The case of the family of the Bloomfields, altogether, is distressing. As this is a season for present-making and social-meeting, I venture to suggest that no gift can be better bestowed than on those who are in the utmost need; nor will the pleasures of a convivial party be lessened, if, while “the glasses sparkle on the board,” a subscription be volunteered towards keeping the last two brothers of Robert Bloomfield from the workhouse during their few remaining years of life. I have done my best to make their distress publicly known, and it remains with individuals to do their best to relieve it. Anything left at Messrs. Hunt and Clarke’s, 4, York-street, Covent Garden, shall be appropriated as the donors may direct. A meeting, and a few active individuals, would effect much.

1st January, 1828. *

Travellers
EAST AND WEST.

To the Editor.

Sir,—I send you a short and plain demonstration, that by travelling eastward or westward round the globe at a given rate, (if it were practicable to do so,) a man might experience a greater or lesser number of days and nights, than if he were to remain still in the same spot. This, I may venture to say, is a fact that very few people are aware of, and few would believe, until it were proved.

As “this goodly frame, the earth,” turns round upon its own axis once in twenty-four hours, and as the circumference of the globe is divided into 360 degrees, consequently every part of the globe’s surface must travel round its axis at the rate of fifteen degrees in one hour; or, which is the same thing, one degree in four minutes. Having premised this, we will suppose that a man sets off at seven o’clock in the morning, just as the sun rises above the horizon, and travels westward in the sun’s ecliptic; one degree before it sets, he will have light four minutes longer than if he were to remain at the place from whence he set out; and his day, instead of being twelve hours long, (dividing the twenty-four hours into twelve day and twelve night,) and closing at seven o’clock, will be twelve hours and four minutes, and close at four minutes past seven. He continues to travel in the same direction, and with the same velocity, during the night, (for he must never rest,) and that also will be four minutes longer than it would have been had he remained at the place where the sun set till it again rose; because, as he is travelling after the sun when it goes down, and from it as the morning approaches, of course it will be longer in overtaking him: he will be then two degrees from the starting place or goal, which you please, for we intend to send him completely round the world, and the sun will not rise the second morning till eight minutes past seven. His travel continues at the same rate, and he again has the sun four minutes longer, which does not set on the second day till twelve minutes past seven: this closes the third day. The next morning the sun rises not till sixteen minutes past seven; then he has travelled four degrees, and his day and night have each been four minutes longer than if he had been stationary. Now we will suppose another man to have gone from the same place at the same moment, (viz. seven o’clock,) taking the opposite direction. He travels east to meet the sun, and at the same rate of travel as our westward bound wight. The sun will go down upon him four minutes sooner than if he had remained at the place from which he started, and eight minutes sooner than upon the other man: his day will close at fifty-six minutes past six. He goes on from the sun as it sinks, and towards it as it rises, and he will have light four minutes earlier than if he had stopped when the sun went down till it again rose, eight minutes sooner than he would have seen it at the starting post, and sixteen minutes sooner than the opposite traveller; this is at the end of the second day. He travels on; light again deserts him four minutes earlier, viz. at forty-eight minutes past six at the end of three degrees, and the second morning the sun will rise at forty-four minutes past six, sixteen minutes earlier than at the place he started from, and thirty-two minutes earlier than with the other man, with whom on the same morning it does not rise till sixteen minutes past seven. It is plain therefore, that while the western traveller has only seen two nights and two days, the eastern has enjoyed the same number of each, and more than half an hour of another day; and it is equally plain that if they continue to travel round the globe at the same rate of motion, the eastern traveller will have more days and nights than the western; those of the former being proportionally shorter than those of the latter. The following shows the commencement and length of each day to both travellers:—

Western Traveller’s Eastern Traveller’s
1stday begins at7o’clock, morning. 1stday begins at7o’clock, morning.
2———8minutes past7. 2———52minutes past6.
3———16———7. 3———44———6.
4———24———7. 4———36———6.
5———32———7. 5———28———6.
6———40———7. 6———20———6.
7———48———7. 7———12———6.
8———56———7. 8———4———6.
9———4———8. 9———56———5.
10———12———8. 10———48———5.
11———20———8. 11———40———5.
12———28———8. 12———32———5.
13———36———8. 13———24———5.
14———44———8. 14———16———5.
15———52———8. 15———8———5.
16———————9.30 degrees.16———————5.
17———8———9. 17———52———4.
18———16———9. 18———44———4.
19———24———9. 19———36———4.
20———32———9. 20———28———4.
21———40———9. 21———20———4.
22———48———9. 22———12———4.
23———56———9. 23———4———4.
24———4———10. 24———56———3.
25———12———10. 25———48———3.
26———20———10. 26———40———3.
27———28———10. 27———32———3.
28———36———10. 28———24———3.
29———44———10. 29———16———3.
30———52———10. 30———8———3.
31———————11.60 degrees.31———————3.

At the end of this degree, the sixtieth, the sun rises upon the eastern traveller at three in the morning, he having had thirty days and thirty nights. At the same degree it does not rise upon the western traveller till eleven in the morning, he having had the same number of days and nights. When, therefore, the morning of his thirty-first day is just breaking, the eastern traveller has had the sun eight hours. They have both then had an equal number of days and nights complete, but the eastern will have had eight hours of another day more than the western. Let us try it a little further. The

Western Traveller’sEastern Traveller’s
32ndday will break at8min. past11,morn.32ndday will break at52min. past2,morn.
33———16———11.33———44———2.
34———24———11.34———36———2.
35———32———11.35———28———2.
36———40———11.36———20———2.
37———48———11.37———12———2.
38———56———11.38———4———2.
39———4———12.39———56———1.
40———12———12.40———48———1.
41———20———12.41———40———1.
42———28———12.42———32———1.
43———36———12.43———24———1.
44———44———12.44———16———1.
45———52———12.45———8———1.
46———————1.at noon, 90
degrees.		}46———————1.