New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-21
dreds Of thousands or millions of years. they lead to

entirely erroneous conclusions.
In passing ALSO may note another common ciror'
MANY imag CINE that the path of the carth ~ opNi
ously elliptic IA well M obviously eccentric anu
suppose that II X only the carces'nesS 81 ns,ionon
zeal draigh smen which has caused the earths ph' u
to be- always represented ~ circular Bnt an u mn
ter of fact while the ccccnrcity II obvious enough
On the scale Of the usual astronomer u'ns' %
the cliipiicity IL too small to show. Even ~ tnn
time. $50 900 Nears ago, when the carths oibi' 'u
the greatest ecccnricitv II has had Tor the lhsl
milllonssof years and very nearly the greatest !,
can have the shave of the path was npprcciably
circular Putting the distance at ~, anu me
eccenricity regarded here rs listance) ~ !, lne
departure from the circular form thar ~ the grch,
est distance by which the earth's elliptic pain rev,
within ihe inclosing circle would be represented
by no more than the difference between the square
root of IA H.. l2) aud the square riot ~ 10
labout 1 oGl The numbers 800 and 20o repre-.
sent the actual proportion between the greatest ana
shortest axes of tlc caths orbit. So that II circle
is drawn with radiu, of three inches II nowhere
departs moro than the Tooth part of an inch from
tn clipse when would represent with perfect ac-
curacy the orbit of the earth s5oOoo years ago
when il was so much more eccentric man ~ Is NOV,
As " Eau Signals thcory, so far az il relates To
thr southern pular regions IA hcngthe place where
life began on the earth is thus demo nstraoy ihcon
ea,y 20 inouire into The somewhat dar-
ing IDEAS Which he has advanced a. to
southern glaciers far yaser thnn any s,Sssr
Tor The glacial eporh. usycfs interpretation
based 81 Ctps calculations, secns lutte Suih .i
4, inect all the requirements cf the casel NV thee
pan he go tlOnl, thai the great intaitte Nereh "
dioh il A terrestrial featuip veil wpitl careful COW
sipfaiinl II Alhtmats iheUiN, That the roitnrfi
aNl sbui hpth hpmisphpies alternate n? uip tp'Pi
0pptnie iegi0hs, hal pot hpen pcriMnnit' WIN ~
Wuph that 10 NnsNNnd " htUhahly Woulu hhNp'Nrh
tesAdeN 90 vel worthy ~ eehsilen,Wn ',e !" wi
srAns o. ,nt that the viesent afiaiatpht - ms 20
sail Ut disturbance winch hhs pBhsHh 'he epr'ip
al gIayity al ihe eaThs snilt mass, nIi 10 10 hnp
p,orisn than pnriiunpi her mass which 70 bNuhln''
hV solid suTtaDo-to It's MeAsiudhlI suHih ~ 'hp
centre OF figure II T. certain mat 'n "Nuaip hui-
lIcgI IA
mean surface winch the ocean would nave " ihe AZ
fractions Of the solid globe were more hhlinIhit
directed towards mot precisely tol the cettie,o i
figure The sufficient aud convincing PROOF OF thls
is found IN the forms of terrestrial promontorics,
which show that the general surface OF the sollh
crust is not concentric with the surface OF inc va
terry envelope. Hut there lis another PROOF scaiccS
less convincing which pointed out seventeen years
slnce-I mean he low barometer of the southern
hemisphere II the sea evelrses above It's ilaiura'
mean level in the southern hemisphere, the sea
surface there would present the constant character
isic of high cvcis-a low barometer: Now thlS Is
precisely what has long been recognized ana had
long been regarded II mysterious, though many
supposed he had found the interpretations Inc seas
are drawn sOuthward because the earth centre OF
graylrv is south of the centre OF hgure ne wafer
thus drawn southwark stands III elect as a ralSed
surface above the mean level. The air is also
drawn southwark; but the centre OF gravity ior
the air is the centre of gravity of the enir9 mass
formed by the solid earth and me waters OF ;lr
sea. fhe mean density of the solid earth bcins
nearly SIX tunes that of water. 1T follows necessarily
that the centre toward which the ar Is drawn;
though south of the centre OF figure OF inc Soi,a
earth Is north of the centre OF inquire OF tlat ~
compete spherc Of whose surface the surface OF me
ocean is part. Hence estimated fpr the sea leHci'
atmospheric pressure IS higher IN the northern tian
IN the southern hemisphere. w lclner WIFI
change in the position NJ the perlhelon tne wafer
will he drawn northward, and these relations re,
verscd, remains to be sceD--a few thousands OF
wears hence Let us be pat ;cnt.
RICHARD 4. PEOCToR.
Ner- York, Nov. 80 1891.