An astronomical Lecture. By the Rev. R. Wilson. Greenock, 1847, 12mo.
Against the moon's rotation on her axis.
[Handed about in the streets in 1847: I quote the whole:] Important discovery in astronomy, communicated to the Astronomer Royal, December 21st, 1846. That the Sun revolve round the Planets in 2574825 years, in consequence of the combined attraction of the planets and their satellites, and that the Earth revolve round the Moon in 18 years and 228 days. D. T. Glazier [altered with a pen into Glazion.] Price one penny.
1847. In the United Service Magazine for September, 1847, Mrs. Borron, of Shrewsbury, published some remarks tending to impeach the fact that Neptune, the planet found by Galle, really was the planet which Le Verrier and Adams had a right to claim. This was followed (September 14) by two pages, separately circulated, of 'Further Observations upon the Planets Neptune and Uranus, with a Theory of Perturbations'; and (October 19, 1848) by three pages of 'A Review of M. Leverrier's Exposition.' Several persons, when the remarkable discovery was made, contended that the planet actually discovered was an intruder; and the future histories of the discovery must contain some account of this little after-piece. Tim Linkinwater's theory that there is no place like London for coincidences, would have been utterly overthrown in favour of what they used to call the celestial spaces, if there had been a planet which by chance was put near the place assigned to Neptune at the time when the discovery was made.
Aerial Navigation; containing a description of a proposed flying machine, on a new principle. By Diedalus Britannicus. London, 1847, 8vo.
In 1842–43 a Mr. Henson had proposed what he called an aeronaut steam-engine, and a Bill was brought in to incorporate an 'Aerial Transit Company.' The present plan is altogether different, the moving power being the explosion of mixed hydrogen and air. Nothing came of it—not even a Bill. What the final destiny of the balloon may be no one knows: it may reasonably be suspected that difficulties will at last be overcome. Darwin, in his 'Botanic Garden' (1781), has the following prophecy:--
