260 Prof. Whewell’s Demonstration 
Art. VIL —A Letter to William Whewell, Professor of Moral 
Philosophy in the University of Cambridge, England, in 
reply to certain allegations and arguments sidianedel in @ 
pamphlet entitled a Demonstration that all Matter is Heavy ;* 
by Rosert Hare, M. D., Professor of Chemistry in the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania. 
1. Dear Sir—I thank you for your kind attention in sending 
me a copy of your pamphlet entitled a “ Demonstration that 
all Matter is Heavy,” comprising a communication made to the 
Cambridge Philosophical Society. 
2. I conceive that to demonstrate that all matter is heavy, is, in 
other words, to prove that all matter is endowed with attraction of 
gravitation, or that general property which, when it causes 
bodies to tend towards the centre of the exact is called weight. 
Hence to assert that all matter is heavy, is no more than to say, 
that attraction of gravitation exists between al] or any masses of 
batts t 
. You say, “it may be urged that we have no difficulty ir in con- 
onion of matter which is not heavy.” I have no hesitation in 
asserting, that there should be no difficulty in entertaining such a 
conception ; since I cannot understand why any two masses 
may not be as readily conceived to repel as to attract each other; 
or neither to attract nor to repel. Is it not easier to imagine two 
remote masses indifferent to each other, than that they act upon 
each other? Is any thing more — to understand than that 
a body can act where it is not? ue ‘° 
A. Itisalso mentioned by you, that it may be urged “that iner- 
tia and weight are two separate properties of matter.” Now 1 will 
not only urge, but also, with all due deference, will undertake to 
show, that the existence of inertia may as well be proven, and 
ee estimated, bp means-of repulsion as eit means of 
attraction. 
se * ‘ransstions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 
"wereld that Dr. letter wonld be om understood by our 
vaidontl we ion” of Prof. Whewell, as it has prob? 
ce 
ably been seen by few persons in peasy It will accordingly be found in full at 
the end of Dr. Hare’s letter. —Eps. sais 
