IS THE EARTH FLAT? A Man Who Expends Money and Ink to Prove That It Is, THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. A Periodical Published to Prove the Earth o Pinne—-All Modern Science Declared a Humbug—The North Pole asthe Mubel the Universe, —_—_— Written for Tar Evesrxo Stam HE EARTH; scripturally, rationally, and practically described. A geographteal, Ky pttosopbical and educational review. ig nae guide, and general student's — manaai,” Such is the all-embraciag title of « singular publication that made its first appearance in Loudon on the 4th of September, 1856, It was an eight-page quarto, two columus to the page. and was “printed for the proprietor a: “Ye Caxton Pryntynge Werkes’, 3,4 and 5, Swan buildings, Moorgate street, and published br Messrs. Perry & Co., Paternoster How, EC." The word “fortnightly” was printed in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, and for a time at least it was issued regularly, forthirteen numbers were sent out in this form before its publication was discontiuued, The general make-up of these numbers is fair and the typography clean. From a casual examination oue would never suspect what a ponderous mass of strangely new kuowledge is concealed therein. Butacloser scrutiny reveals a free use of exclamation points and italics, premoni- tory flashes and tremors indicative of giant forces and pent-up powers impatient of a too long restramt. ‘Lhe original matter is full of Strong. explosive senteuvces which have a sh-b-h-h--boom—ah-h-h-h effect that reminds one of the pyrotechnic display lately seen here at the numerous destructious of ompeii. In- tersperved throughout the pages are quota- tions from well-known writers, These quota- tions weually contain some welf-evident general truth and appear to fortify by bigh authority and to eurround with au atmosphere of piausi- bility the statements of the editor, The price of each number of thia engine of civilizallon Wasa penny. There wore agencies for its sale in four citios in America, The originator, proprietor and editor of this re- markabie periodical intended therewith to revolutionize at least a round half-dozen of the sciences. How weil he haa succeeded every one knows, Hie name and address— John Hiampden, Croyden, Surrey, England HOW NE LOST HI* MONEY. In Merch, 1870, Mr. Hampden agreed to for- felt £400 to any one who would scientificaily demoustrate the curvature of the earth's sur- face. ‘Lhiw trath once established, he con- coted, would prove the trath of the Newtonian theory that the earth tea globe, Mr. Alfred Hhusse! Wailace accepted this offer and pro- covded to carry cut bia part of the contract, A place knows as the bedford canal or level, situated inaimarsby district on the eastern eoust of Fnginnd. was chosen nse the theatar ofthe shape of the earth beneath them feet, aud they would know it intuitively were tt wot for tue fictions aud fables forced into their minds from a sect of Hible-bating aud infidel astrol- ogere who lived and wrote ip the darkest ages of the world." Some idea of the ahapo of the earth, aa Mr. Hampden proposes we should understand it, may te bad from an advertisementon the eighth pageo! this first number, where we learu thattor Js, 6d. ove can obtain « copy of a ‘coloured map of the world, as « circular lane, with diagram of corrected latitudes and ongitudes.” Speaking of this map he saya, “there is bo other churt that can be compared with it" To which siatewent few persons will be inclined to take exception. But then he wids, “every other map of the world isa frightful and shameful burlesque of the truth,” the vority of which assertion just as few will be likely to concede, HAMPDEN'S THEORY, This, in brief, is this cosmographer's theory of the earth: That it isa great flat circular, stationary plane, ite inhabitants living only on the upper mide of it; that the sun and moon revolve above it ata mean heightof about 2,700 miles, and that there is no such thing as solar attraction or gravitation, The conti- neots and seas are arganged about the arctic region in the center of the earth plane and spread away toward the outer edge of the disk, 6 meridians of Jongitude diverging like the spokes of awheel from the northera center to the southern circumference. [t would be well for the Patagouians and Australians to adupt the precaution to keop a wide-awake seaman up alott as they go sailing about the southern seas or they may sail serenely off the face of the eerth aad go floating everlastingiy through the unexplored regions of infinite space, With « few extra blows of hie cudgel this feonoclast demulishes. to his awn aatiafactianevidently, the principles of muguetiam, which be mays are as woefully erroneous as are the popularly accepted notions of the ocean's shape, and the fact of atmospheric pressure, which he considers as preposterously false aud gross « delusion as a spherical earth, Lunar eclipses, loo, share a situilarfate, In this ease, however, be furuishes a substitute for the theory destroyed. He tellaus positively that the rkening of the face of the moon is not caused by asbadow of the earth, but is due simply to some non-luminous body passing be- fore our satelite at determinate intervals An‘ thus be fulminuates ere & projected ox- uth pole , an expedition toa place which only o set of beathen astrologers invented in an age notor- lous for its whimsical superstitions? What do geographers know about a ‘south pole?" a will be admitted that Mr. Hampden knows w te propound some st Uestions Children often do the == ‘ SINGLE-HANDED IN THE Front. scientific world, and that it is bis lot to Sight, mngle-handed, what be calls “a combined bos of stupid opposition in the face of existing scorn, ridicule, malice and ignorance.” He aske if, under the circumstances, it can be expected that he will have - great considera- tion for the fee of his adversaries, and, to show that he would pot, he launches forth in this manner; “One of wouden-beaded con- tributors on the editorial staff 0; the News has lawly been filing three or four | columns every week in his absurd attempt to prove the world a globe, by « series of math- ematical figures which would have equally well as an illustration of « new pattern for door cloth.” When Mr. Hampden swings i& ‘pts which have hitherto beeu “te establish i oe out bis right be “All the attem made,” says he,pyre ee the truth “ hay! ier taps as @ buicher's scales woul —s inca pab! weigh- SOME STUFXING QUF®TIONE. “The primary and practical question we bave te determine,” as Mr. Hampden pute it, ‘is this: On what possible grounds can ao surface, which to any available extent, even on land, can be proved to be devoid of auy approsima- tion to a continuous curve, while, ou water, an absolutely level aud horizontal ares can aloue be discovered by the utmost skill and the most perfect instruments we can employ, be calied a lobe or any portion of a giobe or sphere?” Never fora moment bas he ajmitted that the Bedford canal experiment was anything more than a stupendous piece of scientific jugglery on the pari of alot of designing men, Mr. Hampden w like the twelfth Jorrman, whe declared that “the hull "leven were agin bim from the start™ “We have very re- luctantly and very regretfully peen forced to the conclusion,” he writes, “that there is no louger any room for doubting that the clergy, the journalistand professional classes geu- erally have entered upon a determined cou- Spiracy to assist to the utmost all discussiun and exposure of the Pagan blasphemy of Sir laaac Newton's globular theory, © * * And these Liundermg craftsmen, with their specious efrontery, have actually silenced the too timid defouder of biblical truth, So that the Very Men Who naturaliv shrank from e2- posing the weakness of the only anthority they bad for occupying the positions they did yielded euibmiss.on to these braggart geologists and tamely acquiesced in ali the blaspuewy they uttered!” e THE BIBLICAL THEORT. “Wo claim no originality,” says this retetic philosopher, “for the announcement that this earth is a circular and motionless plane in-stead of a revolving ball. This was regarded as a broad, palpable, indispuiable and well- established fact during the first five thousand years, And the impious and impudent attempt to improve upon or sujplanut the in-pired teacu- ing of the eacred historians by the whimelcni Betions of the heathen astrulogers is all that we are engaged in denonneing. © © © We enn- Hot wimit that Newton's solar system or globu- lar theory is partly true and partly false, bat We hivet emplaticaly declare, aud sre pre- pared to prove, that it docs nut contain one single particle of truth from the first line tothe last, © © © he globular theory is theory ouly, extravagant and unphiosophical, i- rational and absurd, dependent on ‘laws which have never existed, and is supported only by bigots who have never ventured to ap- peal to actual facts to jilustrate or enforce their too learned pretensions, Whereas the imdis- putable proofs of the world being a stationary plate are so numerous and so overwhelming aud so palpable [as to convince] every honest ingairer, * * * Chiluren at play may in- dulge in fanciful conjectures, but practical men should not submit to such baseless super- sitions as to believe that their ships are ever sailing Upside down to the docks from whence they started,” Shades of Galileo, Kopler and Newton! What krinding torments must their departed spirits endure if such utterances as these are ever borne in upon their conscionsness to distur their deliberations, as they meet upon the bank of some limpid stream flowing through the Liveian fields to discuss the deep probleme that once so perplexed them, but which they Must how #0 e#siiy comprehend, Ju isi] Mr. Hampden published « little bro- chure of sixteen pages entitled “The New Manual of Biblieal Cosmography,” in which he outlues the geueral system of the universe according to hia views, The following is a eommarized statement of the leading featurceIn the tiret place, all the usually accepted mapeof the world, both those showing two hemispheres and Mereator’s rectilinear projec- tious, all models representing the earth aaa globe, and all our geographies, must be dis- corded as Lbemg in every respect erroneous and Utiorly mislending. All our acquired learning on thie eulject must be unlearned and reie- gated to the limbo of rejected theories, THE EARTH AND THE STARS, The earth rests on actual foundations which the Scriptures declare are past finding out. It is not merely suspended in space, but is sup- ported by some sort of substantial base under- neath it. The sun. moon and stare are self- luminons and imponderable gases, and float upon au atmosphere denser thon themselves, “the stars are hardly bieger than the gas jets which light onmr streets, and if they could be made to change places with them no astrono- mer could detect the difference. If every star in the firmament were to fal! into the sea to- morrow we should nis# them jast as much and = more thang we should the daisy on our wa,2 ad a oe =e Oe Reet The frozen north is the hub of the world and the southern ice rim ts therefore the utter- most boundary of the earth and ite waters and is about S2.0M miles in circumference. If two vessels should set out from Cape Horn, one sailing ine southeasterly and the other in a southwesterly course, they would never meet again round a point or pole due south of both, but would touch the ice border at widely dis- tant poluts, [ast and weet are relative terme aml always imply a circular direction, while the expressions porth and south always icdi- cate « right line,THE SUN'S REVOLUTIONS The sun revolves above the earth at the beight of about 2,700 miles in a plane parallel to the surface of the level earth. Its orbit is couceutric and spiral, During six months its spiral course decrenres as it nears the June solstice, and increases to its greatest diman- sions during the remaining six months as it appreaches the December solstice, traveling with greater rapidity from Jane to December as cach successive day increases the length of the radius vector of ite orbit, and at a con- stautly decreasing rate of speed io ite journey uorthward from December to June, The in- creased rapidity of the sun's. motien in the southern portion of its course causes a much Teater degree of cold in the regious south of the equator. [t makes two anda half coucen- trie revolutions before resuming its spiral journey from either solstitial point Its mean annual course lies directly above the equator, Al the summer solstice, when it makes ils most northern circuit, ite path reaches about 1,200 miles worth of the equator, and atthe winter solstice it extends an equal distance south. The circumference of the sun's orbit at the June solstice is 16,200, and it travels at the rate of S62}, miles an hour. Over the equator in March and September its orbit is 21,600 miles and itespeed 900 miles an hour. At the De- cember solatice its orbit is 27,300 miles and its rate 1,237!4 miles an hour, The sun of course makes ita cireuite from east to weet in twenty-four hours, Asit nears our meridian we have daylight and those on the epposite meridian are Jeft in darkness. Then passing on its ccurse the many thousand miles of vapors and clouds in the atmosphere obscure its rays till the dawn of another day. The moon is nearer to us than the sun, one hemisphere roe light (ite own light, nots reflected one) and the other dark. stare also have their own light, The sug may shineon them, but their light ie entirely independ- ent of the sun's luminosity, NOT 4 CASK OF ORAVITT,