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John C. Symmes (1780-1829) Hollow Earth Theory |
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Symzonia (1820) | "Symmesonian No. 1" (1824) | Matthews' lecture (1824)
Concentric Spheres (1826) | The Inner World (1886) | Fantasy depictions (2003)
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LIGHT GIVES LIGHT, TO LIGHT DISCOVER -- "AD INFINITUM.
ST. LOUIS, (Missouri Territory,) I declare the earth is hollow and habitable within; containing a number of solid concentrick spheres, one within the other, and that it is open at the poles 12 or 16 degrees; I pledge my life in support of this truth, and am ready to explore the hollow, if the world will support and aid me in the undertaking. Jno. Cleves Symmes. Of Ohio, Late Captain of Infantry. N. B. -- I have ready for the press, a Treatise on the Principles of Matter, wherein I show proofs of the above positions, account for various phenomena, and disclose Doctor Darwin's Golden Secret. My terms are the patronage of this and the new worlds. I dedicate to my Wife and her ten Children. I select Doctor S. L. Mitchill, Sir H. Davy, and Baron Alex. de Humboldt, as my protectors. I ask one hundred brave companions, well equipped, to start from Siberia in the fall season, with Reindeer and slays, on the ice of the frozen sea: I engage we find a warm and and rich land, stocked with thrifty vegetables and animals if not men, on reaching one degree northward of latitude 82; we will return in the succeeding spring. |
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 Vol. VI. Philadelphia, December, 1818. No. 6.  [p. 445] |
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Captain Adam Seaborn (pseud.) Nathaniel Ames? (1764-1835) Symzonia, A Voyage ... New York: J. Seymour, 1820 |
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A VOYAGE.
The state of the civilized world, and the growing evidences of the perfectibility of the human mind, seemed to indicate the necessity of a more extended sphere of action. Discontent and uneasiness were every where apparent. The faculties of man had begun to dwindle for want of scope, and the happiness of society required new and more copious contributions. I reasoned with myself as follows: A bountiful Providence provides food for the appetite which it creates; therefore the desire of mankind for a greater world to bustle in, manifested by their dissatisfaction with the one which they possess, is sufficient evidence that the means of gratification are provided. And who can doubt but that this is the time to find the means of satisfying so general a desire? ...
For further extracts from chapters 1-6, see this web-site:
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Chapter 7
Gently rolling hills within an easy sloping shore, covered with verdure, chequered with groves of trees and shrubbery, studded with numerous white buildings, and animated with groups of men and cattle, all standing in relief near the foot of a lofty mountain, which in the distance reared its majestic head above the clouds, offered to mariners long confined to a wide waste of water the highest reward for their enterprise and perseverance; -- the heartfelt satisfaction, that it was to their courage and skill that their fellow citizens would be indebted for the contemplation of so much loveliness. Here there was nothing wanting to a perfect landscape. Plain, hill, and dell sometimes rising with an easy slope, at others, broken, abrupt, or craggy; with an ocean in front, and a mountain in the rear, it was complete. At noon, on the 24th of December, we anchored in 14 fathoms water, on a fine sandy bottom. This land, out of gratitude to Capt. Symmes for his sublime theory, I immediately named SYMZONIA. The coast lay about S. S. W. and N. N. E. In the roadstead we were sheltered from all winds except those which blew directly along shore. These were not much to be feared, for we had found the prevailing W. S. W. winds to blow as steady as a trade wind for several days without any gales or stormy weather. There were a number of buildings on the island, one of which from its magnitude and superior appearance to the others, I judged to be a public edifice of some sort. This structure was two stories high, while all the others were but one. In the front, a large open portico with an extensive platform, appeared to be a place of business, great numbers of people being collected upon it. In front of this building, a jettee into the water afforded convenient landing, and I directed the boat to be placed alongside of it. As I approached, all the people retired, and no sooner had I stepped upon the jettee than those in front of the large building moved into it. Being determined to open an immediate communication with this people, who from the comforts with which they were surrounded could not be savages, I took off my sword, and gave it to Whiffle, and ordered him to lay off with the boat a half pistol shot from the shore, and not to fire a shot, nor to show his arms, unless he saw me run, or heard me fire a pistol; in which cases he must pull into the most convenient place to take me off, and to defend me. I then walked slowly up the jettee. When I reached the head of it, I took off my hat and made a low bow towards the building, to show the Internals that I had some sense of politeness. No one appeared. I walked slowly up the sloping lawn, stopped, looked about me, and bowed, but still no one appeared to return my civilities. I walked on, and had arrived within one hundred yards of the portico, when I recollected, that when Captain Ross was impeded in his progress northward by the northern 'icy hoop,' he met with some men on the ice who told him they came from the north, where there was land and an open sea. These men were swarthy, which Capt. Symmes attributes to their being inhabitants of the hot regions within the internal polar circle; in which opinion he was no doubt correct. I had frequently reflected on this circumstance, and had settled the matter in my mind that they were stragglers from the extreme north part of the internal regions; and could not but consider Capt. Ross as a very unfit person for an exploring expedition, or he would not have returned without ascertaining where those men came from, or how a great sea could exist to the northward of the 'icy hoop,' through fear of wintering in a climate where he saw men in existence who had passed all their lives there. I remembered that these men so seen by Capt. Ross, saluted him by pulling their noses; and surely it is not surprising that men, inhabiting such different positions on this earth as the inside and outside of it, should differ so much as to consider that a compliment in the one place, which is deemed an insult in the other. Indeed it seemed to me a small thing, when I considered how widely the most enlightened of the externals differ in opinion upon the most simple propositions of religion, politics, and political economy. I was full in the faith that those men of Ross had been internals, and that their mode of salutation was much more likely to be in accordance with the manners of the Symzonians, than the rude fashion of us externals. I therefore pulled my nose very gracefully, without uncovering my head. This had the desired effect. Several persons from within the building assembled on the platform of the portico. They stared much at me, which convinced me they were people of high fashion; conversed eagerly with one another, and seemed undetermined how to act. More than one hundred men collected, before any one showed any disposition to advance even to the front of the portico; and on the other hand, I dared not advance towards them, lest I should again put them all to flight, being already sensible that it was my dark and hideous appearance that created so much distrust amongst these beautiful natives. I therefore kept my position, occasionally pulling my nose out of politeness. Full twenty minutes passed in this suspense; when one of the group, a man near five feet high, came to the threshold of the platform, and, raising his hand to his forehead, he brought it down to the point of his nose, and waved it gracefully in salutation, with a slight inclination of the body, but without actually pulling the nose as I had done. At the same time he spoke to me, in a soft, shrill, musical voice. His language was as unintelligible to me as the notes of a singing bird; but his mode of salutation was not. I caught it with the aptness of a monkey, returned his courtesy after his own fashion, and answered him in English, with as soft a whine as I could affect, that my rude voice might not offend his ears. We spoke to each other in vain: he walked round, and surveyed my person with eager curiosity. I did the like by him, and had abundant cause; for the sootiest African does not differ more from us in darkness of skin and grossness of features, than this man did form me in fairness of complexion and delicacy of form. His arms were bare; his body was covered with a white garment, fitted to his shape, and hanging down to his knees. Upon his head he wore a tuft of feathers, curiously woven with his hair, which afforded shade to his forehead, and was a guard for his head against the rain. There was no appearance of any weapon about either him or any of the others. Having both satisfied our eyes, I again endeavored to make myself intelligible to him; and, by the aid of signs, succeeded so far as to convince him that I came in peace, and meant no harm to any one. He pointed to the building, which I took as an invitation to go in, and walked towards the portico, with the Internal by my side. An amusing scene now occurred, while we endeavored to communicate our thoughts and wishes to one another. I shoved up the sleeve of my coat, to show them, by the inside of my arm, (which was always excluded from the sun), that I was a white man. I am considered fair for an American, and my skin was always in my own country thought to be one of the finest and whitest. But when one of the internals placed his arm, always exposed to the weather, by the side of mine, the difference was truly mortifying. I was not a white man, compared with him....
For further extracts from the original text, see this web-site:
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or, Journal of Criticism, Science, and the Arts. Vol. I. Philadelphia, January 6, 1821. No. 1. Symzonia; a Voyage of Discovery. By captain Adam Seaborn. New York, printed by J. Seymour, 1820. Duodecimo. The concentric, or as it would be more proper to call them. the excentric theories of captain John Cleves Symmes, have given rise to the present work, which is modelled after the plan of Gulliver's Travels, Armata, and other books of that description. Captain Seaborn, it seems, was taken by the idea of an opening in the poles, and determined to adventure on a voyage of discovery, in the hope of finding a passagew to the internal world. He caused a steam vessel, of 400 tons, to be constructed, which he named the Explorer, and built her of unusual strength and firmness, adding an improvement of his own on the paddles. Having shipped a crew for a sealing voyage, he set sail on the 1st of August, 1817, visited the Falkland Islands, where he fell in with a colony of Gentoo Penguins; satisfied his mind that they, as well as seals, whales and mackerel wewre merely visitors from the internal world, and proceeded in search of Sandwich land. Difficulties soon arose in consequence of the apprehension of Mr. Slim, the third mate, who had nearly stirred the crew up to sudden mutiny, by suggesting that they might be closed in by ice, and experience the fate of the lost colony in Greenland. The arguments of the captian would probably have been unavailing, had they not fortunately, at the crisis of discontent, discovered land, to which he gave his name, and took possession of on behalf of the United States. Here he left a part of his crew, and continued his voyage in search of The internal world. I proceeded along the coast to the S. S. E. November 21st, 1817, the sun's altitude corrected for refraction placed us in a more northern latitude than we had left, which my officers considered as evidence of our having passed the pole and made some progress northward, and they accordingly congratulated me on the occasion. I knew betetr , and was perfectly aware that if the poles were open, of which I had no doubt, we must necessarily change our apparent latitude by observation very fast; and on turning the edge of the opening have a vertical sun, an equal division of day and night, and all the phenomena of the equator. To be prepared for this untried region, I calculated all the changes of the apparent altitude of the sun in all degrees of declination, as they must necessarily occur, assuming the form of the earth to be at the openings as stated by captain Symmes in his sublime theory; and formed tables that I might be able at any time to ascertain the ship's place without difficulty or delay. WE had thus far found the land to trend S. S. E. and S. Soon after noon this day we reached a cape, from which the land turned short round to the W. N. W. and continued in that direction as far as could be seen from the mast head. This being apparently the most extreme southern land of the external world, I named it Worldsend Cape. I felt no disposition to follow the to follow the coast to the N. W. although it might be found to turn again to the south. The most prudent course appeared to be to keep sight of the land, that we might certainly find our way back again to Mr. Boneto's station. But a round about way to the internal world was not in accordance with my impatient feelings; and yet the indulgence of my desire required that I should manage with great circumspection. The compass was now of no manner of use; the card turned round and round on the slightest agitation of the box, and the needle pointd some times one way and sometimes another, changing its position every five minutes. I frequently heard Slim muttering his apprehensions, and even Albicore said to me, "I hope we shall not have any bad weather, or lose sight of the land.' My best seamen appeared confounded at the loss of the compass, and a degree of alarm pervaded the whole ship's company. I had foreseen the difficulty that might take place when I proposed to leave the land, and to avoid it had placed Slim on the larboard watch with Albicore, by which arrangement the charge of my watch (the starboard) when I was off deck, devolved on Will Mackerel, assisted by Jack Whiffle. This was mortifying to Slim, but he was aware that he deserved it. I kept near Cape Worldsend, taking its bearings in a variety of positions, for the ostensible purpose of ascertaining its exact position, until four o'clock, when the larboard watch went below. I saw that both Albicore and Slim turned in to get some sleep, and immediately ordered Mackeral to keep the vessel on a course corresponding to south, and to press with both steam and canvass tyo the utmost. The winds was about N. W., fresh and very steady, which served as a guide, the helmsman being directed to keep the wind four points on the quarter. We ran at the rate of 16 knots. I gave strict orders that Albicore and Slim should not be disturbed at the usual hour of calling the dog watch; and when they came on deck at 10 P. M. there was no land in sight. The sun to their astonishment was just setting in the bosom of the ocean: they stared at one another, and looked at me, but said nothing. They were perfectly bewildered; they knew not which way was north, south, east or west. Had they now undertaken to direct the course of the vessel, they would have been more likely to run from the land than towards it. Mackeral was delighted to see the sun set once more; it seemed like old times; and the weather had been for some days so hot that a little night was very desirable. I told them all to be perfectly at ease, for that I knew what I was about; that I could calculate every point of the compass, as well as if that instrument performed its office; that we would heave to for the night, the occurrence of which was no more than I had calculated on; and finally, to give them confidence in my skill, told them, that if we did not find the sun directly over head at noon, within two days, provided no land impeded our progress, I would give up command to Albicore, and show him back to Seaborn's Land. Albicore and Slim both earnestly entreated that I would instruct them how to calculate the points of the compass, if I possessed that important knowledge, so that they might be enabled to find their way back again in case any accident should befal me. I begged to be excused, choosing to keep the staff in my own hands. The truth was, having three excellent chronometers, one set to time at Washington, one to that of Greenwich, and the other to that of Rio De Janerio, and also an excellent watch daily regulated, which gave me the ship's diurnal time accurately, I could easily calculate my longitude, and the point on which the sun ought to bear every hour in the 24. With these calculations before me, I had but to look at my watch to determine my course. Thus in the longitude of Greenwich, when the chronometer set to Greenwich time stood at 122 o'clock noon, wherever the sun was, was north; and when that chronomenter stood at midnight, wherever the sun was, was south -- on the external southern hemisphere, south of the degree of the sun's declination. The reappearance of the stars, and the refreshing coolness of the night air delighted my people. At daylight we made sail, and set the paddles in motion. At noon we had the sun nearly overhead, and the declination being 20 degrees 5 S. Slim was positive that we were at latitude 28 degrees S. and wondered why the compass would not traverse. The next day we had a verical sun, as I had predicted, and the weather was as warm as I had ever known it at sea, with a fine breeze. No one knew which way we were steering but myself, and Slim's opinion confidently expressed that we were near the equator, and soon must make the continent of Asia, Africa, America, or the Asiatic islands, served to quiet the apprehensions of the men for their own safety, and at the same time awaken their solicitude for the situation of Mr. Boneto's party, whom they said I had barbarously left to preish by the frosts of a polar winter, on Seaborn's Land. The next day we observed the sun to be south of us, and nearly overhead, and the compass began to traverse imperfectly. We had a regular recurrence of day and night, though the latter was very short, which I knew was occasioned by the rays of the sun being onstructed by the rim of the earth, when the external side of the part we were on turned towards the sun. The nights were not dark, when no clouds intervened to obstruct the rays of teh sun, reflected from the opposite rim, and from a large luminous body northward, in the internal heavens, which reflected the sun as our moon does, and which I judged to be the second concentric sphere, according to Capt. Symmes. This gave us very pleasant nights, but not quite clear enough to render sailing through untried seas entirely safe. We continued running due north, internal, three days, when the compass became pretty regular, but instead of N. and S. points corresponding to the N. and S. points on the external world, as Capt. Symmes supposed it would do, the needle turned fairly end for end; south end pointing directly into the globe towards the north pole, with some variation from the true north. But of this matter, I shall say very little, for sundry important reasons, and especially because I intend to publish my theory of longitude in due season, and give the course and bearing, corrected to true north and south, as understood by the externals. On the 28th of November, 1817, we discovered land, just at sunset, and immediately hove to, to keep a good oiling until daylight. I walked the deck all night, and was very impatient for the morning of that day which was to disclose to me the wonders of the internal world, and probably to decide the question whether it was or was not inhabited by rational beings. The land thus discovered received the name of Token Island. They found it uninhabited, and again set sail. After several days of suspense, land was again discovered, and buildings and inhabitants appeared. The worthy captain finds every thing Utopian here, the climate pure and wholesome; the country fertile, rich, and picturesque; and the people mold, amiable, sagacious, intelligent, refined, and beautiful. THe following is his account of their form of government. As we passed on through this enchanting country, Surui, the eldest of my conductors, instructed me in the civil polity, customs, manners, and habits of his people. From him I learned, that in Symzonia all power emanated from the people; that the affairs of the nation were directed by 1. A chief, who was honoured with the title of Best Man, and who held his situation for life, unless impreached of crime; but whose issue were considered ineligible to the same office for one generation after his decease. 2. An ordinary council of one hundred worthies, who assembled twice in each year, and oftener when circumstances made it necessary, to give advice to the Best Man. 3. A grand council of worthies, who assembled once in four years, to admit members to their body, collect the sense of the nation on all public affairs, and aid the Best Man with their judgment in the appointment of Efficients to discharge the executive duties of the state. The Best Man could only be elected by an unanimous vote of the grand council. The Worthies are of three orders -- the Good, the Wise, and the Useful. The second class of worthies, are such as have in like manner been ascertained to have promoted the interests of society by improvements in science, and the advancement of useful knowledge. Such men, if free from vice, although not distinguished by benevolence, or the highest class of virtues, are admitted to the order of worthies by the title of Wise. This class corresponds to that of the philosophers of the external world. The third, are all such as have manifested superior skill and diligence in their respective callings, with evident and constant good will towards their fellow men; such as have introduced useful inventions and improvements in the arts, set good examples to their neighbours, and are free from vicious propensities, these on being found justly entitled to such characters, are admitted to the order of worthies by the title of Useful. The executive department is managed by Efficients, who are appointed by the Best Man, assisted by the Grand Council; and, in the interval of their session, if vacancies occur, by the ordinary council of One Hundred. It is the duty of the worthies to notice the conduct of the people in their respective districts, to aid the feeble and distressed, if any such be found, to encourage the wavering, and reward the meritorious. Whenever any one of them discovers a man of retired but useful life, active but unobtrusive benevolence, extensive usefulness, with that modest shunning of the public exhibition of his doings which is necessary to possess the public in his favour, it becomes the duty of the Worthy to name him to the Grand Council, as a man of modest and exemplary merit; and if his character is, on investigation, found to be agreeable to the representation, he is admitted accordingly. The author gives a great deal about the country and its inhabitants, which we have no room to extract. He visits the Best Man, disgusts him with an account of the character and habits of the externals, and is ordered to depart. It was on my return from this visit to the pearl wash maker, that I received notice to wait upon the Best Man. I immediately repaired to his dwelling, with a light heart, in expecxtation of my usual intellectual feast from his conversation, little suspecting that this interview was to be the last. He received me with a mild solemnity of manner, which warned me that the interview was for some purpose of importance. He did not keep me in suspense, but in a kind and benevolent manner informed me that the Wise men to whom the copies of my books had been given, had all mad etheir reports, which, together with the accounts of those who had observed the habits of myself and people, and been in the most favourable situation to ascertain my sentiments, had been submitted to him in council; that he had taken full time to reflect on the subject, before he determined on the painful measure which his duty imposed upon him. That, from the evidence before him, it appeared that we were of a race who had eitehr fallen from virtue, or were at least very much under the influence of the worst passions of our nature; that a great proportion of the race were governed by an inveterate selfishness, that canker of the soul, which is wholly incompatible with ingenuous and affectionate good-will toward our fellow-beings; that we were given to the practice of injustice, violence, and oppression, even to such a degree as to maintain bodies of armed men, trained to destroy their fellow-creatures; that we were guilty of enslaving our fellow-men for the purpose of procuring the means of gratifying our sensual appetites; that we were inordinately addicted to traffic, and sent out our people to the extreme parts of the external world to procure, by exchange, or fraud, or force, things pernicious to the health and morals of those who receive them, and that this practice was carried so far as to be supported with armed ships, a thing unheard of, except from some very ancient manuscript accounts of the Belzubians, which had been considered by the Good men of Symzonia, for ages, as nothing more than fables. After stating these and many other charges against the externals, he added, that many of his council seriously apprehended that it was our inordinate thirst for gain, that had induced me and my people to hazard our lives in an unknown region, and that it had not escaped their notice, that my vessel was provided with terrific engines of destruction, no doubt to enforce our will where our purposes required it. Whereupon he, the Best Man, in council, had come to a resolution, that the safety and happiness of his people would be endangered by permitting any further intercourse with so corrupt and depraved a race. He therefore required that I should repair forthwith to my vessel, and there remain until the season of bright light was sufficently advanced to enable me to return to my country in safety; and ordered that all necessary supplies of food, and whatever was wanted to refit my vessel, should be furnished at the expense of the state; but that I should not be permitted to take away any of the products of the country, lst the cupidity of my countrymen should lead them to send an armed force to obtain such things. They were fully aware, he said, of the articles which were most covted by the externals; for my books had described them, and the purposes to which they were applied; the Efficients would therefore be appointed to examine my vessel, and see that I took away none of those articles. He felt confident that they had additional security for a strict compliance with this prohibitory order, in my integrity, of which he had formed a favourable estimate, notwithstanding the corruption of my nature, and did not apprehend that I would break through his injunctions, after partaking so largely of the hospitality of the country. I was petrified with confusion and shame, on hearing my race thus described as pestiferous beings, spreading moral disease and contamination by their intercourse, and by thus seeing all my hopes of unbounded wealth at once laid prostrate; and I did not recover from the despondency which overwhlemed me, till I recollected that Mr. Boneto would no doubt have a full cargo of seal skins ready against my return to Seaborn's Land, which would ensure me a handsome fortune. He makes the best way out of this new world, rejoins his sealing party, sails to China, where he sells his cargo to great profit, and returns to the United States. He is persuaded, in an evil hour, to consign his cargo to Mr. Slippery, a merchant of great 'credit and renown.' Mr. Slippery, however, fails, after having converted the cargo into cash, and appropriated it to his own purposes; and captain Seaborn having, as he says, heard of the precuniary relief obtained by captain Riley, from the publication of his travels, determines to put forth, for the present, a brief extract from his jouranl, reserving his scientific researches for a future period. From the extracts we have given, the reader will be able to form some idea of the manner in which this book is composed. It is, upon the whole, dull and uninteresting. A great deal might have been made out of the subject, for there is at least as much to satirize as in the age of Swift. The author is, however, very good natured, and if there is nothing brilliant in his observations, there is nothing to offend. |
John C. Symmes II, by John J. Audubon, Cincinnati, 1820. |
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From the National Intelligencer.
Cincinnatti, Jan. 18th, 1818 [sic - 1819?]
Messrs. Gales & Seaton:
Pope advises authors to keep their works many years -- I correct mine as often as I peruse them -- hence cannot instnatly profit by your acceptance of the offer I made of sending my new memoir for publication. My progress in philosophy is voluntary or spontaneous, and not the consequence of immediate volition; so hurry suits not with my studies: my intentions, however, seldom subside until accomplished; hence you may depend on shortly obtaining the memoir alluded to in my last -- and, in the mean time, I add below, some of the particulars to be explained in future numbers. My family require most of my time and efforts. I shall not, however, neglect to develope my new principles, even though it should cost a portion of the patrimony designed for my children. If the world, or some national governments, do not furnish the means to explore, as I have asked, I can proceed but slowly with my investigations, for my pecuniary concerns have been so much neglected lately, that I shall have to lay aside, for a time, several new memoirs in a progressive state, including one on the source and production of animal free heat. Wishing my writings to be as free as air, I am unwilling to put them to sale: indeed I should prefer that my pupils, like those of Doctor Black, should themselves develope my discoveries. Besides the time expended on my new positions, I have paid out considerable sums for the printing and postage of five hundred circulars, of which I distributed one to each notable foreign government, reigning prince, legislature, city, college, and philosophical societies, throughout the union, and to individual members of our National Legislature, as far as the five hundred copies would go. I have much to say, but will conclude my address with only a quotation from Nicholson's Encylcopedia under the head "Earth." "The attentive and skilful observer of the works of nature, whether employed in examining the most wretched or the most sublime, will find that judgment, and infinite wisdom and ingenuity, has equally prevailed throughout. Can it be supposed for a moment, that the internal part of the earth we inhabit has received less attention from the Creator, than those objects which are under our immediate and unimpeded inspection." Respectfully, JNO. CLEVES SYMMES. Light developes light from age to age. The data I have as yet obtained, indicate, 1st. That, the axis of the earth is not in the centre of the polar opening, but several degrees towards Spitzbergen or Siberia. 2. That the magnetic needle regards the centre of the polar opening, rather than the axis. 3. That the needle should so turn, on entering the polar opening, as to have the same end S. within that is S. without. 4. That (contrary to my former idea) this sphere northwards towards the polar opening, is rather a protruded sphereoid than a depressed or oblate one. 5. That much of the water, developed to air or vapour eithin our tropics, is condensed to abundant rains by the increasing gravity towards the internal equator, thereby setting free latent heat and light. 6. That the haze or smoky appearance of the Indian Summer, comes from within the sphere, although S. winds often thicken it by heaping it upon itself. 7. That the northwestwardly winds generally come out from some of the poles of the inner spheres, and that the northwestwardly winds come from the concave surface of this sphere, as do the southeast monsoons. 8. That the polar opening is the source whence the matter of our snow storms is derived -- although the snow be chrystalized on, or after its passage over the icy hoop, or circle. 9. That when the sun is 23 degrees south of the equator, the line of the greatest cold north is 23 degrees S. of the polar opening, or ninetieth degree -- and when he is 23 degrees north of the equator, this line of cold is removed 23 short degrees, beyond the ninetieth degree. 10. That the dark complexion of the nations high north is derived from the hot climate beyond. 11. That, when 90 degrees real, refraction will so deceive, as to indicate eight or ten degrees less than 90, owing to the atmosphere extending over the polar opening -- so as to cause the zenith of the atmosphere, at 90 degrees real, to be depressed at a considerable angle towards the south. For example, when a person traveling north, has brought his horizon at right angles with the plane of the polar opening, he will have the zenith of the atmosphere there, nearly or quite in his horizon -- he must, therefore, lose about 20 polar degrees in estimating his progress, if he judge by celestial observation only. 12. That a part of the sphere near the verges, is water quite through, so that it transmits light wihin. 13. That the many large floating trees found as high as 80 degrees north, which is 20 degrees beyond where we find such grow, float out through the polar opening, and wedge in the broken fresh water ice that surrounds it -- which may be called the icy hoop or circle. 14. That the spheres high north are thin, as gravity there is found but little greater than at the equator, although the centrifugal force amounts to almost nothing. 15. THat clouds, haze, or mist, will generally prevent a view of the opposing spheres, or polar verges. 16. That a murky atmosphere of mist or haze hangs over or about the north polar opening, sufficiently dense to project a spherical shadow on the moon when she is eclipsed. 17. That beyond north latitude 75 degrees, when the sun is seen near the northern horizon, he must appear much higher than he really is, owing to the refraction of the atmosphere -- and it is this extent of atmosphere which makes him look (while so situated) dull like the moon. 18. That mackarel, cod, whale, and the musk ox, inhabit for towards the internal equator -- as the first and last breed when absent, and as the fat or flesh of each readily developes (when without the sphere where the centrifugal motion lessens the force of gravity) to a more fluid or volatile rancidity than is common to local fish or animals. 19. That the polar verges yield to the gravity of the moon, so as to effect our weather at her changes, from the air being either sucked in or forcibly protruded by such action. 20. That tornadoes proceed from a convulsed disruption of the first aerial sphere above us, through which is forced down a gush of confined elastic fluid. 21. That the blaze or fire of our volcanoes, is the heat set free from a latent state, when the elastic fluid of the mid-plane of the sphere is forced up to where the greater gravity of the surface condenses its molecules to their original stony base at Vesuvius, and watery base at Hecla. 22. THat along the mid-plane of the solids of each planetary sphere, there is a place widely filled with elastic fluid, and distended with fluid molecules to a limit and rarity, greater in proportion to the greatness of the gravity of their external or exposed surfaces -- and thus they serve to bouy the earth, comets, fireballsm and all planetary bodies, as balloons are bouyed. This principle (to borrow the language of another) has, I think, "the advantage of simplicity, and simplicity the offspring of unerring wisdom, and Almighty power, is in geenral, the companion of truth." It has been asked, how should I be able to make farther discoveries than others? I answer the question by another, why not -- when I have all the prior ones formed, whereon to found my new ones? I make a general request or invitation to editors, that they insert this miscellany in their periodical journals, and also my other writings as they may occur. J. C. S. (text taken from a reprint of the National Intelligencer item, printed in the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Republican Compiler of Feb. 2, 1819.
From the National Intelligencer.
Cincinnatti, Feb. 28, 1819.
I hoped ere this to have been supported in my new theory of the earth by many pupils, but find that most of those
who have written are inclined to oppose me. I would prefer having an advocate to state my views, because in
proportion to their extent, I may subject myself to the imputation of extravagance or ostentation, expecially as
while I write, I naturally feel elated with my discovery. I am, perhaps, better fitted for thinking than writing --
reared at the plough, I seldom used a pen (except in a common place book) until I changed my ploughshare for a
sword, at the age of 22, not wherewith to carve a fortune, (having already an ample farm by the liberality of my
revered uncle after whom I was named,) but to merit and obtain distinction, and accumulate knowledge, which I had
seldom tasted but in borrowed books. -- With respect to the latter the world is now to judge of my success; and in
relation to the former, I at least may say I satisfied myself and fellkow soldiers, if not my country -- not only
at Bridgewater on our left, and the sortie of Fort Erie in the van, but throughout my 13 years' service, ending
with the war.
I presume few have inquired more devotedly than myself into the reason and origin of all that occured to view, I remember, when at the age of 11, (in Jersey) while reading a large edition of Cook's Voyages, my father (though himself a lover of learning) reproved me for spending so much time from work, and said I was a book worm: about the same age I used to harangue my playmates in the street, and describe how the earth turned; but then, as now, however correct my position, I got few or no advocates. I must not, however, say I get no advocates, for I have several. I particularly boast of two ladies, of bright and well informed minds, on the banks of the Missouri, who are able and earnest advocates, and devoted pupils; to them is sue the credit of being the first to adopt what the world is so tardy in admitting. But, Col. Dixon, who has traded on Lake Winepec, with the Indians, ism I presume, the most impostant pupil I have obtained, for he has long been actually engaged in the N. West Company and fur trade. He declared, in our first interviews, that I was certainly correct, and stated to me many important, otherwise inexplicable, circumstances, occurring high in the north, that were completely solved by my principle: he is regarded by such as have long known him at St. Louis, as a gentleman of a very strong and well informed mind. In addition to the passive concurrence of several men of thinking minds, among them a venerable member of the American Philosophical Society, in this neighborhood, I have been honored with the offers of several more enterprising spirits to accompany me on the expedition I propose; but as the conditions with regard to my outfit by the world, are not yet complied with, I have not positively accepted of their services. I still hold my life pledged, however, for the general truth of my position, and devoted to the exploration. I calculate on the good offices of G. BR\ritain and France, for they nurse and patronize the sciences with ardor. My wife boasts her descent from the latter, and I trace mine from the former. FRom the Emperor of Russia, so well known as a patron of scientific enterprize, I flatter myself with much support. I challenge any opposers of my doctrine, to shew as sound reasons why my theory is not correct, as I can shew why it is. I refer to those who seek for truth to Ree's Cyclopdaeia, and any other books wherein the quadrupeds, fish, and phenomena of high latitudes are treated of; likewise those books that treat of Venus, Mars, and Saturn -- where they will find many tests, that if duly considered, must go to prove my position. In the Cyclopdaeia, under the heads Fishery, Arctic, Herring, Seal, and all the other migrating fishes, it is shewn that most or all of them retire annually beyond the icy circle during the winter, and return, increased in fat an numbers, in the spring; and, under the head Reindeer, it is stated that this animal passes annually near Hudson's Bay, in columns of 8 or 10,000 from N. to S. in the months of March and April, and return N. in October, as stated under the ehad Hudson's Bay. I propose to follow the route taken by the reindeer, northward in Siberia, where they depart every autumn, from the river Lena, (as Professor Adams, of St. Petersburgh, states,) because it is probable these deer choose the best season and nearest route, to fertile and habitable lands. I propose returning either in the course of thorty or forty days, or when the columns of deer return in the spring. It is presumable that men can live where deer thrive. I dp not think there are no dangers attendant on such a trip, but believe the object will justify risking all probable ones. In plate 17, vol. 33, part 2, of the Cyclopdaeia, the figure of Mars, with his equator towards us, exhibits his poles, surrounded with single light circles, whose farther sides extend beyond the periphery of his disk. I hence conclude that his poles are open, and that the light reflected by the farther sides of the verges of the openings, is refracted so as to appear extended beyond his disk, by means of its coming to us through the nearest verges. It is a well known fact, that refraction is greatest towards the poles, owing probably to the dense atmosphere there. The apparent continuation of the margin of his true disk through these rings, (if not an imaginary line dotted there,) must be the farther verge of the second second sphere within, rising by refraction, apparently as far out as the periphery of his disk. I contend that the space within the circumference of the arctic icy circle, if not hollow, or greatly concave could scarce afford space and surface to maintain alive, and in health, all the fish known to come from thence annually, in the spring, even if (without resorting to feeding on each other) their food was inexhaustible, anmd the whole circle water. But floating trees being often found far north of where we say any grow, is an impressive circumstance to shew it cannot be all water; and the fact that these trees are generally such as abound in the tropics, (together with several unknown species) shews that there is a hot climate beyond; and the migration of the reindeer, too, shews that moss or other vegetables abound there, and consequently land. Pinkerton shews that the Dutch, who at different times got detained by the ice, could find but few fish to eat in the season of winter. I also refer to Doctor Darwin's note on winds, in his Botanic Garden (which I never read until after I asopted my theory,) ehere that great although often extravagant philosopher declared his belief that there was a great secret, yet to be explained, at the poles, and anticipated that the light of the present age would disclose it. The stone spheroid he found hollow and disposed in concentric strata, and the concentric iron nodules he describes, deserve to be considered. He states that the seeds of several tropical plants are often found in the seas high north, in a state so recent as to vegetate. I recommend the perusal of Mavor's and Pinkerton's voyages: Pennant and Goldsmith on animated nature; and [Heald's] and Mackenzie's travels -- wherein many tests of my position exist. Pinkerton shews that beyond latitude 75 degrees, the north winds are often warm in winter; that in mid-winter there falls for several weeks, almost continued rain. and that vegetables and game are more abundant at 80 degrees, than at 76. When my chain of reasoning (drawn from the nature of matter) first led me to the conclusion of hollow spheres, and open poles, I merely intended broaching it as a question; but, when I found the planets of the heavens, and the phenomena and natural history of the polar regions, afforded proofs incontestible, I then seclared the fact without reserve; and have been considered by many as a madman for my pains. Were I to feel in any degree disconcerted by the playful, however ill-timed witticisms of others, I should comfort myself in the reflection, that, so soon as I shall succeed in the establishment of my theory, the more it has been decried, the more I shall feel honored in the event: innovations in science or art, most commonly exite opposition. If additional reasons are required, I have adopted ab ample fund yet in store for the world. JNO. CLEAVES SYMMES. (Appended to this Memoir is a Note, which Mr. Symmes writes us need not be published, unless it be convenient to have three diagrams cut to accompany it. It not being convenient, we are obliged to dispense with the publication of the 'Note,' which is illustrative only of Mr S's theory, with reference to a diagram representing the ideal "section of a nest of spheres cut through the poles, as an outline fo the formation of the earth," and to the telescopic appearance of the planet Mars, shewn in the Cyclopdaeia and in Ferguson's Astronomy, as confirmatory of the theory of polar cavity.
Editors Intelligencer.
(text taken from the April 7, 1819 issue of the Gettysburg Republican Compiler)
Journal of the Senate Mr. Ruggles presented the memorial of a number of the citizens of Ohio, residing in Woodsfield, and its vicinity, praying that an exploring party, under the command of Captain John Cleves Symmes, may be despatched to the polar regions, there to make discoveries for the benefit of science, trade, and commerce. The memorial was read; and, On motion, Ordered, That it lie on the table. Mr. Kelly presented the memorial of the Legislature of the state of Alabama, praying further relief to the purchasers of public lands in that state. The memorial was read; and, On his motion, Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee on Public Lands, to consider and report thereon.... |
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ADVERTISEMENT. The writer of the following work is said to be a resident of the Miami country. After reading Captain Symmes' numbers, and hearing some of his lectures, he wrote the work, it seems, in the first place without the idea of publication, but afterwards corrected and enlarged it, and left it with a friend of Captain Symmes for publication, sometime in the autumn of the year 1824. The net profits were then, as now, to be paid to Captain Symmes towards enabling him to promote and establish his principles: but owing to the absence of the author, and other circumstances, it has remained unpublished till now. The author has chosen to present the work anonymously; and has obtained the promise of Captain Symmes to forebear criticizing it in manuscript, -- reserving any reworks or corrections, he may wish to make, for future publication. Some errors of the press will doubtless be discovered; as (in the absence of both Compiler and Theorist) there was no proof-reader at hand, sufficiently versed in the New Theory, at all times; to detect them.
THE PUBLISHERS. To the Public THE following little treatise, was written in the autumn of the year eighteen hundred and twenty-four; when from the urgency of my common avocation, and from a desire to remain incognito, the manuscript was placed in the hands of a friend of Captain Symmes for publication. As it was not my intention to seek a publisher or make advances to facilate its progress, I left the country for a considerable length of time, without paying any further attention to the subject. Various difficulties intervening, delayed the publication, until subsequent events, have destroyed my chief inducement; which was, that these speculations, compiled from a cursory examination of facts, should go forth as a harbinger merely, and not "follow in the wake," of public investigation.THE AUTHOR. Biographical Sketch of Captain Symmes John Cleves Symmes, the author of the Theory of Concentric Spheres, was born in New Jersey about 1780, and died at Hamilton, Ohio, 1929.During the early part of his life he received what was then considered a common English education, which in after-life he improved by having access to tolerably well-selected libraries; and, being endued by nature with an insatiable desire for knowledge of all kinds, he thus had, during the greater part of his life, ample opportunities to indulge it. In the year 1802, Mr. Symmes entered the army of the United States in the office of ensign, from which he afterwards rose to that of captain. He continued in service until after the close of the war with Great Britain. While attached to the army he was universally esteemed a brave soldier and a zealous and faithful officer. He was in the memorable battle of Bridgewater, and was senior captain in the regiment to which he belonged. The company under his immediate command that day discharged seventy rounds of cartridges and repelled three desperate charges of the bayonet. Afterwards, in the sortie from Fort Erie, Captain Symmes with his command captured the enemy's battery number two, and with his own hand spiked the cannon it contained. During the period of about three years after the war, and after Captain Symmes had left the army, he was engaged in the difficult and laborious task of furnishing supplies to the troops stationed on the Upper Mississippi. Since that time he has resided at Newport, Kentucky, devoting, almost exclusively, the whole of his time and attention to the investigation and perfection of his favorite Theory of Concentric Spheres. In a short circular, dated St. Louis, 1818, Captain Symmes first promulgated the fundamental principles of this theory to the world. Captain Symmes published two other numbers at St. Louis in the year 1818. His two next numbers, marked four and five, treated, the one of the original formation of the Alleghany Mountains, and the other claiming the discovery of open poles. His sixth number dates at Cincinnati, in January, 1819. His seventh number, entitled Arctic Memoir, is dated at Cincinnati in February, 1819. And another number, entitled Light between the Spheres, dated at Cincinnati in August, 1819, was published in the National Intelligencer. Afterwards, numerous pieces from the pen of Captain Symmes appeared in different newspapers. Independent of his written publications, he has delivered a number of lectures on the theory, first at Cincinnati in 1820, and afterwards at various other places. In 1822, Captain Symmes petitioned Congress, setting forth in the first place, his belief of the existence of a habitable and accessible concave to this globe; his desire to embark on a voyage of discovery to one or other of the polar regions; his belief in the great profit and honor his country would derive from such a discovery; and prayed that Congress would equip and fit out for the expedition two vessels of two hundred and fifty or three hundred tons' burden. This petition was presented by Richard M. Johnson, on the 7th March, 1822, when, after a few remarks, it was laid on the table. In December, 1823, he forwarded similar petitions to both houses of Congress, which met with a similar fate. That Captain Symmes was a high-minded, honorable man is attested by all who knew him. He has devised a theory whereby to account for various singular and interesting phenomena, and most satisfactorily to explain a great variety of acknowledged facts. (under construction) |
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John C. Symmes and Hollow Earth Claims Part Two: Later Items 
Polar Symmes' Hole -- Oct. 1882 Harper's Monthly
CAPTAIN JOHN CLEVE SYMMES.
During the first quarter of the present century the interest in Polar explorations was scarcely less absorbing than it has been for the last twenty years.... In all the past the discovery of unknown lands and peoples has had a strange fascination for a class of men of marked intelligence and courage. The broad expanse of blue sea, untrodden paths in the wilderness, desert wastes of land and snow with all their perils and privations, have charms for these men that we of quiet ways and common ambitions can not understand. Some of these explorers have been dreamers and enthusiasts, searching for fountains of eternal youth and mines of gold and precious stones, or had aspirations for kingly power; others were led on by the noble ambition of building up the kingdom of Christ by converting heathen nations from their idolatry. They have always been ready to aid the great commercial and scientific leaders in working out their hopes and plans, or proving the baselessness of their hasty theories.... Many of these theories of the earth's surface have been fanciful and grotesque, and their authors coveted in vain the opportunity of proving their faith. One of these more marked than any other of modern times in these respects was first announced in print from the city from which we now write. The face of the author was familiar to many still living, and his body sleeps quietly in the old burying-ground at Hamilton, Ohio. We refer to Captain John Cleve [sic, Cleves?] Symmes and his curious theory of "Concentric Spheres," and an opening at the poles by which men could pass into the interior of the earth. Dying, he believed that time would prove his fancies true, and place his name beside or above Newton's. This dreamer and his startling or curious theories will be the subject of this paper. In the Spring of 1818 the good people of St. Louis were interested and amused in turn by the following, circular... [transcript follows]... Captain Symmes was well known among the best and most intelligent citizens of St. Louis, and was highly esteemed even by those who had no faith in his theories. He had his family residence for a number of years at Bellefontaine, the old United States military post some sixteen miles above the city, on the banks of the Mississippi River, which post was superseded years ago by the present well-known Jefferson Barracks.... The "Captain" was born in New Jersey in 1780, and having received a good English education, entered the United States army, in his twenty-second year, as ensign. By regular and well-earned promotion he reached the grade of captain in 1812. During the war that was then pending he served faithfully and with distinction, retiring from the army in 1816. The greater portion of his military life was spent in the South-West. On returning to civil life he engaged in furnishing supplies to the Government troops stationed on the Upper Mississippi... At the time when his first circular was published he was in the strength of his manhood, and is described as of middle stature and fairly proportioned; face somewhat small and oval, and attractive blue eyes that gave indication of a mind absorbed in speculation.... His voice was not good, nor did he succeed as a speaker, although frequently speaking in his later years before mixed audiences. Men of ability were readily attached to him, and he was greatly beloved by all who knew him well. The late Col. M'Bride, of Hamilton, Ohio, who was his devoted friend and disciple, and published a small volume in 1826 in exposition and defense of his theory, describes it as follows: "According to Symmes's Theory, the earth, as well as all the celestial orbicular bodies existing in the universe, visible and invisible, which partake in any degree of a planetary nature, from the greatest to the smallest, from the sun down to the most minute blazing meteor or falling star, are all constituted, in a greater or less degree, of a collection of spheres, more or less solid, concentric with each other, and more or less open at their poles * * * We have culled these passages which give a general idea of the theory, which had been wrought out by Captain Symmes during a course of many years, until, when the circular was issued, it had mastered his whole life, and was to give cast to all his remaining days. Many of his arguments were too abstruse for the satisfaction of the general reader.... He did not doubt that he had penetrated the secret of the plan on which all the heavenly bodies had been constructed. But there were also terrestrial appearances and facts upon which he relied as valuable confirming evidences. The migration of animal life in the Arctic regions, to which all polar navigators had called attention, tended to sustain his theory. Shoals of fish came from the north, darkening the waters by their presence, in the Spring season; great droves of reindeer came down from the same region in March or April, and returned northward in October; the same periods and direction of movement marked the innumerable fowls of the arctic seas. We now account for these movements of animal life by our theories of an open sea; but he was satisfied that they came from quiet waters, serene skies, and luxuriant vegetation within the hollow earth.... Copies of circular No. I were addressed to every institution of learning in the United States, and to nearly all of our distinguished men then living.... Jest and levity met it on every side; but what annoyed its author more was, that men were not willing to join him in argument, so ridiculous seemed his theory. I well remember when a boy, in Cincinnati, that "Symmes's Hole" was the synonym of absurdity. But undaunted by such a reception from the public, the first circular was followed by others and newspaper articles, in which he stoutly maintained the correctness of his views, sustaining himself with the reflection that many others who had given the world new ideas had been treated with corresponding neglect and contempt. In 1819 he removed from St. Louis and made his residence at Newport, Kentucky, and in the following year, finding that he made slow progress in the use of his pen, he determined to enter the field as a lecturer. At Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Zanesville in Ohio, and at Lexington and Frankfort in Kentucky, large and intelligent audiences were assembled who gave him a respectful attention. The attraction of the lecture was the novelty of the theme, and then the honesty and earnestness of the lecturer commanded attention and respect. But few were won to his side or had the courage to confess that they sympathized with him. Especially he failed to convince men of wealth, from whom he hoped to obtain the means to fit out an expedition to the polar regions. As a last resort he determined to solicit aid from the National Government and the States. So in the year 1822 he addressed a petition to the Congress of the United States setting forth his views at length, and his belief that the nation would derive great honor, and possibly profit, by the verification of his theory. Congress was therefore urged to fit out an expedition consisting of two vessels of two hundred and fifty or three hundred tons burden, with supplies and men, for a voyage of discovery. It was his desire to command and be responsible for the success of the undertaking. This petition was presented to the Senate by Colonel R. M. Johnson, of Kentucky. A motion to refer it to the Committee on Foreign Relations was lost, and, without much delay, it was laid on the table. In the following year he tried again to gain the attention of Congress, but utterly failed. He now turned to the Legislature of Ohio, asking them to approve of his enterprise and recommend Congress to furnish him with the means to prosecute a voyage of discovery in the North. His petition was read, and then its further consideration was indefinitely postponed.... About this time the Russian Government, which had taken great interest in polar discoveries, was fitting out an expedition, at great expense, under the direction of Count Romanoff, a distinguished patron of science. Captain Symmes applied, through our minister at the Court of St. Petersburg, for permission to accompany the expedition. The application was cheerfully granted, but he was unable to procure a proper outfit, and had to abandon the project. Still hoping for success, in the Fall of 1825, accompanied by a young lawyer of Ohio who was a convert to his views, he set out to make a tour eastward, intending to lecture at all the considerable towns on the route. His health was beginning to fail, and he was forced for a time to return home. But in the following year he was again in the field, and lectured at Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, passing into Canada. But his labors, and the excitement, and discouragements of his plans -- for every where he was ridiculed or looked upon as a lunatic -- preyed upon his health, and he reluctantly sought rest among his friends in his native place. As soon as he was sufficiently restored he turned homeward, broken down in spirit. He had moved his family to a farm near Hamilton, Ohio, and his great desire was to enjoy the sympathy and consolation of those who loved him. He was so feeble when he reached Cincinnati that he was removed with great difficulty to his home, but with tender care. On the 29th of May, wearied and worn out by the ten years of anxiety, disappointment, and toil which he had borne with wonderful patience, he fell asleep in death. His oldest son, who still lives near Louisville, Kentucky, erected a monument over his remains, which is still to be seen... Captain Symmes deserves a tender remembrance, and his friends never failed to cherish his memory, and regret that his last years were so full of cheerless mortification. Had the opportunity been afforded him to penetrate the polar latitudes, his faith and courage would have made him one of the boldest adventurers, and he would scarcely have failed to return with useful information and the broader and more truthful views that are now held by intelligent men. No man of his day had studied the subject more thoroughly, and his plans for penetrating the icy North were those that later explorers have adopted with advantage. But his theory has so many of the elements that are woven into childish Munchausen stories, that few men could consider it with any degree of seriousness... -- (excerpts from The Ladies' Repository Vol. 8, No. 2, Aug 1871: pp.133-136)
THE SYMMES THEORY OF THE EARTH.
Dissatisfied with the Newtonian theory of the earth, he promulgated his own, by sundry articles in the press, and by lectures before the faculties and students of colleges in different parts of the country.... During the winter of 1826-27 he lectured before the faculty and students of Union College, and by none was he heard with more profound attention than by the learned and venerable Drs. Nott and Wayland. The writer was a member of the Senior Class of 1827, and in common with other members of his class took copious notes. From these notes he has prepared the present article, claiming only to present the theory of Captain Symmes as propounded in his lectures at Union, adding, indeed, some new facts from recent explorations, and drawing from them some inferences in accordance with the theory. According to this, the earth is globular, hollow, and open at the poles. The diameter of the northern opening is about two thousand miles, or four thousand miles from outside to outside. The south opening is somewhat larger.... The shell of the earth is about one thousand miles thick, and the edges of this shell at the openings are called verges... The line which marks the location of the apex of the northern verge begins at a point in Lapland... through Hudson's Bay and over the continent to the Pacific... crossing the south part of Kamtchatka, continuing northwest through Siberia, entering Europe across the Ural Mountains... to the point of starting. Captain Symmes collated with great labor many isolated facts from his own researches, and from the accounts of Ross, Howe, Parry, McKenzie, and others who had by sea and land explored the polar regions, while similar proofs have been drawn from later explorations, since the promulgation of the theory in 1829.... There is a remarkable difference of climate under different meridians upon the same parallel of latitude. It is known that the climate of the eastern coast of North America is much colder than that of Western Europe in the same latitude. The notion that this diversity is produced by the proximity of the ocean or of ranges of mountains is unsatisfactory...The Gulf Stream does not satisfactorily account for this diversity of climate between America and Europe.... The characteristics of the isothermal belts of both hemispheres throw some light upon this theory. The region of the verges must be the coldest parts of the earth's surface, because, being more convex, they diverge instead of converging the sun's rays. The temperature, therefore, of any given part of the earth's surface depends as well upon its proximity to the verge as to the equator.... Thus, while this theory does not explain all the phenomena of climatic differences as indicated by the isothermal belts, it affords a general rule for explaining why the climate of Europe is milder than that of North America.... The theory of ocean currents will not explain these climatic differences upon the earth's surface.... [but] Further discoveries may throw more light upon this mysterious subject, and explain these ocean currents in connection with the interior currents of the earth, across the verges in both directions, and thus demonstrate the truth of Captain Symmes's theory.... Captain Parry and others speak of the brilliant twilight of the North, as being sufficient to enable them to read ordinary printed matter distinctly. This curious fact is wholly inexplicable upon the Newtonian theory, but is easy of explanation upon this. This twilight coming from the north may be caused by the sun's rays thrown into the interior through the southern opening, which by two refractions, one at each opening, and two or three reflections from the inner concave surface, would pass out at the north over the verge, and produce there this strong twilight. Captain Parry states that, when sailing northward in high latitude, the North Star rises over the bow of the ship to the zenith and then declines towards the stern.... The ship going north along the deflected meridians upon and over the verge causes these apparent changes in the North Star. Further confirmation of the Symmes theory is drawn from the variations and dip of the magnetic needle... midway between the verges lies the magnetic equator cutting the equator of the earth at an angle of twelve degreess.... These are curious facts and are entitled to consideration. If they do not fully explain the variation of the magnetic needle, they present some views which may help to clear up these mysteries of nature. The dip of the needle is another phenomenon not fully understood..... The true magnetic poles are not at the points where the "line of no variation" terminates, -- at the north and south, -- but are equidistant from |