, 1877-07-12
The f1rNat Hea-1Vnve.


Tho great sca-waro which, after the recent
earthquake ut Peru, swept across the Pacliie -
tho Sandwich Islands nflortls fresh Illustration
OF tho vital cncrgy which still pcryades tAa
franc OF our cnrth.
II these theories be aoun1 according to which
each planet during its extrcrnr youth Is rs d stu
glowing with ilery heat, and In extreme old age
Is, like our mt,0n. cold tsave whcro tic suns
rays pour upun it) even TO fts very centre, We
Sliuul4 regard tho various portions Vt the middle
arc of plnnet aA Indicating moro or fcaB Of
Vitality according as thu signs u Internal heat
ali! activity weru grcatGr OF less. AssuEctlly,
thus viewing our earth, VIC llavD no reason tI
acreW the melancholy loctrfue That She Ia af,-
pnsaG w. s.nge ol pantS,S ae,5pIu"a ,t
indaed that Ill parts Ut her aurface nre innycl
at t!s present time hy wlat Hunh,aAt tNtled
"the reaction OF her Interior" In this rcsisect,
doubtless, changes slowly taken p1acc, the
region ot disturbance at ono time becoming,
after innny centuries rpgon OF rest, alitl vIt6
tlni 5easo,,' tor behaving tLat sho stlll tas
shoud perceive, even with the all of the most
powerful tricseore, the a!gus Of any change III
another planet tMars. for example, our iielch-
OF the change bei'lg actually tlssern'bls 81 ha
watched, would certainly Conclude that planet
waa moved by mfchtlv internal forces. Now IT
IL not too inuch 10 say, though Ut lrst 1t may
which, on May 10. rushed In upon tho shores u
the group OF Sandwich Islands, would have been
disceFnblc FROM Venus. suppostng an observer
there had been watching tho earth with tcles.
cope as powerful ~ the best yet mado on th!s
earth. .....-.
The wave wa. caused, rs VIC know, by = tre-
nvndous subtcrruacau disturbance III Peru u
few hours sarlacF. Here, Ut least, Wa the
also travelled from that reRion along tho Pacias
coast Of Mexico, and aas left at tho Sandwich
Isles, where the kllauea volcano VIA set fu
actiun almost II the easne time that tho sea.wuyo
camo ia. but there Tan be no doubt whateycr
that, ~ in the cAse OF tho great Peruvian eartl-
Qulko Of August, Ihf5. tho scarwayo had its
origin not In tho local subtersanean disturbance,
but in the great upheaval BY which lauiqqe and
other PLACES were destroyed. We shall. no
doubt, hear before long, Rs in that cAse Of tho
arrival Of tue great wave as sas samoa 1sles, Vt
| Zcnland, Australia, aud SO forth.
Now, tie great circular wave which spread on
Mav ~ last fron, thu Peruvian shore "a cent!s
athwast tho entire Pacific was probably not ielt
tie stIll raster wayo Of the 18th and I'm of
! August, 18ti3, and for The sasne reasUn. With "
height Y some fifteen feet Tor thlrty feet vertical
di1escute between crest and hollowl, tho wave
at thu rate oi 800 u s0j miles, ~ hour
ae1oss the Pacific, thu rise and fall of ship upon
lis surface would bo altogether tmperceptible.
ss. . " assn ast ot. ses opx ps1
| swell Ut enormous volume, having Al equsl
slope before and behind, and that ~ gentle that
4 It might pass under . ship without beinx no
ticetl.n And We are told, In fact, by uu>lesn
writer that during the rush of the great sea-
{ wars across the raclhc ou Aug. IL and II. 1Htss,
| though where tho wave rcaehed tslRnd-sbOreS
It seemed Is though the land were trst stukiDG
bodily Into tho oceau and then rising bodily out
Of 1t, "thcre was NOT one among tie hundreds
OF ye1se1s which were sailing upon the Paet0c
when 1t was trarcEsed BY tho sca.waFe Ia whleA
any unusual mutton wy perceived