a solid globe. Again, the physical character of Mars 1 
more nearly corresponds to our earth, than any other 
planet, and astronomers tell us there are occasionally 
peculiar luminous spots near the poles, which fact h. 
readily accounted for by our theory; as the rays of the 
sun shining into its polar ring would strike perpendicu¬ 
larly upon a portion of it, thereby illuminating a portion 
of it far more strongly than any other part of the polar 
regions. 
In addition to the foregoing, the aurora borealis might 
be pressed into our service by supposing that the rays of 
th8 sun as it shines in at the south are reflected through 
and out at the north, thus producing all the phenomena 
of the aurora, even the fugacious movements and fantas¬ 
tic shapes which it often assumes, all being caused by 
moving clouds or vapor which the reflected rays may en¬ 
counter in their passage through and out at the north¬ 
ern opening. 
Lastly, I would say I am prepared to illustrate, and, 
as I believe, to demonstrate the truth of my theory. If 
any one wishes to be his own experimenter let him place 
a glass jar on a wheel like that used by the potter, fill it 
partly with water, to which add enough alcohol to make 
the mixture nearly the specific gravity of oil , then add a 
portion of oil. Thus prepared, give the jar a careful 
even rotary motion, and immediately the oil will open in 
the centre and you will have a hodow spheroid. 
This is a very interesting experiment, and with more 
care than I have yet been able to bestow on it may bo 
turned to great account in our cosmographieal researches. 
There might be some other liquid used instead of water 
and alcohol, and also something instead of the oil, that 
would gradually harden while the rotary motion was 
going on, thereby making a solid miniature earth. 
All the foregoing reasoning and illustrations turn upon 
the assumption (not doubted by really scientific men) that 
the earth and other planets were once a molten mass of 
matter, readily assuming any shape that the laws of mat¬ 
ter and motion would give, which I have been trying to 
prove would be a hollow spheroid open at the poles. 
If anyone is prepared to disprove my theory or show 
fallacy in my reasoning, I would take it kindly if be 
would do so. 
We hope that Congress will not abandon the Arctic en¬ 
terprise until the phenomenon of an unfi'ozen and inhabit¬ 
ed Arctic ocean is fully explained. It seems to me per¬ 
fectly practicable to make a full exploration, by stationing 
a storeship at the moat northern limits of safe navigation, 
and from that have a regular chain of posts, at conveni¬ 
ent distances, well supplied with every thing necessary 
for the purpose. Those depots at first should not exceed 
a moderate day’s journey apart, and the further north 
tue closer they should be. In short, it should be a regu¬ 
lar siege operation, not against an artificial fortification, 
but against an icy zone that perhaps separates us from 
a fruitful and balmy country. 0. J. PHELPS, 
Fiketon, Ohio, Hec. 1, 1855. 
