A Discourse on the Theory of Fluzions. 57 
to explain this part of the theory, HA have involved it in a 
greater obscurity and mystery, than the nature of the sub- 
ject renders necessary. That the wititigle of cause and ef- 
fect in the fluxional ea which considers the fluxion as 
the cause, an the t as the effect, does not explain the 
relation, 1 is manifest Pe the fact, that the fluxion is not the 
tire cause = the reasoning proceeds upon the principle, that 
every effect is proportional to its cause. But the fluxi ion, 
which operates at the moment the fluent is completed, is in 
a great measure different ae that, which operated, when 
the fluent began to be produc n the constantly varying 
motion which the fluent is pararey either some part of 
the generating cause has gone out of existence, or a conge- 
ries of eis causes has arisen, which did not operate at the 
commencement. From this consideration it is manifest, that 
the theory requires some additional principle to be introdu- 
ced. That it is not embraced in the supposition, that a flux- 
ion is an elementary part of its fluent, is evident, first, from 
the consideration that the derivation of the fluent from the 
diseatetpetiog should arise on this account, a new _assi ign- 
ment may be made still nearer to the truth: but yet this is 
found to make no difference in the final result. This con- 
sideration is a sufficient evidence, that no use is made of 
this elementary part, but the relation of fluxion and fluent 
depends upon other principles. 
In a paper communicated to the Connecticut Academy of 
Arts and Sciences, and published in Vol. XIV. of the Jour- 
nal of Science, I attempted to supply a few links in the chain 
of illustration which I judged to be wanting. It may, per- 
haps, be thought a fruitless undertaking, to] presume to add 
any thing to the elaborate researches of Ne ewton, Leibnitz, 
Euler, La Grange, La Place, &c. but when it is considered, 
that they were urged on by the attractions of a most sublime 
and beautiful discovery, to make still new advances in the 
practical part, it — not be — strange, if they have 
Vor. XVI.—No. 
