The Hawaiian gazette., 1876-01-26
Planetary Growth and Decay.
similar Composition Of the Plapsts-Ilow the
kArIh yNlli nte.

PrOE Il. A. POeios delivered ,he second Of
bis course q i've Lectures 0a Astronomy. At the
Rro0klyu Academy 0f Music GA The evening Of
peeeueer l6lh, Ills subject was TAs Ltfs ard
Dants af lQrhlS lie said be would trace the
history II The earth from the prcSont time 10
the tms When il viii b dead, like the moor.
The plarels differed irem one another in all
their characteristics bat they were alike in this
that they were all made Of the same material
The spectroSeope had shown that the sun ~
ssubled the earth 10 matter, and lherc wss no
reason Why u should noS IN like manner, ~
Seu,ole the other planets. THIS part OF tho lee
ture VAS illustrated oy eolered views ShnNlng
the solar spectrum and the spectrum oI iron, and
the manner OF testing The presence q iron in the
sun. The preSeat stats. 1T the planet Jupiter
VAS then shoWu The earth the lecturer said
wosld 20 on and reSeh the eliminating point Of
life aud then 70 down 10 death long beiOre Jupi-
ter would reach 4 period IN is history CORE
speeding to the preseeI time in the earth's
history. because Jupiter, haviug mass 50 much
greater Waald take leu times as long rs the earth
TO part with its heat. The large planets h3i a
longer time OF life than the small ones. Just as
aniuals bad u logger existence than insects lu
rsfsreace 70 the time wben hle was possible on
its surface each planet had 70 be Judged by itself
The old.aShioned way Of treating the outer
planets as being diBsreut members u the same
amily as the earth and other small planets near
the SUI. WAS incorrect They were bodies Of a
dldsrenl order altogether. The planet Mars, on
the other hand. vas smaller and much older than
the earth. having arrived AZ later stage of
planetary lie. Several views wero presented Of
ihis planet representing the peculiar s,nalness Of
thu seas as compared With the continents on its
saIiAes. The amOuut OF land aud water was
about equal. Referring to this bet the lecturer
said What does this mean Is it possible
that time Is coming when. as our earth grows
old the seas Will diminish ia size Is that law,
that as the earth grows older the ocean grows
smaller = these questions, which were put
With considerable dramatic force. The lecturer
answered By saying that when we looked at
what took place in the earth re might think
that the time wUuld come when the ocean would
isy up. bsesuse the land would soak up the
safer This was a recent theory held by certain
scientists. As n planet contracted, numerous
small cavities formed into it, Sufficient to swallow
up all Of its seas. These eayaties could not be
large, else the substance OF the planet would hll
them. bat they would be mere inierslieeS. 1t
bad been eomputed that 10 Iine enough Of these
Intsrstiees would be formed in the earth TO with
draw the ealirs ocean from lis bed.
The next series OF views represented photo
graphs OF the noon's surface. The moon was
taken as the type Of planet which had become
dead. Il was probably dead long before any
sigaS OF lite had appeared on the earth. Ii had
no atmosphere, as vas shown BY tie elearuess
With which its irregularities where shown III the
Photographic views. and the absence Of yapOr
proved that 1t had 10 water. The apparent seas
apou its surface were merely Old sea-bott0ms,
and their character showed that they we're COW
cred with deposits Of animal structure, aud the
same thing sas taking place at the bottom Of
our OCEAN. Other proofs were adduced OF The
want Of IN atmosphere aud Of water on the mO0n.
Many very striking views Of the surface u the
moon. showing clearly tie eraters, mountains,
valleys and shadows, whiea vaIiegste il, were
exhibited Some Of these, the lecturer said, were
new. hayiag been taken ia the southern hemis-
pierre The earth would die Professor Proctor
said. in more ways than one. 1t might be that
the human race would exhaust the means OF lie /;
it might BE- according 20 the theory Of Professor
Hyatt Of Boston, that man had now passed the
highest point Of his physical development, and
vas dsgeneraliug; and It might he that the
natural process Of cooling OF the earth would de-
stroy all life upon it. There Was another way 10
ieagh fur earth, which s0me persons believe in,
which sas that It might be burned. This vas
N Astronomical possibility. In 1866 s star IN
IN the Northern Crown suddenly blazed out
,e0 times lis usual bTlliiaaey, and then was ex-
.iBguished. The same accident. from whatever
;ause It might arise could happen to the earth.
Bat man could look forward with hope. for plsnet
alter planet was taking or the forms Of life-even
Jupiter EOui. after millions Of millions Of years,
become haoitable, and then a race might come
MO existence very far superior to man 10 his
highest stage Of Development Finally, after ages
mi ages. the SUI ITSELF might reach that stage
sheu life might exist upou it for millions Of
7ears-