i>9(> Miscellanies. 





faces of the particles ; then, a solid body, in free space, will arrange 

 the particles of an elastic homogeneous atmosphere about it, so that 

 they will be in regular columns, having their centres in right lines, 

 drawn from the centre of the solid body ; they will be all of the 

 same form ; the distances between their centres will be as their dis- 

 tances from the centre of the solid body; their magnitudes will be 

 as the cubes of those distances ; and their acting attractive forces, 

 will be inversely as the squares of those distances. And if two such 

 solid bodies, with similar elastic atmospheres, are made to approach 

 each other, in free space, they will gravitate toward each other, by 

 means of their elastic atmospheres alone, with forces inversely as 

 the squares of the distances between their centres. What is the 

 proof? 



2. With the same elements, there is a condition, by which the 

 particles may be easily movable among themselves, and around their 

 centres, in any required degree, so that the resistance which they 

 will present to a solid body moving among them, may be reduced to 

 any required degree of smallness. How is this demonstrated ? 



3. Supposing the two powers of the particles to be limited by and 

 to their own actual surfaces, and their repulsive power to be such as 

 Newton has made it, then there is a condition, or rather a supposed 

 property of the particles, entirely consistent with all their known 

 properties, which will give to them all the attributes of ubiquity, 

 which they really possess in nature, although their own powers are 

 confined to and within their own actual surfaces. What is that 

 property, and how is the proposition demonstrated : 



To all these propositions, I already have answers or demonstra- 

 tions, which appear to me decisive. Perhaps some other persons 

 may furnish better. 



Washington, March 15, 1833. 



{^Editors friendly to science, are respectfully requested to re- 

 publish the above. 



9. Prof. Hitchcock's Report on the Geology of Massachusetts. 

 The first part of this report, with a geological map, was published in 

 Vol. XXII of this Journal. We understand that the MS. of the re- 

 mainder is now nearly prepared, and that it will be published in the 

 autumn, by the government of Massachusetts, with a reprint of the 

 first part. 



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