i 
132 On the Formation of the Universe. 
creased, so that by the time its circumference had arrived 
about midway between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter, it 
would have thrown off as much matter as is contained in 
Saturn and its satellites. Make the same supposition for 
Jupiter, and so successively for all the planets below Jupi- 
ter. This ejected matter, unless the cause of motion were 
variable in its direction, would be left moving nearly in the 
same plane. Having lost its equilibrium the mutual attrac- 
tion of its parts would unavoidably draw it together. It 
would first collect into small bodies, and these into greater. 
As soon as reaction took place at the centre of a body, un- 
less the matter were perfectly dense, there is an infinity of 
_ chances against one, that it would commence a circular mo- 
tion similar in some degree to that of eddies and of whirl- 
inds. The circular motion of whirlwinds is produced by 
air proceeding, while unresisted, in a direct course towards 
a central line. Ina condensing insulated body the cir- 
cular motion would be produced by the force of the matter 
proceeding in a direct course towards a central point. . This 
motion would recede from the centre no faster than the 
reaction between the central wheels, and the aerial matter 
collecting towards it. When the central wheel had com- 
menced its motion, the collecting matter would proceed, 
not all the way in a direct course towards its centre, but in 
curved lines eventually becoming tangents to its circumfer- 
ence. This curved direction would be produced by fric- 
tion among the extreme concentric strata of the wheel, 
whose great rarity would render the deviation very gradu- 
al. here are cases with which we are familiar, where the 
motion of non elastic matter would be annihilated,while that 
of elastic matter is almost wholly retained ; and it seems in 
the case before us, as if the matter would be turned into a 
circular course without any very great loss in its acquired 
rectilinear motion. As the matter accumulated on the cen- 
tral wheel, there would be a constant increase of compres- 
would be no increase of compression ; and the strata neat 
the centre having the same increase of weight or pressure 
np ce MT MRE eR 
