NOMOS. 113 



Earth in her orbit, in short, are precisely what they 

 should be if there are these differences in the reacting 

 powers of land and water which are here supposed ; 

 and hence we may assume that the ellipticity of the 

 earth's orbit may depend upon those variations of 

 sol-terrestrial action which are consequent upon the 

 alternate exposure of land and water to the Sun. 

 And certainly there is no reason for supposing that 

 these differences of action are insufficient, for they 

 are far from inconsiderable, and, considerable or 

 inconsiderable, they cannot be inoperative. 



And hence it appears that the peculiar orbital 

 movements of the Earth may, without any undue 

 stretch of fancy, be accounted for on the same 

 principles as those which explain the rotation of a 

 magnet around a conductor. 



It appears, moreover, that the very Theiawof 

 same reactions which produce the orbital 17 ^Suw.. 

 movements will also necessitate rotation count for the 



rotation of 



upon the polar axis, for the direct result of the Earth 



.1 ,. i upon her 



these reactions is to cause preponderating ax i s . 

 attraction on one side of this axis. 



On proceeding to consider the movements of the 

 other planets, we are at once struck with a fact 

 which appears to militate very strongly Difficultyof 



against the correctness of the previous ex- 



. . . these princi- 



planation ; and this is the numerical re- pies to the 

 lationship of these movements. If these oTthT 6 " 

 movements are to be explained in the plar 

 same manner as the movements of the Earth, it is to 

 be expected that a certain common ratio will be de- 



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