234 ' Scientific News, <jfc. 



Propofals have been circulated by Mr. A. Q. Buee, a French clergyman at Bath, for 

 publifhing, by fubfcriptlon, a work, entitled, Recherches Mathematiques fur la Texture 

 intime des Corps; or, Mathematical Enquiries concerning the intimate Texture of Bodies ; 

 of which he is the author. It will be printed on fine paper, and illuftrated with 

 fix copperplates. The manufcript is in the hands of the printer, and the work will be 

 put to prefs as foon as one hundred and fifty fubfcribers (hall be obtained at half a guinea each: 

 the price will be greater to non-fubfcribers. Meffrs. Dulau and Co. Cox, White, and 

 Phillips, are authorifed to receive fubfcriptions. 



The author of the above treatife has drawn up and printed (in French) an outline of its 

 contents, in twenty-three odlavo pages. From the perufal of this, I gather that it is a work 

 of coiifiderable novelty and importance. Whether any philofopher has before undertaken to 

 folve the phenomena of nature, by the univerfal combination of projcftile forces with the 

 attr;<£live power, in the particles of matter, is to me unknown ; and it is evidently impoffible for 

 me to (peak of the manner in which he has treated this curious fubjeft. I am aware alfo, of the 

 diiBcuIties aiid probability of millake attendant on an endeavour to give an outline of an 

 outline. In fact, there muft be a large part of the author's Iketch which will be unintelligible, 

 without reference to the treatife itfelf; notwithftanding which confiderations, I am perfuaded 

 that my readers will be pleafed to know fomething more of this object. 



The author begins his Iketch, by ftating that we are acquainted with two fafls concerning the 

 intimate texture of bodies: namely, their cryftallization, which fhews that their elements are 

 difpofed in right lines; and their dilatation by heat, which fliews that thofe elements are 

 not in conta(5t. From the two grand laws of attraftion, following the inverfe ratio of the 

 fquares of the di fiances, and that of inertia, the mutual a(5tion of the elements upon each 

 other may Ite expreffed by an algebraic equation : this may be called the equation of the 

 material univerfe. The author could not enter upon it in his (ketch, and therefore only ob- 

 ferves, that, accordinor to this equation, each element defcribes a line, which if there were 

 but three elements prefent, would "be the fame as is well known in phyfical aftronomy in the 

 problem of the three bodies, but univerfally is the refult of as many fmall arcs of conic feiElions 

 as there are other elements. 



As fome of the conic fec^ions return into themfelves, and others do not, the elements will 

 be fome planetary, and fome cometary ; the- latter being diftinguilhed from the former, by a 

 greater initial velocity. But the cometary elements ariving in the vicinity of other elements 

 are difturbed, and made to circulate round a certain number of elements ; the planetary 

 elements ofcillate. 



Abfolute repofe or equilibrium has, therefore, no place in bodies, except eventually and for 

 minute portions of time ; but apparent repofe is produced by the rapidity of ofcillation in the 

 planetary elements, and the conftancy of their greateft and leaft diftances ; this apparent re- 

 pofe implies fymmetrical arrangement, and the great agents of this fymmetry are the cometary 

 felements. 



The doftrine of fymmetry is applied to the explanation of chemical fadts. Four kinds of 

 aggregation include all the poflible fyftems of elements : i. Igniform aggregations; containing 



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