130 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 224. 



of the wreck of a planet, were created in their 

 present state for some wise purpose, which the 

 progress of astronomy in future ages may even- 

 tually unfold." 



One thing I think is certain, that no disruption 

 of a world belonging to our system could take 

 place without producing some perceptible effect 

 upon every other member of the system. The 

 single centre of attraction being suddenly diffused 

 and spread abroad into many smaller ones, at 

 variable distances, must produce a sudden sway 

 and alteration of position in all the other planets, 

 and, to a certain extent, derange their respective 

 economies. From this some striking changes 

 would necessarily arise, such as in the length of 

 their respective periods of revolution, the amount 

 of light and heat, and other physical conditions. 

 Certain geological phenomena should be found to 

 confirm such a change, if these suppositions be 

 true. 



As far as the theological part of the question is 

 concerned, it is, I should think, opposed to Olbers' 

 theory. Human intellect can scarcely conceive 

 the necessity for the utter breaking up of a globe, 

 even for the most grievous amount of sin. A 

 more merciful dispensation was granted to our 

 earth in the deluge ; and the Power which removed 

 all but eight lives from the earth could have 

 equally removed the eight also, without destroy- 

 ing the integrity of the globe. It is as easy, and 

 far more reasonable I think, to suppose, that the 

 same Power which gave to Saturn a satellite nearly 

 equal in size to Mars, should throw a cluster of 

 minute planetoids into the space which, according 

 to Bodes' empirical law, should have been devoted 

 to one planet of larger dimensions. 



Whilst addressing you on astronomical subjects, 

 I would beg leave to offer a few remarks upon 

 Saturn, which I have not observed in any work 

 on astronomy which I have yet consulted. This 

 planet, with its satellites, appear to exhibit a close 

 resemblance to the solar system, just as if it were 

 a model of it. 



Besides his rings, Saturn is attended by eight 

 satellites, so far as is at present known. The names 

 of the satellites in their order from the body of 

 the planet, are : 1. Mimas, 2. Euceladus, 3. Tethys, 

 4. Dione, 5. Rhea, 6. Titan, 7. Hyperion, 8. Ja- 

 petus. If we place them in a list in their order, 

 and overagainst each place the names of the planets 

 in their order from the sun, certain parallelisms 

 will appear : 



1. Mimas - - 1. Mercury. 



2. Euceladus - -2. Venus. 



3. Tethys - - -3. Earth. 



4. Dione - - - 4. Mars. 



5. Rhea - - 5. Asteroids. 



6. Titan - - - 6. Jupiter. 



7. Hyperion - - 7. Saturn. 



8. Japetus - - - 8. Uranus. 



The relative magnitudes and relative positions 

 of these bodies correspond in many points, I be- 

 lieve, so far as is at present known. Titan, like 

 Jupiter, is the largest of his system ; being but 

 little less in size than the primary planet Mars. 

 The next in magnitude is Japetus. Rhea is sup- 

 posed to be of considerable size. The four inner 

 ones are smaller than the others. Sir William 

 Herschell considered that Tethys was larger than 

 Euceladus, and Euceladus larger than Mimas. 

 Dione and Hyperion have not yet been well esti- 

 mated. These dimensions, if correct, correspond 

 in many points with those of the planets. The 

 first three satellites revolve in orbits of less dia- 

 meter than that of our moon. The orbit of Dione, 

 the fourth satellite, is almost precisely at the same 

 distance from its primary as the moon is from the 

 earth. As if to carry out the parallelism to the 

 utmost, the zodiacal light of the sun has often 

 been compared to the ring of Saturn. 



One remark it would appear arises out of these 

 observations, viz. that the laws of attraction and 

 gravitation seem to require, for the proper regu- 

 lation of the whole system, that where a number of 

 bodies of various sizes revolve round one common 

 centre, the larger body should revolve at a cer- 

 tain relative distance from that centre. Thus 

 Titan, like a huge pendulum, seems to sway and 

 maintain the regularity of the minor system, just 

 as Jupiter may be imagined to do in the great one. 



I must not intrude too far on your valuable 

 space, but there remain some interesting points 

 for discussion in the Saturnian system. 



John William Harris. 



Exon. 



CAPS AT CAMBRIDGE. 



(Vol. ix., p. 27.) 



The extract from an unpublished MS. given by 

 A Regent M.A. of Cambridge refers to the year 

 1620, as will appear from the following passages 

 in Anthony a Wood's Hist, and Antiq. of Univ. of 

 Oxford. 



" 1614. — In the latter end of the last and beginning 

 of this year, a spirit of sedition (as I may so call it) 

 possessed certain of the Regent Masters against the 

 Vicechanc. and Doctors. The chief and only matter 

 that excited them to it was their sitting like boys, bare- 

 beaded, in the Convocation-House, at the usual assem- 

 blies there, which was not, as 'twas thought, so fit, that 

 the Professors of the Faculty of Arts (on which the 

 University was founded) should, all things considered, 

 do it. The most forward person among them, named 

 Henry Wightwicke, of Gloucester Hall, having had 

 some intimation of a statute which enabled them to be 

 covered with their caps, and discovering also some- 

 thing in the large west window of St. Mary's Church, 

 where pictures of Regents and non- Regents were sit- 

 ting covered in assemblies before the Chancellor, clapt 



