PAL/EOMOLOGY, 99 



many millions of miles, while her perihelion lies in the same quaiier 

 of the Heavens, yet, by reason of her greater eccentricity, her orbit runs 

 within that of Vesta, from about long. 170° to 2-50°, nearly one-fourth of 

 her whole circuit. 



This intersection of orbits must however be understood with some 

 allowance. If they all lie in the same plane, the intersection would be 

 absolute; and if two planets should arrive at an intersection at the same 

 time a collision must take place ; but since no two orbits lie in the same 

 plane, their intersection with each other, considered as lines, can be true 

 only in the possible case of the points of intersection falling upon the 

 line, in which the planes of the orbits intersect. In all other cases the 

 two planets, though apparently occupying the same point when viewed 

 in a line perpendicular to the plane bisecting the angle of intersection of 

 their orbits, will still be separated by an interval equal, at least, to the 

 difference of their latitudes. In the case of Astraea, there seems to be 

 no danger of collision ; her latitude appears to differ not less than one 

 degree from that of all tlie others, at the point of intersection, and in 

 the cases mentioned by Dr. Dick, the difference of latitudes is still greater ; 

 nor does there appear, from a careful comparison of tlieir elements, any 

 probability of any pair of these bodies coming in actual contact, though 

 there is a bare possibility of so near an approach as to convert the 

 smaller of the two into a .satellite of the larger. 



It is as well to remark, that the orbit of Astreea agrees with the sup- 

 position of a common point of re-union among all the different fragments 

 of the large planet from which these smaller ones have been supposed 

 to have been severed. The nearest approach of all the orbits being in 

 the long. 150°, where the orbits of Ceres and Juno intersect that of Pal- 

 las, lying within, at a distance O.4., while Astraea and Vesta lie close to- 

 gether, about midway of the above distance. 



Since writing the above, I have examined Kendall's Uranography, in 

 which the intersections of Vesta's orbit are correctly described. 



PALAEONTOLOGY, OR FOSSIL REMAINS. 



There are many natural phenomena, which either excite the admi- 

 ration of men by their brilliancy, or strike them with terror by their dis- 

 astrous effects. There are others, on the contrary, which, not less full 

 of interest and not less worthy of investigation, have yet, for a long time, 

 remained unobserved, because there is nothing about them calculated to 

 attract the attention of the crovvd. Fossil remains belong to this latter 

 clasG, and although they are connected with the most inlerc&ling and 



