[[18]]
Josephus says:
"God prolonged the life of the patriarchs
that preceded the deluge, both on account
of their virtues and to give them the
opportunity of perfecting the sciences
of geometry and astronomy, which they
had discovered; which they could not
have done if they had not lived
600 years, because it is only after
the lapse of 600 years that the
great year is accomplished."—
Flammarion, Astronomical Myths, Paris
p. 26.
[[19]]
A writer in a recent
article on this subject says:
"Almost every year sees the final
extinction of one or more bird species.
Out of fourteen varieties of birds
found a century since on a single
island—the West Indian island of St.
Thomas—eight have now to be numbered
among the missing."
[[20]]
"Moreover, there
were a great number of elephants in the
island: and there was provision for
animals of every kind. Also whatever
fragrant things there are in the earth,
whether roots or herbage, or woods,
or distilling drops of flowers or
fruits, grew and thrived in that
land."—The Cratylus of Plato.
[[21]]
"The nights are
never so dark at the Poles as in other
regions, for the moon and stars seem to
possess twice as much light and effulgence.
In addition, there is a continuous light,
the varied shades and play of which are
amongst the strangest phenomena of
nature."—Rambrosson's Astronomy.
[[22]]
"The fact that
gives the phenomenon of the polar aurora
its greatest importance is that the earth
becomes self-luminous; that, besides the
light which as a planet is received from the
central body, it shows a capability of
sustaining a luminous process proper
to itself."—Humboldt.
[[23]]
Captain Sabine,
on page 105 in "Voyages in the
Arctic Regions," says: "The geographical
determination of the direction and intensity
of the magnetic forces at different points
of the earth's surface has been regarded
as an object worthy of especial research.
To examine in different parts of the globe,
the declination, inclination and intensity
of the magnetic force, and their periodical
and secular variations, and mutual
relations and dependencies could be duly
investigated only in fixed magnetical
observatories."
