THE TWELFTH OF AUGUST.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 264, 13 August 1872, Page 3

THE TWELFTH OF AUGUST.

An astronomical correspondent furnishes us with the following paragraph, from the Swiss Times, in doing so he says:—“l am at a loss whether to congratulate the public, iu the event of the prediction in the paragraph proving true, upon the near approach of their being relieved from all earthly cares and woes; or whether to lament with them that there will be no more cbanceß >f rigging the sharemarket—no more chances of Green Harp investments. The plight is a serious one. In the event of the poor earth being hit by the comet and smashed up into fragments, some may have an opportunity of testing the truth of Sir William Thompson’s theory of tne lueteoritic origin of both vegetable and animal life upon the planet on which we live, and may thus bo the means of conveying to distant worlds the latest particulars respecting the sharemarket, and an account of the dispute between Mr Beckham and Mr J. B. Bussell. But I must give the paragraph, which has been the means of such an amount of speculation writing in Europe and America during the past few mouths. Here is the paragraph in full—‘ M. Plantamoer, the celebrated. Professor of Astronomy at Geneva, has lately discovered a new comet, which in volume surpasses all comets hitherto diccovered. According to his observations and calculations, it is darting with immense velocity, proceeding in a direct line to our habitable glebe, and will come into collision with it on the 12lh August next. Its approach will be rendered sensible by au extraordinary degree of heat. The catastrophe cannot possibly be averted but by the deviation of the rapidly-approaching comet produced by its coming within the scope of the attractive influence of some other heavenly body.” Is not this a pleasant prospect ? As yet, however, we iu New land have felt none of that extraordinary degree of heat by which its near approach is to be heralded. Indeed, in Auckland at least, it is rather colder than usual at this season of the year, and we therefore think that the inhabitants of this “ side of the sea” will not he disturbed, at present at least. The whole statement seems a monstrous demand upon human credulity. It is well known that comets do not move, as a rule, iu “ a straight line,” and the wonderful ability which enabled the orbit of a new comet to he calculated so readily as to know the particular point of the earth’s orbit where the collision was to take place should also have been able to ascertain if there were any and what, “ attractive influence,” the comet would come within the reach of its approach to the earth. We are thoroughly sceptical, and shall continue the even tenor of our way as if no such portentious prophecy were before us, and would advise our readers to do the same.