47th problem of Euclid; and with this (a+b22) is connected a great deal of divine wisdom, since the out-measuring of the circle, the infinite, is only possible at all by the equilateral triangle, and this triangle only by its half, namely, the rectangular triangle. The divine constructive hypothenuse is manifest to the mind by two unequal lines, the first of which in numbers are 32+42, which are the unequal parts of 52. E. M. EPSTEIN, M. D. LARGEST NEWSPAPER EVER PRINTED IN THE United States. (Vol. VI, p. 268.) The largest newspaper, to our knowledge, ever published in this country was The Illuminated Quadruple Constellation, a leviathan paper, filled with every variety of useful and entertaining reading for the million. New York, July 4, 1859. Edition 28,000. Price 50 cents a copy. George Roberts, publisher. The mastodon of newspapers, published once in 100 years. Size, 70 x 100 inches, or almost 49 square feet; an 8-page sheet; 104 columns, or 13 to each page; length of column, 48 inches, or 4 feet; illustrated with good portraits of President James Buchanan, Edward Everett, Henry, Ward Beecher, Nathaniel P. Banks, Edwin H. Chapin, Horace Greeley, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Alexander Von Humbolt, James Gordon Bennett, and several others. The sheet contains 36 different poems entire, among them is "Braddock Defeat; or the Battle of Monongahela "; this poem ccntains 64 eight-line verses, and occupies one column and one-fourth, or 5 feet long. The paper also contains the celebrated "Moon Hoax " entire, taken from the New York Sun, 1835; historical articles, essays, stories, etc. The weight of the paper required for the edition of 28,000 was equal to that required for over 200,000 copies of the New York Times and Herald, and cost $60 a ream, each ream weighing 300 pounds. It required 40 persons 8 weeks of labor to set up and publish the edition. The longest item of news ever telegraphed to a newspaper, was the entire New Testament as revised, and all variations of the English and American committees, from New York to Chicago, and the whole published as an item of news in the Sunday morning Chicago Tribune for May 22, 1882. That day's Tribune comprised 20 pages, 16 of which were required for the New Testament. COLLISIONS OF PLANETS. Dr. Olbers put forth the hypothesis that the asteroids were but the fragments of one large planet which by some catastrophe had been broken into planetoids. Has there ever been any calculations made as to the probabilities that a collision could take place? T. B. M. Prof. O. M. Mitchel says, in his revision of Burrett's "Geography of the Heavens," that if the knowledge of the asteroids was perfect, it would not be impossible to compute backward or forward and ascertain the time when the orbits of any pair of planets intersected each other, and where the planets were at the time of this intersection. Could the intervals between the times of intersection be obtained, and combining these with the periods of the asteroids in their orbits, it would become possible to compute the time when a collision of the planets is to take place. By computations, Encke found that about the year A. D. 3397, the orbit of Ceres would actually cut the orbit of Pallas; but to obtain the position of the planets in their orbits, at the time of intersection, has not been attempted. The hypothesis of Dr. Olbers, from every new asteroid discovered, although the fact that the aphelion of Flora is shorter than the perihelion of Ceres, presents a difficulty which had not before existed. Up to the time that Prof. Mitchel published these statements, 1849, only 8 of the asteroids had been discovered. At that time the asteroids known were Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, Astæra, Hebe, Iris, and Flora. The following interior orbits were demonstrated, there being then 10 cases where the orbit is enclosed the one within another: Flora is within Hebe. Flora and Iris are within Juno. Asteæra and Vesta are within Pallas. Astæra, Elora, Iris, Pallas, and Vesta are within Ceres. The following asteroids' orbits interlock like the links of a chain : Pallas and Vesta interlock into Flora. Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta interlock into Hebe. Flora, Hebe, Pallas, and Vesta interlock into Iris. Ceres, Hebe, Pallas, and Vesta interlock into Juno. Flora, Hebe, Iris, Juno, and Vesta interlock into Astæra. Now, since 1849, to January 1, 1888, 272 more asteroids have been discovered, or a total of 280 (see Vol. V, pp. 8-13, 206). There must be an intricate number of interlockings of their orbits, and a great probability that sooner or later a collision will occur among them. THE PHOENIX. ITS AGE. (Vol. VI, p. 284.) For the benefit of "MYSTIC" we give a further account of this bird as found in McClintock & Strong's "Cyclopædia," Vol. vi, p. 164. The precise period of the visit o fthe phoenix was not known at Heliopolis, in Egypt, an was a subject of contention till its appearance. The connection of the phoenix period with that of the Sothiac cycle, appears to be generally received by chronologists. According to Ælian it was a cycle of 500 years; Tacitus seems to make it 250 years; Lepsius makes it 1,500 years. The phoenix is said to have appeared in Egypt 4 times: Ist, under Sesostris; 2d, under Amasis, B. C. 569-525; 3d, under Ptolemy Philadelphus, B. C. 284-246; 4th, just prior to the death of Tiberius, B. C. 36-34. The bird appears upon the coins of Constantine, A. D. 334, or 300 after the death of Jesus, who was considered the phoenix by the monastic writers. The Rabbins claim that the phoenix is twice spoken of in the Scriptures, namely," I shall die in my nest, I shall multiply my days as the sand" (Job xxix, 18); and, second, "thy youth is renewed like the eagle's " (Ps. III, 5). The Simorg of the Persians is said to have witnessed 12 catastrophes, and may yet see many more. It has built its nest on Mount Kaf, and perched upon the branches of the Yogard, or tree of life; and it foretells good or evil to mortals. The Jews have their sacred bird, the Tsits; the Arabians, the Rokh; and the Hindûs, Semenda. BANBURY CROSS. (Vol. V, pp. 180, 206.) Your correspondent is somewhat in error in his reply to this question. The cross was in the market place of the village, and around it the markets were held. In olden times the shows of Robin Hood and Maid Marian were held in the village, but in the reign of Elizabeth, the Puritans, thinking these pageants savored of idolatry, attacked these maskers and mummers, and in the riot that ensued, the high cross, with three smaller ones, was cut down and hacked into pieces. It has of late years been rebuilt. The old nursery rhyme, " Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,' is only a verified chronicle of the old history of the village. R. STENTORIAN VOICE. (Vol. VI. p. 268.) The loudest-voiced man of whom we have a record, is sung by Homer, Iliad Bk. v, l. 786-769: "Heaven's empress mingles with the immortal crowd, BALLAD OF "WILD DARRELL." (Vol. V, p. 180.) by Sir Walter Scott, and is introduced into "Rokeby." BALLAD OF "WILD DARRELL. 0-0-0-0 "And whither would you lead me, then? "I see," he said, "a lovely sight, A lady as a lily bright, With an infant in her arms." "Then do thine office, Friar grey, And see thou shrive her free! "Let mass be said, and trentals read, The shift is done, the Friar is gone, Next morning, all in Littlecot Hall Wild Darrell is an alter'd man, He looks pale as day, and strives to pray, If prince or peer cross Darrell's way, If he meet a Friar of orders grey, This ballad is R. -Rokeby, Canto V, XXVII. CHESS-KNIGHT'S TOUR. (Vol. VI, p. 267.) The following is the solution to LEANDER L. THORNE'S tour. "Hail Morphy, bloodless victor, hail, His triumphs were the price of blood, While thou upon the checquered board, Alone, unaided leadest on Thy troops to glorious victory." PROBLEM. (Vol. VI, p. 236. No 3.) No solution has been received to this problem. We publish the answer, and still How far did the lost spirits fall in nine days, as "Paradise Lost"? "Nine days they fell."-Bk. VI, line 861. await a solution. stated in Milton's JONAS. "Thence, full of anguish driven, Ans. 1,832,308,363 miles, 1120 yards. QUESTIONS. 1. In the London Athenæum of December 25, 1869, is a notice of Caxton's "Fifteen O's, or Prayers beginning with O." Will some one tell us what these prayers are, and send them for publication in N. & Q.? THOS. C. BOLTWOOD. 2. What are the names of Jupiter's four satellites ? 3. Have the Jews ever accepted of any Messiah, and if so, who was he, and when? CHRISTIAN. 4. What was the oath of Pythagoras, and where can it be found? J. O. E. 5. Where can the Pope's curse be found, used in the excommunication of a person from the Holy Catholic Church? 66 6. From what is the word Pyramid derived? J. O. E. LOGOS. 7. The "three bad kappas," we are told by classical writers, were Cappadocia, Cilicia, and Crete." Why is the second now pro nounced Silisia? LOGOS. 8. Who is the first Saviour mentioned in the Bible as such, and where? LOGOS. 9. How many ways of voting are there in the present existing secret societies of the day, and what are they? NOVITIATE. 10. Who is the real ancient author of the exclamation "Eureka!" (I have found it !), and with what discovery was it ejaculated? correct answer will settle a dispute. The L. 11. Did Gautama the Buddha leave any one commandment containing his doctrines summed up? We are told that Confucius formulated his doctines into the Golden Rule; and that Jesus the Christ summed the law and the prophets up into two commandments. (See Matt. XXII, 37; Mark XII, 30; Luke x, 27.) 12. CATECHUMEN. Does there exist at the present time any traces near the coast of Norway of what is recorded as a maelstrom? HANNAH. 12. The followers of Gautama Buddha are called Buddhagama, that is, "approaching or coming to enlightment." The missionaries in the East write the word Christianiagama for Christianity. Are the Christians Christiagama? Their word for "religion" is bandhana; therefore, would the Christian religion be Christianibandhana ? ELFIN FOSTER. 13. What was the name by which America was first known? W. |