90 Facts from the Arcana of Nature. 



perative continuance upon a permanent axis of rotation. 

 We shall, however, disclose an agency in continuous 

 operation in Nature, productive of elongation of the 

 polar radii, but so unequally developed, though strictly in 

 accordance with natural laws, as presently to increase the 

 arctic elongation disproportionately, so as continuously to shift 

 the centre of gravity of the Earth's volume, and thus alter 

 its axis of rotation, and consequently the position of the 

 polar extremities upon the sphere, and cause an apparent 

 change of its position upon the plane of its orbit. 



The defined position of the magnetic poles presents an 

 anomaly with reference to the stated figure of the Earth, 

 they being " not diametrically opposite, nor is the variance so 

 slight as it necessarily would be if the figure of the globe 

 were spherical, or equally depressed at the poles. While the 

 north magnetic pole is defined by observation of Admiral 

 Eoss inlat. 70° 5' 17" N., long. 96° 46' 45" W., the south is 

 stated as in lat. 70° S., long. 154° E. They are thus neither 

 diametrically opposite to each other, nor either of them coin- 

 cident with the geometrical pole of the magnetic equator." 

 Again, the division of the globe into two hemispheres by a 

 supposed central line, termed the terrestrial equator, and the 

 geographical definitions of latitude, have been computed — sub- 

 ject to the Newtonian theory of the oblate polar extremities 

 affecting the necessary observations in an admitted degree, as 

 also disturbing agencies, arising from solar, lunar, or planetary 

 attraction upon the alleged bulge or redundance of matter 

 (said to amount to thirteen miles in thickness at the equator) 

 — in excess of oceanic or other dilatation on other parts of the 

 earth's contour. Pendulum experiments are even stated as 

 agreeing in giving a greater ellipticity to the earth than that 

 which is deduced from the comparison of arcs of meridian, 

 amounting to l-306th. Upon the principle of necessity of 

 maintaining current hypotheses upon the relative densities 

 of the various proportions of fluid and solid matter, composing 

 the superficial rind of the sphere, and the notion of a flattening 

 at the poles, this aberration has been ascribed to inequalities 

 in the motion of the moon. 



It has been announced as a recent astronomical discovery, 

 that the distance from the sun to the earth, formerly stated 

 at 95,000,000 of miles, is actually less that quantity 

 by 3,000,000. In other words, calculations involving 

 the sun's meridian altitude, allowing for transmission of his 

 light to our globe at the rate of 192,000 miles per second, 



