Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-09-28

80 ton, and w a s
equally at home in the club and in the
drawing room, being attractive to men
and women alike. His manners were,
from an American standpoint, unusually
good for an Englishman, and in converse
ton as well as in quicAness Of apprehen-
sion, he was far more like an American
than like a Briton. He used even to APP
preciato American Jokes about Boston,
for he had been in that city and had had
his own experience among the lion hunt
ers there. One Of these, a lady of 'cul-
chaw, IL told the writer about, who, as
an Anglomaniac, thought it fine TO decry
America in comparison with Europe. She
specially objected to the climate on this
side, and spoke rapturously Of the beauty
of Italian skies. Il shall never forget"
she said, "the sight of the crescent moon
over tho Bay of Naples, with biz star
blazing exactly in the center Of the cres-
cent line
The astronomer lost his breath for an
instant, but said promptly, Yes in
decd. Tho atmosphere is so pure that the
moon itself in those climates becomes
transparent "" ;,
1t is not, perhaps, very widely known
that his dream in life was to be connected
with u series, or rather an associated set,
try. These as he planned the outline of
the scheme, were to be locnted-One in
Florida, one on some elevated point in the
Rocky mountains, and one possibly in
Alaska if any site could be found there
where the atmosphere is sufficiently clear
With this chain of observatories, in con-
nection with the Lick Observatory in
California, he deemed that Americas
part of tho worlds astronomical work
could be done, The final perfection of tho
dream was of course, to be the establish
ment of such observatories all over the
world, under different governments. His
ambition was to DO identified, under the
sanction of the American government
with the three mentioned, and he was
sanguinc of the early realization of at
least the beginning Of the work. He be-
licved and lad told some of his intimate
friends that the year 1901 or 1892 would
see the work of establishing the Florida
observatory fairly under way. By his
death of disease undoubtedly contracted
in Florida that state lost one gifts warmest
and most influential friends who would
doubtless have become one of her citizens
if he had lived. lie had filed his declara-
ton Of becoming citizen of the United
States, and he was making his home in
Florida.
The work of these observatories, he
firmly believed, would corroborate the
theories he advanced in "Other Worlds
than Ours" In that book he stated his
belief that the other planets were in
condition similar to that of the earth in
past geologic ages, and, wild as the belief
may seem, he thought that telescope OBJ
servation would coSfrm this belief. In
Brooklyn, during his first course Of lect-
ures. he predicted that Jupiter would be
found to be in an intensely heated condi-
ton, similar TO what the earth must have
been in the ante-metamorphic periods, and
that the planets Mars and Venus would,
If the telescopes power could be sufli-
GENTLY increased, show condition analo-
gous to that of our own globe in compar-
ativcly recent geologic epochs. These
predictions have been partially confirmed
by the latest observations OF the planet
Mars. ~
Another theory which he maint. .ined in
private conversation was that the old
division of heavenly bodies into nebulto,
suns, planets and satellites would he done
away with by telescopes of higher power
and greater accuracy, and that with these
1t would be found that every stage Of
cosmicsl growth was exhibited in tie
heavens. He even went SO far rs to su.-
gest that the astronomy of the future
would recognize, first, unorg9nizod nebu.
Las; second, conferred nebulp, similar to
tho solar system in the beginning accord.
ing to La Place; third, nebular systems
dissimlar to the foregoing, In which the
law of development would be more COM