684 
NEW SYSTEM OF GEOLOGY. 
I cannot conclude without noticing with 
gratitude the general civility and attention 
which I have met with, and my pleasure in 
discovering that the antipathies which ex- 
isted in the earlier part of my career are 
gradually subsiding, and that in fact, I never 
now meet with incivility expecting with a 
few carters or draymen, who consider the 
introduction of steam- carriages as an in- 
fringement upon the old-established use of 
horse-flesh. 
Years of practice have now put all doubts 
of the economy, safety, and superiority of 
steam travelling on common roads at rest, 
when compared with horse travelling ; and I 
have now in preparation calculations founded 
upon actual practice, which, when published, 
will prove that steam locomotion on common 
roads is not unworthy of the attention of the 
capitalist, though the reverse has been dis- 
seminated rather widely of late by parties 
who do not desire that this branch of improve- 
ment should prosper against the interests of 
themselves. 
After twelve years of incessant labour in 
steam-locomotion, 
Your obedient servant, 
Walter Hancock, 
Stratford, Sept. 22. 1836. 
Mechanics Magazine, Sept. 1836. 
NEW SYSTEM OF GEOLOGY. 
Sir, — I have read with much interest the 
various articles upon the Electrical 1 heory 
of the Universe,’’ and I am glad to find, 
from Kinclaven’s last letter on the subject, 
that no great danger is to be apprehended of 
this earth or any of the other planets being 
“ whirled into the body of the sun.’’ But, 
Mr. Editor, there is another new system of 
geology which is now making some noise, 
the following account of which I copy from 
the catalogue for the present year of the 
Society for the Illustration and Encourage- 
ment of Practical Science, Adelaide-street : — 
“ No. 10. p. 46. — A Geological Globe, 
presented by Sir John Byerley. 
This globe, the invention of which is 
due to M. Guesney, of Constance, in Nor- 
mandy, is intended to show the changes on 
the earth’s surface, produced by the preces- 
sion of the equinoxes, whereby the pole of 
the equator revolves round that of the eclip- 
tic in 25,920 years (Delambre). 
“ The fixed circle is the ecliptic, or that 
line to which the sun would be vertical in the 
course of a tropical year, were there no diur- 
nal motion. The moveable circle represents 
the equator, preserving the same angle with 
the ecliptic by cutting it in different points 
at every succeeding equinox ; by which means 
the pole of the earth passes through 46^ 56' 
of latitude in about 13.000 years; by this 
means the Oural mountains become in the 
latitude of Mexico and Kamschatka within 
the tropics. The pole will pass over France 
and Germany ; and then Edinburgh will be 
due south of London. The author thus 
accounts for the variation of the magnetic 
needle, the discovery of tropical fossils in the 
polar regions, the advance and retreat of the 
sea, the relative height of mountains, earth- 
quakes, volcanoes, &c.” 
According to Mr. Mackintosh’s theory, 
all the inhabitants of this earth on some 
luckless day are to be roasted alive ; but, 
according to the above theory, all the inha- 
bitants of Europe , at least, are to be frozen 
to death unless they remove their quarters. 
Edinburgh is to be due south of London in 
the space of 13,000 years! When this takes 
place, England will not be troubled with 
many Scotchmen— they may then blow up the 
bridge of Berwick, for “ Sandy” will still 
direct his course to the south (a favourite 
Scotch point of the compass), and will arrive 
at what is now the polar regions, but which 
will then be a most delightful climate. But, 
Mr. Editor, on this subject I should like to 
have the opinions of some of your scientific 
correspondents ; my present opinion of the 
matter is, that it is all nonsense. — I/jid, 
WRITINGS OF ROGER BACON. 
The Academie des Sciences Morales et 
Politiques was on Saturday informeil by M. 
Cousin, that he had just discovered some 
manuscripts which are important to scholas- 
tic and philosophic history. They are 
writings of Roger Bacon, the celebrated 
philosopher of the 13th century. Roger 
Bacon was an Englishman by birth, but 
passed nearly the whole of his life in France. 
He became a Franciscan friar, and lived a 
long time in the convent of the Cordeliers, 
to which he was confined by order of the 
General of the Franciscans.. 'J his, notwith- 
standing the silence of JMontfaucon and the 
other bibliographs, induced M. Cousin to 
believe that there must be manuscripts by 
Roger Bacon still existing in France. He 
began by making searches at Douai and St. 
Omer, where there were formerly English 
Colleges, 'i hese searches have been suc- 
cessful. 'J'he only work of Roger Bacon hi- 
therto known is his first letter to Pope Cle- 
ment IV., which Bacon entitled Opus Maii/s., 
Clement IV., who protected Bacon, desired 
that he would give him an exposition of the 
state of science in the 13th century. Bacon, 
receiving no answer to his first letter, ad- 
dressed a new work to the same Pope, under 
the title of Opus Minus. I'he second letter 
also remainingunanswered. Bacon remodelled 
his work, and addressed a third letter to the 
Pope, which he called Opus Tertium. '1 he 
Opus Majus -was published at Loudon in 1733. 
England possesses a manuscript of the Opus 
Minus, and it has hitherto been believed that 
there was no other in existence; but M. 
Cousin has discovered at Douai a manuscript 
containing a considerable fragment of it. 
This work, in his opinion, is of no great im- 
portance. It is not, however, the same with 
the Opus Tertium, which may be considered 
