ARTICLES 593 



General of India at a meeting in Simla in 191 4 of the Board 

 of Scientific Advice, it was stated, without any regard to existing 

 theories, that in that region geological indications point to the 

 sway of a glacial period some 8,000 years ago, and that the rivers 

 have been fed in part from the glacial deposits of an ice age, 

 which has not even now ceased altogether to affect their flow. 

 One of the strongest points in favour of Drayson is that 

 without any knowledge of these present-day conditions he op- 

 posed the astronomers' assumption of alternating ice ages at 

 the two Poles, which, they went so far as to say, was absolutely 

 essential to their theory. This will be shown later on. 



(5) A Former Greater Obliquity of the Ecliptic by Twelve 

 Degrees. — The obliquity has been decreasing steadily since the 

 earliest known observation of 3,000 years ago. This is attested 

 by the records. 



In spite of this fact astronomers apparently have not grasped 

 the significance of it, as they profess to be able to ascribe the 

 decrease to a movement about the " Invariable Plane." It 

 will be shown hereafter that this idea must now retire from 

 public service. • 



(6) A Minimum of Obliquity in the Year 2295 1 A.D. — This 

 statement makes up for its lack of visual confirmation by 

 forming the basis of numerous calculations. It seems to me 

 to be a great triumph and a remarkable proof of the correctness 

 of Drayson 's calculations that I was able to workout accurately, 

 within decimals of a second, the present obliquity of the ecliptic, 

 without observation, by using this date. It must be remem- 

 bered also that the year of minimum obliquity, 2295 a.d., 

 enabled Drayson, relying on that certainty, to fix past events 

 and to prophesy future ones, as well as to achieve other results. 



After the rapid change of obliquity 7,000 years ago, the 

 subsequent changes from century to century would be prac- 

 tically imperceptible, but millenniums would show a difference. 

 Unfortunately we have nothing more definite than stray pas- 

 sages in Caesar and Ovid, and historical touches here and there, 

 pointing to colder conditions than now prevail in parts of 

 Europe and Asia ; but what there is, is entirely in favour of 

 a slowly diminishing winter temperature since these historical 

 times. 



There is said to be abundant evidence that between 1100 



1 Admiral Sir A. de Horsey makes the Zero Year 229475. 



