suggested by Mr. Babbage's notice of it. 



mospheres about the tenacious atoms. Prop. 10. cor. 5 — 10. 

 2nd. The centres of two tenacious atoms being fixed near 

 each other, when sethereal matter is added to one of them, its 

 atmosphere will be increased to a certain degree, and then 

 transfers will begin to be made to the other, and vibrations will 

 be produced. Prop. 14. cor. 4?. 3rd. Two or more tenacious 

 atoms being put into a space containing a large collection of 

 aethereal atoms, will accumulate atmospheres. And when an at- 

 mosphere is increased, it will not only be more extended, but its 

 density at the same distance will be augmented. Prop. 10, 11, 

 and cor. 5. 4th. Vibrations will be produced in bodies perpen- 

 dicular to their surfaces, when ethereal matter is added. And 

 in the composition of bodies multitudes of sethereal particles will 

 be projected with great force, (will radiate,) and because of their 

 own minute force, they will move v/ith very great velocity, as 

 is known in caloric and light. Pages 18, 19, and 63. 5th. The 

 actions of the aethereal atoms, although in some cases tending to 

 preserve, will in many cases tend to separate the tenacious 

 atoms. Prop. 15. cor. 1. 



From these quotations it will be seen that I have considered 

 my theory as possessing all the requisites above stated and 

 they may be fairly deduced from them ; but this cannot hold 

 in Mossotti's theory. For let a be the sum of the forces in 

 two molecules A and B, and let the effective quantity of matter 

 in the atmosphere of A be equivalent to a quantity of the same 

 matter placed at its centre, and the like of B's atmosphere ; 

 and let b represent the sum of these quantities of matter when 

 A and B are at the distance m, and p b when they are at the 

 distance n ; also at an unit's distance let the repulsion of A and 

 B with the atmospheres which they have at the distance m 9 

 be d, and their attraction e ; then with their atmospheres at 

 the distance n, if the repulsion be qdoX the unit's distance, 

 the attraction will be q e, because the forces at a given distance 

 are as the quantities of matter ; hence 



— (a+b) is the attraction, and — 2 (a+b) is the repulsion, at the distance m 



and 



? 2 - (a+b) is the attraction, and l — (a+b) is the repulsion, at the distance n. 



Hence at the distance m, the attraction is to the repulsion as 

 e to d, and at the distance ?i, it is in the same ratio From 

 this it follows that if at any distance the attraction is equal to 

 the repulsion, or if it be greater or less than the repulsion, it 

 will be so at all distances, and therefore Mossotti's theory can- 

 not be true. 



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