to the other, is caused by the daily diminution of the icy dome of the pole in fusion: that the heat of the sun and moon at their conjunction being directed both to the same place; causes a greater effusion from the poles, and produces a spring-tide, (he does not assign any reason for a neap-tide): that the greatest tides of all are the equinoctial, because the greatest possible portion of ice is melted in the hemisphere which the sun has just left, and the ice in the other" is beginning to melt."

He adopts, as correct, the accounts which he meets with in the journals of navigators, wherever he thinks they suit his purpose; therefore wherever it suits me to do it, I shall imitate his example, confining myself, however, to those which he has quoted, and even to his particular quotations. He tells us, that Ellis and others found the current grow stronger as they approached the poles*, and Ellis compares those in Wager's Streights in lat. 65° 37′ N. to the sluice of a mill, as it flowed at the rate of from eight to ten leagues per hour. From the journal of Rennefort+, a Frenchman, he finds that the wrecks of the vessels, which were lost in the action between De Ruyter and the Earl of Albemarle, on the 11th June, 1666, moved from the 51° to 40° N. E. and from 3o E. to 25° W. in nine days. Now, supposing the earth to be a sphere, we have the cosine of the arc of the circle over which these wrecks travelled, cosine 28° X cosine of 110= cosine 29° 55', or the arc 29° 55', which multiplied by 20 gives nearly 600 geographical leagues in nine days, a fraction more than 66 leagues per diem. He says, with propriety, that "the current may easily be supposed to move faster than the objects on its surface," and then these masts, yards, &c. must move at a greater rate than 66 leagues a day. Since the currents move faster in the higher latitudes than in the lower, those with which Rennefort fell in, must have had a greater velocity in the neighbourhood of the pole than when he saw them.

Navigators have seldom proceeded farther than 82° N., and even in winter can generally go as far as 70°; whence the cupola of ice is lessened about 12° on every side. If the retardation of the tides be occasioned by the recession of the edges of this vast dome, the wasted space will be equal in extent to the space which the current moves in 48 minutes, which is found by the following proportion :-As 24 hours is to 66 leagues so is 48 minutes to 2 leagues, or 21 leagues in 48 minutes, by taking the velocity of the current according to Rennefort: but if we suppose that it moves from latitude 70° to 82o as fast as Ellis found it at 65° 37′N. L., we have, As 24 hours is to 192.... 240 leagues, so is 48 minutes to 6 8 leagues. Taking the less of these, which is but about a third of the other, as the diminution of the meridian of the icy dome in 24 hours, and multiplying it by 180 days, (the time of the sun's influence upon the northern hemisphere,) which is also less than the truth, we have 180 X 210396° of ice melted away every summer; and, strange to say, this mass of ice, equal to 396 degrees of the equator, is comprehended in about 12 degrees of the terrestrial meridian. If from a table of natural tangents we take out those of 82° and 70°, we

....

* Studies of Nature, vol. i. p. 169. The edition to which these references are made, is that translated by Shober), and published by Cundee, London, 1807, 4 vols. 12mo.

† Page 170.

Page 274-280.

have their aifference 7.1153697-2-7474774-4-3678923-portion of the tangent intercepted between the secants of 70° and 82°. The value of 396o in terms of the radius 7-5398223, whence the length of the curve is greater than that of its tangent. From this, it is plain, that if the curve be wholly within the figure formed by the secants of 70° and 82° intercepted, and the portion of the tangent, it must have a regression, or be turned in the manner of the broad part of a heart, which give the shape of the earth, either like two truncated hearts joined together at the equator,* or else somewhat similar to the figure formed by the revolution of the conchoid round its tangent. If the curve be supposed to intersect the intercepted part of the tangent, we shall have the earth to resemble the solid formed by the revolution of the diverging parabola about its own axis, or, to speak familiarly, the earth will be shaped like two truncated bells, with their mouths increasing in size ad infinitum. Had M. de St. Pierre taken the trouble to have made the preceding calculation, I feel no doubt, but that he would have been the first to oppose his own theory. He would have perceived that none of the figures which result from his data could produce an "oval shadow" upon the moon during an eclipse, as observed by Tycho and Kepler; for he must be aware that in a central eclipse, no figure could make an oval shadow, but one formed by the revolution of an oval figure upon its longer axis.

Surely no one ever imagined that the earth was so formed, as it appears above, and as it must of necessity be if the tides be caused by the fusion of the polar ices, and their retardation of 48 minutes every day be occasioned by the contraction of the icy dome; and we might exert our imagination for a long time before we could discover a theory half so replete with absurdi

ties.

Another objection which may be urged against St. Pierre's theory of the tides is, that it requires the moon to give us nearly as much heat as the sun, and that even at the change, when her disk is not at all illuminated. The height of the neap tides averages about five-ninths of that of the spring-tides; or the height of the neap-tides is to that of the accession which they receive to make a spring-tide, as 5 is to 4. Now, supposing with St. Pierre, that the greater portion is occasioned by the influence of the solar rays upon the polar ices, we shall have the difference between the heights of the tides, or 9-54 to the ice melted by the heat of the moon; or the heat of the sun melts five-ninths and that of the moon four-ninths of the ice which causes a spring-tide; or, again, the influence

It is hardly possible to enumerate the various shapes which have been given to the earth. The relations of voyagers are oftentimes vague and uncertain; and even if they were always to be depended upon, we can draw no positive conclusions from them. Kircher, who died in 1880, imagined, "that as we approach the North Pole, the sea is driven towards it with so irristible a force, and as if it fell from a cataract, that many who have had the misfortune to come within the said stream, have been hurried away, men, vessels and all, and never seen again; and on the contrary, those who have endeavoured to sail towards the South Pole, have found the sea flowing against them with so terrible a strength, that neither sails nor oars could bring them nearer to it." [Niewentyt's Religious Philosopher, p.589, vol. ii.] It is worthy of remark, that this opinion is said to be supported by a" cloud of witnesses." What must have been the shape of

the earth if the above statement had been correct?

or heat of the moon is equal to four-fifths of that of the sun. It may be farther observed, that as there are two spring-tides during a lunation, the moon produces the same effect when at full as at change - when she reflects rays to the earth from every part of her disk, as when she reflects no rays at all.

Messrs. Robins and Mitchell have taken the trouble to compute the den sity of the sun's light at the surface of the moon, and found it to be about 1-45000th part of their original density: consequently, since their disks are nearly equal, the sun's light to us is 45,000 times as intense as that of the moon, even supposing she reflects all that she receives. Mr. Mitchell, with very great probability on his side, argues that she does not reflect more than one-sixth or one-seventh of what she receives; whence we very probably do not receive more than 1-300,000th part as much light from the moon as from the sun. Whether she does not absorb more heating rays than illuminating ones is not very material in the present enquiry, though there is the strongest reason for thinking she does, and that consequently she reflects fewer. However, supposing the moon to reflect the sun's rays in precisely the same state as she receives them, we shall have the quantity of heat received from the moon equal to 1-300,000th of those received from the sun; and as the moon wanes, one-twelfth of this quantity less is reflected to us for every digit which is darkened by the interposition of the earth, till at the change no rays at all are reflected.

Since at every full and change of the moon the united influences of the sun and moon produce a higher tide than that at the quadratures, in the propor tion of 9 to 5, the moon must heat the earth about four-fifths as much as the sun, at the same time that she reflects no rays at all with which to heat it! [To be continued.]

COLLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

Unexampled Brevity of human Existence.

SOME years ago, a woman lived in a village in Glamorganshire, whose husband, with the little fortune he got with her, bought a small farm; he had hardly closed the purchase, when death closed his eyes; however, not intimidated with this, the widow married a second husband, who sowed it; he likewise died, and she tried a third, who reaped it, but death soon snatched him away; she then married a fourth, who threshed it, but he also followed the fate of his predecessors; and she then married a fifth husband, with whom she enjoyed the produce of it. All this happened within less than eighteen months!—Daniell's Rural Sports,

Courts of Love,

**

During the middle ages, there was a most curious institution called the Court of Love. According to the Aristotelian philosophy, as it was then understood, all particular truths were necessarily contained in, and deduciale from, some general axioms; and consequently, the progress of every sci

ence was supposed to depend on the subtlety and accuracy with which these axioms were sifted, and their consequences investigated. As such an opinion necessarily led to endless disputes, it became requisite on important subjects, that, where evidence and conviction were unattainable, the controversy should be settled by authority. Therefore, as the passion of love was employed as a principal engine in education, and considered as the great source of heroism, it was thought necessary that courts should be erected for the purpose of taking cognizance of all differences and disagreements between lovers, with full power to summon the culprits and their evidences, and to pass definitive sentence in all cases of gallantry. The decrees of these courts were regularly reported, and these reports had their commentators, who endeavoured to point out their conformity to the principles of the Roman law, or to the decisions of the fathers of the church, and who illustrated them by quotations from the Greek and Latin poets. The famous thesis of the Cardinal de Richelieu on the subject of love, is a curious monument of the importance which, even in his time, was attached to such discussions. phonso King of Arragon, and Richard Coeur-de-Lion, occasionally condescended to preside in these extraordinary tribunals; and the famous Frederic Barbarossa instituted in his dominions a court of love, in imitation of those in France, It is reported, that when the Counts of Vintimille and Tende paid a visit to Pope Innocent VI. at Avignon, that pontiff invited them to assist at the pleadings in a court of love which was then held with usual magnificence. But the most famous and solemn tribunal of this kind was erected under the auspices of the beautiful and profligate Isabella of Bavaria, the Queen of Charles VI. of France. This establishment had its presidents, counsellors, masters of requests, auditors, &c. and these employments were held by princes of the blood, by the greatest barons in the kingdom, by grave magistrates, and even by the most respectable dignitaries of the church.

Ancient Estimation of the Peacock.

Al

The extravagant honours paid to this bird in the feudal ages, are related at large by M. Le Grand, in his 'Histoire de la Vie Privée des Francais,' (Paris, 1782,) from which the following particulars are extracted:

"To mention the peacock (says he) in the private life of the French, is to write the panegyrick of that beautiful bird. Many families, and particularly that of Montmorency, bore the figure of a peacock, as a crest on their helmets. In the courts of love, held in the southern provinces, a crown composed of peacock's feathers, was placed on the head of the successful poet by one of the lady-judges, as the recompence of his superiority. Among the old romances, the flesh of the peacock is celebrated as the "Nutriment of Lovers," and the Viand, of Worthies; and indeed few solemn banquets were given by princes or nobles, in which the peacock was not the most distinguished dish.

"It was generally served up roasted; and the way in which this was done, is, happily for antiquarian epicures, still upon record. Instead of plucking the bird (says the complete kousekeeper of former times), skin it carefully, so as not to damage the feathers; then cut off the feet; stuff the body with spices and sweet herbs; roll a cloth round the head; and then spit your bird. Sprinkle the cloth, all the time it is roasting, to preserve its crest.

When it is roasted enough, tie the feet on again; remove the cloth; sei up the crest; replace the skin; spread out the tail, and so serve it up.

"Some people (adds the reporter), instead of serving up the bird in the feathers, carry their magnificence so far as to cover their peacock with leaf gold: others have a very pleasant way of regaling their guests. Just before they serve up, they cram the beak of their peacock with wool, rubbed with camphor: then, when the dish is placed upon the table, they set fire to the wool, and the bird instantly vomits out flames like a little volcano.

"Even the ceremony of placing this bird upon the table was not intrusted to the usual attendants, but was the honourable office of some lady of rank and beauty. Followed by a train of females, and accompanied by a band of music, this queen of the feast pompously entered the hall, bearing the bird on a dish of gold or silver, and placed it before the master of the mansion, or before some guest most renowned for courtsey and valour. If the banquet succeed a tournament, the conquering knight had a rightful preference; and was to exert his talents of carving and subdivision, so that all the company might taste the bird.

"This glorious distinction awakened such enthusiasm in the knightly carver, that it was usual for him to rise from his seat, and, with his hand extended over the bird, vow to undertake some daring enterprize of arms or love. The form of the oath on this occasion was, I vow to God, to the blessed Virgin, to the dames, and to the peacock, to, &c.' when he ceased, the dish was presented to the other guests in succession; and they vied with each other in the rashness and extravagance of their promises. This ceremony was called, 'the Vow of the Peacock' (Vœu-du Paon-)

"Almost all that has been related of the peacock, is also applicable to the pheasant, which was likewise stiled a noble bird. This bird was presented at the tables of the great with equal pomp, covered with his plumage: and it was over a pheasant that the Duke of Burgundy, in 1453, made a vow to undertake a crusade."

Ceremony among ancient Nations in Leagues of Friendship,

It is a curious circumstance, that among those nations of the world,. divided by distance, and contrasted in other respects by manners, the spilling of blood should be thought an indispensible act of confirmation of an oath :-Xenophon describes the ceremony observed by the Greeks and Persians on their agreeing to become allies and friends. They sacrificed a boar, a bull, a wolf, and a ram; they mixed their blood together in the hollow part of a shield, after which the Persians dipped a spear into it, and the Greeks a sword.-In Isbrant Ide's Voyage from Russia to China, a fact is recorded of two Tungusian Tartars having quarrelled, when one of them accused the other before the magistrate of having angered his deceased brother to death. The waywode (magistrate) asked the accuser if he would, according to their custom, put the accused to his oath; to this he answered in the affirmative. The accused then took a live dog, laid him on the ground, and with a knife stuck him under the left foot, and immediately applied his mouth to the wound, and sucked out the blood. This is the most solemn mode of confirmation among these people.