The New York herald., 1879-12-16
PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE.

Cinnamon belong to the great tea party.
Philadelphia detectives 60 for Gopher Bill"
heavy Christmas stocking makes light pocket
book.
Bishop Haven continues to be very i'll at Maiden.
Mass. :
Tennyson likes himself.
Senator Jones will return to Washington with hia
family after New Years Day.
There are grounds for believing that boarding
house coffee Il not always good
Lord Rosebery describes Mr.. Gladstone the
leader who is to lead the liberal party to victory.
The pig would according to the scientists. live to
be twenty years old. but he to SO.
Six years ago shad introduced into California
waters. They may now be taken there every month
in the year.
Head. Mount Desert. cool summer cottage. which
he will occupy next summer.
At the dinner which will be given to General
Grant by Mr.. George w. Childs. Of Philadelphia,
this evening. the following guests will attcnd-
Hamilton Fish. A. E. Borle. George 8. Boutwell,.
John s. Morgan. John Welsh. James W. Paul. DR..
Da Costa. Edwards Pierrepont. Senator J. Don Cam
eron, George M. Robson. George Augustus Sala. A.
J. Drexel, General Phil Sheridan aud General W. T.
Sherman.
Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd. formerly of this city. last
week celebrated the nftieth anniversary of their
wedding at their home near wilkesbarre. in the
Wyoming Valley OF Pennsylvania. In the midst of
many children and grandchildren. Among the ex-
hibts OF tho occasion tweve-years' ale Of tho
New YoRK HERALD which has been loyalty saved by
Mr.. Shepherd. who will probably exhibit another
dozen volumes In the years to COME.
Mr.. Proctor writes -"There is some mistake in
the article which appeared In tha NEW YoRK HERALD
day two ago. which it was stated that Profess
sor Piazsi Smyth. Astronomer Royal for Scotland,
had predicted the cold winter OF 1S7S-79. He pre-
dicted intensely cold winter for ls77-7s l re-
member we'll. In . lecture which delivered before
the Royal Institution. Manchester. in October 1871
calling attention to the prediction in which
plaeed trust whatever. as have faith in the
hopes which entertain OF connecting terrestrial
weather With the solar sun spot period. Az then
said there might might not be very cold winter
in store for but invited my audience to notice
that II there were such winter 1t would by no
establish the theory that terrestrial weather
can be predicted from spots, although should
tho winter be mild It would prove incontestaby that
Professor Smyth's principles Of prediction we're
unsound. (This because Of the exceedingly definite
nature Of the prediction. which set ls77-7S as the
very latest At which the cold wave could come
nay, even limited it TO the end of 1871
setting 1880 for the warm wave. that IL. the
eleven year sun spot period synchronised exactly
with these alternatons. the cold should have come
In 1874 1870. Toward the end Of the lecture
season. ls77-7s again addressed an audience at
the Royal Institution. Manchester. and reminding
them of the predictions called their attention the
fact that the winter OF 1s777s instead OF being ex
ceedinaly oold had been OF the mildest on
record. The winter OF 1s7s-79 exceedingly cold
in Great Britain. aud the cold has continued with
scarcely any Interruption until now. But need
hardly say that If the crest Of the warm should
be reached in 1880 we ought now II there were .
real Law connecting weather and sun spots) to b.
high the slope Of the heat wave instead Of being
still In that part Of the hollow which corresponds
with temperature far below the average. This. Of
course, all relates to British weather. take no
note here Of the absurdity OF supposing that the
exceptional cold in Europe during tho last twelve
months. and the exceptional warmth in America
be due to one and the same cosmical cause by the
way. we must be careful not to offend official
ceptibilitiss By speaking Of tho Astronomer Royal
for Scotland. Iremember how severely was once
taken to task for Inadvertently addncssing letter
the Astronomer Royal for Engsnd-'Sir, there IL
but one Astronomer Royalr"