43 



ON THE PROBABLE CONDITION OF THE INTERIOR 

 OF THE EARTH. 



(with a plate.) 



A Lecture delivered at the Annual Meeting, Cockermouth, 

 April 22nd, 1878. 



By Sir GEORGE AIRY, K.C.B., F.R.S., Astronomer-Royal. 



Some time ago your Secretary, Mr. Ward, suggested to me 

 that an address might be given by me in this Hall on the subject 

 of the Probable Condition of the Interior of the Earth. I was not 

 able at that time to attend to his suggestion, but at a later time, 

 when your President kindly called upon me to appear before you, 

 I adopted the suggestion of Mr. Ward in the selection of that 

 subject. And in doing this, which I do upon my own responsbility, 

 I wish to remark that the nature of the subject is different from 

 any on which I ever lectured before, — in regard to its indefiniteness, 

 to the doubts on some parts, to the difficulties all through ; — and 

 if I considered it to be my absolute duty to lead you to a definite 

 point, I should have found some difficulty in doing so. But I can 

 give you somewhat as explaining my ideas of probability, and I 

 can advert to points that will be found interesting and valuable. 

 I propose to take my address in three parts. The first will relate 

 to measures generally of the earth ; the second will relate generally 

 to observations of temperature ; and the third will relate to the 

 manner in which we may suppose the earth to have been formed, 

 especially with reference to the nebular hypothesis ; and after that 

 I shall give you my general notions upon the conclusions to which 

 they all lead. 



