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[Le Blog Personnel de Professeur Aronnax] February 21st 1868

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 14:53:49 -0700 (PDT)
To: jvf~at~gilead.org.il

There is only one way to describe the last 36 or so hours and that
would be "Unbelieveable!"

I awoke very late yesterday morning, the fatigues of the previous night
had prolonged my sleep until eleven o’clock of which I was a little
embarrased about but I dressed quickly, and hastened to find the course
the Nautilus was taking. The instruments showed it to be still toward
the south, with a speed of twenty miles an hour and a depth of fifty
fathoms. Seeing that we were pretty much going nowhere fast (and not
likely to visit any more places soon), I decided to read up on Atlantis
and the more I read the more I cursed myself for not having a permanent
record of my expedition.

As we all know of course, Atlantis was (or perhaps following
yesterday's discovery is) a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's
dialogues Timaeus and Critias. According to Plato, Atlantis was a naval
power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many
parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of
Solon, After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the
ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune" persumably bought on by
Poseidon who must have been a little annoyed with their attempt on the
town named after Athena.

Francis Bacon's 1627 essay The New Atlantis describes a utopian society
that he called Bensalem, located off the western coast of America. A
character in the narrative gives a history of Atlantis that is similar
to Plato's and places Atlantis in America. It is not clear whether
Bacon means North or South America. Isaac Newton's 1728 The Chronology
of the Ancient Kingdoms Amended studies a variety of mythological links
to Atlantis and may I say (as it will not suprise you to hear that the
Captain has a copy in his library) a very interesting read it is as
well.

Of course, this does now put me in a difficult position. Should I tell
the world "By the way, you know that local continent / city of
Atlantis? I happen to know where it is. It is just off the Canary
Islands!" or do I keep quiet and devoid the science community of the
greatest discovery in the world? I shall have to consider my options
very carefully indeed I think

--
Posted By Harry Hayfield to Le Blog Personnel de Professeur Aronnax on
6/02/2010 10:53:00 PM

Received on Thu 03 Jun 2010 - 00:53:58 IDT

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