44 " FRESH WOODS AND PASTURES NEW." 



pact of meteoric matter; and it is possible that 

 the sun's fires may be fed with partly mineral 

 matter, and again for considerable periods with 

 meteorites, highly charged with hydrogen, giving 

 the sun a far-reaching atmosphere of the ignited 

 gas." 



Professor Proctor, in recapitulating these the- 

 ories, says : " By all of them the means of sus- 

 taining the solar excitation would in time be 

 exhausted." In referring to the pounding of 

 meteors on the sun as on an anvil, the professor 

 remarks : " All the uproar on our earth would 

 be an absolute quiet compared with this; even 

 including the hideous groanings of earthquakes." 

 To cheer his audience with the hope of not being 

 left in the dark by the last fading glimmer of 

 expiring sunshine, the professor humorously sug- 

 gests : " Our sun is swiftly travelling through the 

 space of the heavens, carrying with him all the 

 planets and comets ; and in the course of his 

 travels may come to new regions of meteors, as 

 to * fresh woods and pastures new.' " 



Our American astronomer, Professor Young, 

 modestly says : " What sustains the tremendous 

 solar heat, I cannot answer." 



THE SUN COMPOSED OF ELEMENTARY SUBSTANCES 

 SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE EARTH. 



The following list of elementary substances ex- 

 isting in the globe of the sun is given by J. N. 



