Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-04-15

Underneath each number there was
uniform mark which an eminent cunel
form scholar pronounced to be the sym
boil used by the ancient Persians and
Babylonians for the numeral 4. Yet,
with this further Interpretation, the geo
metrical series seemed devoid of signif-
cence. Fortunately, however, the facts
were brought to the notice OF Prof. Lev
errier, the celebrated French astrono-
mer, who after most cursory inspec-
ton, discovered the clew add the 4
to each Of the numbers in the series,
said he land we have Il series Genoting
the respective distances of the planets
of our solar system from the sun:
a, 7, 10, l6, 20, 80, 100, 196.
The planets in order being Mercury, A;
Venus, 7; Earth, 10; Mars, l6; Asteroids
(Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta,) 29, Saturn,
100, aud Uranus 1876. When it is re-
membered that Uranus was not even
discovered until the beginning of the
present century, this record of the an
cient Egyptian magii acquires
MoMENToUs SIGNIFICANCE
Here they possessed, to all intents and
purposes, an indestructible astronomical
record OF the solar system that conld be
referred to by future generations, even
as imperishble standards of weights and
measures are preserved at Greenwich
Observatory, and as we see the standard
yard measure of various countries pre-
served on the inner walls of the City
Hall. Encouraged by this discovery,
NJ, Jardsley persevered in his investiga-
tion. Without entering into scientific
miniti1 Of the examinations, it may be
briefly stated that by anological reason
ing he interpertered the characters be-
meath a certain group Of figures, whose
appearance betokened paroxysmal ter
ror, to signify 469. Beneath this num-
ber was The cuneitorm accompanied
by another symbol, which the Professor
interprets to mean the sign of multipli-
cation. inasmuch as it bears close re-
sembance to the Persian symbol "into"
as at present used in the Shahs domiu-
ions. Whether this position be well
taken CT not, we have, of course, no
means of ascertaining; but the result is
sufficiently startling -Four times 469
make lS76-the present year of grace,
while the human figures in paroxysmal
attitudes seem to exemplifly the over
powering dread that shall fall upon man
kind in that great and terrible day."
impel!ing them ito call upon the rocks
to fall upon them and to the hills to
cover them" This Interpretation by
the Russian savant is, of course; entire
ly arbitrary, and may be accepted by
the candid, unprcjudiced reader for what
It is worth. Nobody, however, will de-
ny that this so-caled discovery is at
least most extraordinary coincidence
of scientific investi CATION with the scrip
tural exegesis which fixes the end Of the
world in the current year.
THE Sun on FIRE.
The astounding observations of Pro
tessors Airy and Schroter on the two
majestic planets, Jupiter and Saturn,
have already been chronicled in these
columns, while the authority of Father
Secchi was quoted respecting the ex.
traordinary influences at present operst-
ing on the Sun, and changing his form
as we'll as his size Professor Leverrier
has been assiduously pursuing this solar
investigation, and he states that these
astounding solar protuberances change
their forms as rapidly as clouds, and
that 'they sometimes appear to be
formed at an elevation above the sur
face of the sun and to descend upon it,
as though the material was driven
backward into the solar atmosphere,
and there took shape and tell back"
One prominence resembled the smoke
of locomotive as seen on n frosty day.
"Half An hour afterward it had literally
gone up'-the highest portion over
20O,000 miles above the solar surface.
1 saw myself, says the Professor,
"PARrlcLEs ASCENDING 10000 MILES
in very few minutes, appearing 20 go
over 200 miles per second, though it
must really have been some 400 or 500
miles per second. That velocity would
throw iron clear off from the sun, so
that it would never resurn to it." The
Professor then reviews the constitution
of the sun, as astronomers have hitherto
regarded it since the introductions of
spectrum analysis. First" he says,
"we have an unknown core, the consti-
tuition of which must ever remain TO us
an unfathomab|e mystery. We hay.
layer of clouds from which We get our
saalight-the photospbere-under it
possibly a liquid shell, as Zollner
thought. Then above this philosophers
We have the solar atmosphere still ex-
tending. In the lower strata of that
atmosphere We have all the gases of
which the sun is composed, aud here,
are produced the dark lines of the solar,
spectrum Rising 1000 or 5000
miles above, We have the bright hydro
gen which has been termed the chro-.
mosphere, or colorsphere;, and outside,
of and .beyond the world we have the
coronal atmosphere. -, I,s l,,;,i ofS
SOLAR PrgoTEcHsrcs. g. Ssh