1821.] 



On the Elliptical Motions of the Planets. 



produce a progressive mimdane effect ? 

 To this it may be replied, first, that 

 water, in its action on land, is con- 

 tinually encroaching ; and that the 

 southern oceans are constantly en- 

 larging their beds to the northward ; 

 and herein exists a power of progres- 

 sive change, by changing the position 

 of the accommodating fluids. The 

 sea thus progresses northward and 

 southward, owing to its peculiar powers 

 as a fluid instrument, becoming itself 

 the means of disturbing the equilibrium 

 of the very forces which put it into 

 action. 



The same difference between the re- 

 action of the northern and southern he- 

 mispheres of the earth is doubtless the 

 cause of the inclination of the planes of 

 tlie Ecliptic and Equator. The centrifu- 

 gal force of the southern waters counter- 

 acts the force with which (he rotatory 

 and orbicular force seek the same 

 plane; and hence the present position of 

 the earth's axis is the result of a balance 

 of the operative forces. 



Let any searclier after tiuth read 

 the Diagrams of Newton, translating 

 his two hypothetical forces into solar 

 impulse and terrestrial re-action, and 

 he will find that, however dissimilar 

 nature and geometry have been made, 

 they nevertheless duly coincide when 

 thoroughly understood. By this sys- 

 tem they are completely united, and, 

 in spite of superstition, bigotry, and 

 dogmatism, it is to be hoped they will 

 never again be separated. 



Thus, in accounting for these phe- 

 nomena, instead of having to invent 

 (1) a mysterious force, drawing by a 

 jwwer sui generix towards a centre, (2) 

 another force, whose direction is never 

 fixed, and yet must always be compe- 

 tent to counteract the other ; (3j a vir- 

 tual elliptical orbit, i)rojected in space, 

 the sun being carefully placed in one 

 of its foci, in order that the orbit may 

 be described by the radii-vectores, 

 and the tangent with equal areas in 

 equal times, and (4) a vacuum, ex- 

 tended in space lest the projectile force 



should be diminished Instead of all 



these miracles — the new system simply 

 requires the admission of the following 

 progressive postulata: (1) that equal 

 quantities of matter, equally moved, 

 produce e<(ual forces; (2j that une- 

 qual quantities of matter, equally mov- 

 ed, produce unequal forces; (3) that 

 equal quantifies of matter, une((ually 

 moved. produ('eune/|nal forces; (4) that 

 une^pial Torres or motions, applied to 



213 



equal quantities, or to the same quan 

 titles of matter, produce unequal quan- 

 tities of motion ; (5) that in a continu- 

 ous lever in equilibrio, the arms on 

 each side the fulcrum, are inversely as 

 the (|uantities of matter; or, that the 

 motions aie in that ratio; (fi) that mo- 

 nientum,propagated in and through any 

 fliiidor gaseous medium, diverges, and, 

 couse(|uently, at different distances, is 

 inversely as the square of tiip distance; 

 (7) that fluids, or gases, subject totliat 

 law of diminution, are as perfect con- 

 ductors of force as levers of continuous 

 fixed matter ; (8) that action and re- 

 action are universally equal ; (9) that 

 all motion is derived from some other 

 motion; (10) that all received motion 

 is again imparted to fixed or gaseous 

 bodies; (11) that through fixed bodies 

 or levers it is imparted in simple ra- 

 tio, but in gaseous ones in duplicate 

 ratio ; (12) that space Ls filled with a 

 gaseous medium ; (13) that the sun 

 revolves round the centre of the masses 

 or fulcrum of the solar system ; (14) 

 that his force is diffused through the 

 gaseous medium of space, inversely as 

 the square of the distance ; (15) that 

 the planetary atmospheres and their 

 nuclei are necessarily moved by 

 this medium ; (16) that they 're-act 

 on the medium of space and on the sun 

 directly as the quantities of matter; 



(17) that owing to their heterogeneous 

 and fluid composition, they re-act un- 

 equally in different positions, and hence 

 revolve in unequal or elliptical orbits ; 



(18) that their diffused re-action ex- 

 tends to their satellites, and to one ano- 

 ther ; (19) and that through the instru- 

 mentality of the medium of space, an 

 universal system of action and re-action 

 pervades the solar system and the 

 universe, necessarily producing all the 

 harmonious results which we witness. 



The steps are eiisy, simple, gradual 

 and natural, which lead from the first 

 principles, and which connect the whole, 

 till we arrive at the mechanism of na- 

 ture in the sublimest aspects in which 

 she can be viewed. 



Common Sense. 



To the Editor of the Montlily Magazine. 

 SIR, * 



" Such haiTOony is in immortal sounds." 

 Shakespeare. 



WE are told that Pythagoras in- 

 vented the musical scale, and 

 that Guido improved it. It may with 

 equal propriety he asserted, that certain 

 reasoners invented the law of gravity 



