Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

From the New-York Evening Post.

FOOD FOR PHILOSOPHERS.

The reader will find in this day's paper, some curious and novel speculations from Captain Symmes, the new geologist of Ohio, whose recent declaration that the "earth is hollow and habitable within." has excited so much diversion among all classes of the community. It would seem from these publications, that captain Symmes is intent upon establishing his theory--though his first communication was received by some as a burlesque upon the vagaries of some modern philosophers; and by others, as a wild effusion of a disordered brain.— For ourselves we profess but little knowledge of the science of "world making." as this branch of philosophy has been facetiously called: but as absurd and preposterous as the theory of captain S. certainly appears at the first glance, we will do him the justice to say, that it is not more so, than many theories which our philosophers have attempted to establish within the last twenty years. At all events. we doubt whether captain Symmes' ideas of the structure of the earth will be received with more derision or reluctance, than were Sir Isaac Newton's doctrines of the earth when first promulgated.

Many people entertain an opinion that capt. S. is afflicted with a partial derangement of his intellect--and possibly this opinion may be strengthened--by his efforts to illustrate his singular principles of geology. Upon this point we can state, that we have recently had a conversation with a gentleman of talents and respectability, who has known him well at Cincinnati, within one or two years. During this acquaintance, our informant states, that nothing was further from him than insanity. With these remarks, we leave the matter to philosophers, world-makers and. the public. to puzzle for themselves--expressing our regret at the same time, that capt. Symmes, who appears so anxious to descend into the bowels of the earth, had not accompanied the British expedition to the North Pole.