—— —— 
oS a ee 
On the Formation of the Universe. 41 
direction of P’s motion, which would be continued toward 
the stationary point at s, because toward that point the force 
would be instantly and’ constantly increased, while toward 
that at m it would be in like manner diminished. Butif 
part of the ring at s were considerably more massive than 
the other parts, then as s passed round, P would incline to 
follow it: buts constantly changing the direction of its force 
on P, would tend to draw it from its original direction; while 
the momentum, acquired by P, would tend to continue itin that 
direction; and P would eventually move in a small orbit within 
the ring. Forsometime after the commencement of P’s mo- 
tion, s would act upon it in some chord of P’s orbit. The direc- 
tion of its action would continually move toward the centre of 
motion, till it arrived at it, and there it would stop; and the 
centre of motion would coincide’ with the centre of gravity. 
For P having acquired its greatest possible motion, and that 
of s being reduced to its least degree, s would have no ten- 
dency 10 vibrate to the other side, and of course could not 
draw P backward in its orbit. The same reasoning will ap- 
ply to the sun and planets, and to the primary planets and 
— a reemses and the general centres of motion and of 
than the explosive theory of the asteroid. Notwithstand- 
ing, there appears to be considerable difficulty womans it. 
form which glass assumes, by whirling when 
State, gives it a very considerable degele of phamibiligy 3 but 
the mutual attraction between the parts of a small glass 
~ must be very trifling compared with that in the ring of 
aturn, so that the analogy is very incomplete. The dis- 
tance between the limits of the smaller and greater spheroids, 
which may be produced in the same body of fluid or aerial 
- matter, by the same angular velocity, is very great; and the 
y while passing between these limits could not maintain 
an equilibrium. Its parts must of course while passing 
through the whole of that distance tend to collect together 
irregularly. Besides, a whirling plate of glass is thicker at 
the circumference, than at the parts between the centre and 
circumference ; so that the analogy, imperfect re it is, mili- 
tates against the theory. But if the case were attended with 
Ro difficulty, Dr. Robison has, at least in some fap, gone 
