THE PREDICTED SOLAR DISTURBANCE. (From the "Spectator.")

North Otago Times, Volume XIII, Issue 451, 21 September 1869, Page 3

THE PREDICTED SOLAR DISTURBANCE. (From the "Spectator.")

Wo now know that our sun (resembling in this probably most othor Bolar bodies of tho same kind) is in bo. highly fluid and excitable a condition as to bo constantly sending out from its uUrfaeo fovkod tonguos (thousands of miles in extent) of inflamed bydrogon ga»; like tho flickering fltroiuns of light from tho stars of a stroot illuranination j and, moroovor, we to bo subject to groat periodical disturbances now callod " magnotio storms, which are m ull probability causod by cortain combinations in tho raovoments of thoBO little solid bodies, on ono of which wo live round tho sun. IS von now ono such opoch of magnotio Btorm suonis to bo thought pretty uoar at hand. Tho sun has boon lately exhibiting tho most surprising ; forms of disturbance, and presenting to scientific oyos less "fixity" of essonco than ovor. Spots so vast that wo must ostimato thoir dimonttions by millions of square miloa havo brokon out from timp to time, and have presontod rapid ehanuos of figuro, indicating tho action of forces of inconcoivablo intensity. Clusters of smaller spots, extonding ovor yot vastor areas, havo exhibited oyery form of disturbance known to tho solar physicist, and ovory dogrco of light, from tho apparent blackness (in roality only relative) of the nuclei, to tho inteiiBO brillirtney of tho faculous ridgos. And wo now know that theso appoarancos are not only matters for tho curious, with which, as thoy happon at a distanco of above ninety millions of milos, practical, mon need not coneorn thomsolvcs. in point of fact, it is hy no moans impossible that tho ihbuo of peace or war, of a financial crisis, or u roligioiiB agitation, may bo closely bound up with tho»o phunoinona, if not, indeed — which is nho quito possible — the BiuUlen disappearance of our whole »ystom after tho fushion oi othor solar systems which havo thus disappeared. Tins much at least is certain, that tho vaet ohangos now going on in tho physical constitution of the Bun, avo changes which do most powerfully affect tho oleotrio condition of our earth, which huvo m former yours caused tho most violont disturbances in the various artificial as well as natural elcctiie apparatus of tho world we live in, and which, to spoak of tho least of all its possible effoots, might, just as well as not, happon somo day to throw tho electric condition of every tolographio cnblo on our plimot, undor tho sea or above it, into the most diro confusion, and send down telegraphic companies' shares to zero in a lump, oven if they did not contrive to telegraph to us, after eo:no strango but inaiticulato fashion, that shares in all public companies, oven in that very limited public company, the humau ruco, are, in a physical point of view of very doubtful value indeed. Lot us explain briefly to what wo nUudo. On September J., 1859, shortly before noon, two astronomers — Messrs Hodgoon >vnd Oarrington — one at Oxford, the other in London, were at tho samo time scrutinising a largo group of sun spots. On a suddon two intensely bright putohos of light appeared in front of tho cluster. So brilliant were they that tho observers thought tho darkening screens attached to then* telOBCopos must havo beoomo fractured. But thin was found not to bo tho caBO. The bright spots indicatod some process f/oing on upon tho mm's surface — u process of such activity that within fivo minutes tho spots travelled over a space of nearly 34,000 milos. Now, at tho Wow Observatory there are self-registering magnetic instruments which indicate the process of ohango by which tho subtlo influences of terrestrial magnetism wax and wane. At ; ono timo tho lino traced by tho pointor will bo marked by scarcoly perceptible undulations, indicating tho most quiescent state of the groat terrestrial magnet. At another, well marked wavos along tho lino oxlnbit tho pulsations of tho magnotio systom, influoricod in a manner as yot unintelligible to the physicist. And then there is a third form of disturbance, tho uhurp, suddon jerks of tho pointor exhibiting those mysterious phenomena tcrmod " magnetic storms." Whon tho records of tho Kow 'Observatory camo to bo looked over, it was found that tho very instant in which tho bnlliant spots of light had appeared to Messrs Hodgson and Oarrington, tho Bell-registering instruments hud been Bubjooted to tho third and most significant form of diuturbanco — a magnotio storm began, in fact, as tho huht broke out on tho sun's surface. But this was not tho only ovidonco of tho sympathy with which tho earth responded to the solar action. It was subsequently found that soon after tho spots of light had appeared tho wholo frame of tho earth had thrilled under a mystorious magnotio influence. At the West Indies, in fcfouth America, in Australia, wherever magnetic observations aro systematically made, tho observors had tho sumo story to toll. In tho telegraph stations at Washington and Philadelphia, tho signahnon thero received strong electrio shocks. In Norway tolegruphio machinery was BOt on firo. Tho pen of Bain's tolograph was followed by a fhimo. And wherever telegraph wiroB wero in action, well-marked indications of disturbance presented thomselves. Hvon this, however, was not all. Tho great magnetio storm was not a more instantaneous electric throe. Hours passod boforo tho disturbed i-arth resumed its ordinary state. And thus it happened that in noarly all parts of tho earth night fell while tho storm was yot in progress. During the night magnificent auroras spread thoir waving streamers ovor tho sky, both in tho northern and southern hemisphere As tho disturbed nCedlo vibrated, tho colorod Btreamors waved responsive, and it was only whon the magnetio storm was subsiding that tiw auroral lights faded from tho hoavens. Now, it is evident that those phonomona ehow tho most intimato relation botwoon theso peculiar disturbances in tho sun and tho magnetic currents of our own earth. .Directly one of thoBO changes takes place upwards of ninoty millions of miles away, tho oleotrio condition of our planet in changed in BOino myBteriouB way, of which our instruments, and even tho condition of our uky, bear record. Tho pens of all our telegraphic wires may somo day trace in flume a handwriting more ominous of human destiny than was tbo handwriting which, j during Bolshuzzar'B feast, traced a warning on the wall of tho fall of tho Babylonian dynasty. Moreover, noto this, that these ohangos in the condition of tho sun tako place at intervals of about eleven years. Tho variable star which swings round it, as well as supplying us with light and heal, and (apparently) magnetism, olouds ovor overy eleven years thoao spots, so that it Boems most hkoly that evory oleven years certain magnetic conditions rocur which huvo not occurred in tho interval. If so, perhaps tho magnotio excitement of 1859 will rocur, and it may bo in much greater forco next year, in 1870. And if it does, how aro wo to say what may or may not recur with it ? It is quito possible that thoso periods of speculative financial oxcitement— which aro also said to follow a periodic law of something very like tho same period— may bo more or loss dependent on tho magnetic condition of our planet, that so mean a phenomenon as speoulativo fron/y on tho various stock oxohangos oi Europo may bo more or less connoctod with thoso wondorful discharges of voltaio battorios in tho Bun. Is it quito impossible that tho olectric politic condition of Europo in 1848—aud again at an intorval of cloven years, in tho year of Italian revival and revolution, 18&9 — may not recur aftor eleven yoars, in 1870, in oomoquonoo of tho returning opoch of magnotio oxoitemont in tho eun ?

The proposed Borvico by way of Torres Straits is defined m follows in an " Argus" tolegram of the 7th instant : — An important mail troaty was arranged botweon the Governments of Now South Wales and Quoonsland during Mr liobertsou's viait to tho latter Colony. It was agrood that thero should bo it monthly mall via Torreo Straits, eo arranged aa to give, with tho presont Peninsular and Oriental line, a fortnightly mail with J5uf;laud — tho basis of the treaty to bo that tho termiuus should bo at Sydney, this Government paying thvoo-uixths of tho subsidy, Queensland two-BixthB, and Now Zealand ono-sbcth. Tho Pteamer would receive inailB at Capo •Moroton, llookhampton, and Bowen, and thoro would bo a coaling station at Capo York, supported by Queennland and Sydney ; the Queensland Government to make a tolograph lino to tho Gulf of Carpentaria, to connect by cablo with Java, and thonco to the Indo•Europonn lines. To this latter service tho Sydney Government would grant a subsidy. The contraofcing Governments would coaso contributing to tho present lino but would oxchango advantages with tho southern Colonies, giving thorn tho use of tho Torres route for that of tho Suez lino. [Resolutions fMu> bodyinff thceo tonne will bo eubmitted to both 1'ar* lkunonto.