On the Precession of the Equinoces. 139 
Ant. XII.—On the Precession of the Equinoxes. 
To the Editor of the American Journal of Science. 
a 
SI 
dorum,” and that the Precession of the Equinoxes is owing 
to the advance of the system in this orbit, while the earth re- 
volves in the Ecliptic. I refer the reader to that article, 
for further particulars. I beg permission to say a few words 
relative to the writer’s objections to the old theory, and also 
to mention some objections that arise in my mind to his 
“recently discovered” theory. 
1. He says “that different astronomers with equal con- 
fidence, form different conclusions relative to the size and 
shape”’ of the Equatorial ring, “and until these are posi- 
tively known, no rational or conclusive demonstration can 
be made of the nature and power of its attraction.” _ It has 
been satisfactorily proved by the Trigonometrical Surveys, 
and by the vibration of the pendulum that the Equatorial 
diameter of the earth, exceeds the Polar at least thirty-four 
miles, and consequently it is proved that a protuberant ring 
of matter surrounds the earth seventeen miles in thickness 
: o ‘ ; 
wise been calculated that the influence of the sun upon the 
equatorial ring to turn it about its centre is equal to the in- 
uence it would exert upon a ring of moons placed at the 
