238... Fossil Human Skeleton. 
without any suspicions being entertained on the subject, but 
M. Laplace confines his observations to those only whose hyper- 
bolic orbits may be recognised by actual observation. In fact we 
are not acquainted with one of the kind. _ 
Why are hyperbolic orbits so rare? This is a question which 
cannot be completely answered; and all that we can do is to 
apply to it the calculus of probabilities. If, among several cases, 
all appearing equally probable, there be one which seldom or 
never occurs, we may be authorised to conclude that there exists 
a cause for its being so rare. The chances which give a para- 
bola must be very few in comparison with the others. M. La- 
place, in fact, has ascertained that we may safely predicate that 
a nebulosity which penetrates within the sphere Ha the sun’s ac-. 
tivity, so as to be capable of being seen, will describe a very 
elongated ellipse or a hyperbola, which, from the magnitude of 
its axis, will sensibly coincide with a paratola in the part ob- 
served. It follows, from the analysis of M. Laplace, that in the 
case most favourable to hyperbolas it is 56 to 1 that the hyper- 
bola will not be perceptible. ‘Thus we might almost exciude 
this curve, and it would be so much calculation saved. In fact, 
the hyperbola is never tried till both the parabola and ellipsis 
have failed. 
[To be continued. ] 
XLIX. Intelligence and. Miscelianeous Articles. 
® 
FOSSIL HUMAN SKELETON. 
Tus singular fossil is now placed among the minerals in the Bri- 
tish Museum ; the mass of stone bearing the skeleton, is fixed nearly 
erect in one of the glass compartments; it is little more than 
four feet long, about two broad, and from four to nine inches 
thick. Although the head, neck, and feet are wanting, it is evi-+ 
dent that the being to whom these bones belonged must have 
been of a stature rather less than men in general. The finger~ 
bones of the left hand are situated so closely between those of 
the pelvis and thigh, being almost touching, that all the integu- 
ments must have been destroyed beiore these bones were en- 
veloped with the calcareous matter. The block itself is a fine 
granular limestone, neither so compact as to appear uniformly 
crystallized, nor so porous as our common calcareous sandstones. 
There is some very similar limestone in the neighbourhood of 
Maidstone and West Malling, in Kent ; the chief difference being 
that parts of the fragments of shells in this Guadaloupe stone are 
a bright red, while those in the Kentish stone are gray or yel- 
lowish. Its fracture presents an appearance between that of a 
calcareous 
