Identifier: historyofnewyork01loss (find matches)
Title: History of New York City : embracing an outline sketch of events from 1609 to 1830, and a full account of its development from 1830 to 1884
Year: 1884 (1880s)
Authors: Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891
Subjects:
Publisher: New York : Perine Engraving and Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Columbia University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: The Durst Organization

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m of bats;in a word, llerschel had given to the world a revelation of a hithertounknown inhabited sphere, the nearest neighbor to our earth. Theconstruction of the telescope was so ingeniously described, and every-thing said to have been seen with it was given with such graphic powerand minuteness, and with such a show of probability, that it deceivedscientific men. It played upon their credulity and stimulated theirspeculations ; and the public journals, regarding it as a grave historicalfact, felt piqued by the circumstance that an obscure and despisedpenny sheet should have been the first vehicle for announcing thegreat event to the American people. One journal gravely assured itsreaders that it received the * supplement by the same mail, but wasprevented from publishing the article on the day when it appeared inthe San only because of a want of room ! The newspapers throughout the country copied the article and com-mented on it. Some dishonestly withheld credit to the Sun, leaving
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FIRST DECADE, 1830-1840. 361 the inference that they had taken it from the famous supplement.The more stately newspapers — the respectable weeklies— werethoroughly hoaxed. The New York Daily Advertiser, one of therespectable sixpennys, said that Sir John had added a stock ofknowledge to the present age that will immortalize his name and placeit high on the page of science. The Albany Daily Advertiser read•• with unspeakable emotions of pleasure and astonishment an articlefrom the last Edinburgh Philosophical Journal containing an accountof the recent discoveries of Sir John Ilerschel at the Cape of GoodHope. Some of the grave religious journals made the great discoverya subject for pointed homilies on the wonders of Gods works moreand more revealed to man. Scientific men were equally deceived at first. On the morning ofthe appearance of the article in the Sim the late Professor J. J. Mapeshad occasion to start for Washington on business. He believed thestory, took a copy with

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