151 



Annalium Societatis Erudite Hungaricap, Volumeii Secundum. 



liy the Hungarian Literary Society. 



Maps of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain. Published by the 

 Board of Ordnance. Nos. 51. and 60 By tlic Board of Ord- 

 nance. 



Twenty Charts, forming part of the Pilote Frantjais. — By the Ma- 

 rine Depot of France. 



The following Communications were read : — 



1. On an Arrangement of the Planets and Satellites, accord- 

 ing to their Distances and Masses. By John Paterson, 

 Esq. Schoolmaster of Douglas. 



The author has suggested an empirical law, which seems to him 

 to regulate the arrangement of the planets and satellites. Bode 

 long ago proposed an empirical law, which he thought regulated 

 the distances of the planets from the sun ; namely, that their dis- 

 tances form a series, increasing by the successive powers of the 

 number 2. Mr Paterson has propounded another similar law, in 

 regard to their sizes ; namely, that throughout the planetary sys- 

 tem there is a regular alternating increase and decrease in size, as 

 the planets increase in distance from the sun, or the satellites from, 

 the planets they accompany : that there is a progressive increase 

 from the first to the third, a decrease from the third to the fifth, an 

 increase, again, from the fifth to the seventh, and again a decrease 

 from the seventh to the ninth. He illustrates this supposed law by 

 referring to the respective masses of the planets, and of the satel- 

 lites of Jupiter and Saturn ; and he observes, that, in order to bring 

 the whole solar system under the law, it is necessary that two new 

 planets be still discovered between Mars and Jupiter. 



The law thus conceived to exist, is deduced empirically alone ; 

 no reason is assigned why it ought to be observed in the constitu- 

 tion of the solar system. 



2. Notice regarding the Composition and Properties of cer- 

 tain Concrete Juices, resembling Gamboge. By Dr 

 Christison. 

 This notice is intended as a supplement to the observations read 

 last session by the author, on the composition and sources of the 



