Chase.] ^^^ [Oct. 6, 



jump at the conclusion that it is established by the second law of thermo- 

 dynamics. The "reproach " which that law involves is increasingly felt 

 by able investigators (Note 278, 8), and even if it should at last be unani- 

 mously admitted that the reproach is unavoidable, it is more satisfactory 

 to suppose a continual restoration of energy by divine supervision, than 

 to believe in the spasmodic alternations of rest and activity, which are 

 taught in the Hindoo mythology. 



286. Refraction of Energy. 

 The important cosmical time-integrals and the triple identity of funda- 

 mental velocities (Notes, 280-3), seem to be indicative of a continual 

 equivalence of centripetal and centrifugal activities, such as LeSage made 

 the basis of his hypothesis ; the rotation of stellar centres serving both to 

 maintain the active energies of the universe and to provide cyclical ad- 

 justments of equilibrium. The apparent requirements of thermo-dy- 

 namics may, perhaps, be partially satisfied by the probability that the 

 aethereal atmosphere of every star has a relatively hot and a relatively 

 cold hemisphere. It seems possible that all radiations, luminous, thermal, 

 electrical, or kinetic in any other form, may be so refracted, in their pas- 

 sage through the various stellar atmospheres, as to be either reflected 

 from star to star, or transiently absorbed by media which can speedily be 

 enabled, by stellar rotation, to give them out again. 



287. Another PJiyllotactic Atomic Divisor. 



The di- and tetratomic group of chemical elements can be more nearly 



represented by the phyllotactic divisor | C = 7.9824, than by 8 H (Notes, 



271-2). 



O. 



15.9633 



31.984 



78,797 

 127.960 



23.959 



39.990 



87.374. 

 136.763 



11.9736 



28.195 



49.846 



89.367 

 117.698 

 199.712 



95.527 

 183.610 



17 (log. D = .90213) 



Logarithm of mean residual. 



