that object among
the stars vas announced, and he could be seen
by any one who chose to look in that direction
through sufficiently powerful telescope. So,
too, the observation of LEsoARBAuLT was gener-
ally discredited (doubted) by astronomers,
though the hitherto obscure Doctor was Ionized
by the sanants Of the French metropolis. The
allegations Of others, though OF acknowledged
skill as observers, have been equally doubted;
and collocation OF all the observations Is only
considered as warranting the statement that
there may Be transit OF an tntra-mercurial
planet across the sun some time between now
and next Tuesday evening. It is no special in
Justice to Prof: T1cE, therefore, that his claim
to have seen such planet is not received with
open arms; especially as it is suspected BY some
TINT the existence Of Vulcan is insisted on BY
the Professor chiefly because it is necessary to
meteorological theory which they regard as
unphilosophical and absurd.
| It is certainly strange that it there be such
| planet as Vulcan, with diameter 50 great as
81, 900 miles, he has not been seen ere this BY
| others. Such a magnitude would give him an
angular diameter Of one and half minutes OF
arc when he is between us and the sun, and
fully one minute and quarter When at
| his greatest e1ongation. He should, therefore,
| be as easily seen as Is venus, "nen ~ q" e4oa1
| elongation; and she is not at all difficult OBJ
ject to discern when very nearly in line with the
centres OF the earth and sun. It Prof. T1cE hai
mastered so much OF the elements OF Vulcan't
orbit as is claimed for him, he surely ought te
be able TO indicate the position OF the planet
to at least within few degrees
when little asweeping" with a gooe
telescope would suffice to bring tn
fugitive into the view OF mortals who walk NO
20 much by faith as BY sight ip Affirming
DENYING the existence Of world. TIE TR1R
usE will gladly publish, not digest OF tn
meteorological theory Of the Professor but
statement which will assist the astronomers
this vicinity and elsewhere to see the planet 1o
themselves-u he will furnish it. Ii he ca
do this he will make himself tamoo
! in the annals OF science, and The TRIBUNE VI
lend its aid in spreading knowledge Of II
facts before the world II Prof. T1cE ca
not do this, we very much fear that the ~oFh
outside Of St. Louis, will persist IN disrega''
ing his claims to be discoyerer, and "nl eve
hare the impudence to doubt the value OF d
weather theory, which hitherto appears 70
based upon assumptions that no one else
able to verify as facts.