THE QUARTEKLY 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



JANUAEY, 1869. 



I. THE ETHEEEAL HYPOTHESIS OF LIGHT. 



By James Samuelson, Editor. 



The thirst for knowledge in the human mind is as insatiable as the 

 wants of an immortal soul are necessarily unlimited. There are 

 indeed myriads, content to go their daily rounds and confine their 

 inquiries to the price of corn, cotton, consols, or whatever staple 

 may serve to provide them with the necessaries and luxuries of life ; 

 but there are nobler men than those, who would rather be the 

 discoverers of a secret in nature that yields wealth to thousands, 

 than one of the ignorant thousands who reap the fruits of their 

 researches ; and of such men none have shown themselves more 

 disinterestedly devoted to their intellectual calling than the students 

 of physical and chemical science. Indeed it is almost to be regretted 

 that they are not a little more worldly, for in that case their scientific 

 theories and speculations would probably rest upon a more material 

 basis than they sometimes do at present. Amongst the numerous 

 subjects which are now engaging the attention of physical philoso- 

 phers, there is none, perhaps, of deeper interest either to scientific 

 men or to the lovers of the mysterious in nature, than that which 

 relates to the illimitable sj)ace, wherein the universe of suns and 

 planets moves incessantly, which serves as the medium to convey 

 intelhgence from sphere to sphere, and to communicate life from 

 the great centres to the sm-rounding orbs. But it is rather as 

 a curious inquirer, than with any pretensions to original research ; 

 rather in the hope that my observations and criticisms may sti- 

 mulate discussion and cause further investigation, than with any 

 expectation that they will throw fresh hght upon so difiicult and 

 obscure a cosmical inquiry, that I propose its consideration in the 

 present article. 



There are in the present day two distinct theories in relation to 

 light, arising not from any difference of opinion as to the action of 



VOL. VI. . B 



