not think of it sooner. ain't dead yet?'

that's what ho said ?"

TIiR DISTANCI: OF TIM SUN FROM TITS EARTt!

breitmastNtL—The German journals have gi veg .

some tables which prove that the distance be­

tween the earth and the sun isincreasing an­

nually, and argue from it

. that the increasing

humidity of our summers and . the loss of fertili­

ty by the earth are to be attributed sorely to .

this circumstance. No credit has heretofore

been given to traditions of ancient Egyptians

and Chinese, according to which these people

formerly said the sun's disc was almost four

times as large as we now see it, for they esti­

mated the apparent diameter - of the sun a'

double of. what it is seen in our, day. If, how­

ever, we pay attention to the continued diminu­

tion of the apparent diameter of the sun, ac­

cording to the best observations of several cen­

turies, we must suppose that the ancients were

not mistaken in the estimates they have . trans­

mitted to us. In , the' course of SIX • thousan,

years from the Present time they assume that

'the distance will be NO great that only an

eiy;htl► part. of the warmth we now enjoy front

tl.e sun will .he communicated . to the earth,

and it will then be covered with eternal. ice, in

the slime manner as we now see the plains of

the north, where the elephant formerly lived,

and have neither Spring nor Autumn.—Purl.

7'rans.