CONTINUITY. 187 



biting a spiral form) as it does with us ; possibly some other 

 modifying influence may exist, our present ignorance of which 

 gives rise to the apparent difficulty. There is, however, 

 another class of observations quite recent in its importance, and 

 which has formed a special subject of contribution to the 

 reports and transactions of this Association ; I allude to those 

 on Meteorites, at which our lamented member, and to many of 

 us our valued friend, Prof. Baden Powell, assiduously laboured, 

 for investigations into which a Committee of this Association is 

 formed ; and a series of star-charts for enabling observers of 

 shooting-stars to record their observations was laid before the 

 last meeting of the Association by Mr. Glaisher. 



It would occupy too much of your time to detail the efforts 

 of Bessel, Schwinke, the late Sir J. Lubbock, and others, as 

 applied to the formation of star-charts for aiding the observa- 

 tion of meteorities which Mr. Alexander Herschel, Mr. 

 Brayley, Mr. Sorby, and others are now studying. 



Dr. Olmsted explained the appearance of a point from 

 which the lines of flight of meteors seem to radiate, as being the 

 perspective vanishing-point of their parallel or nearly parallel 

 courses, appearing divergent to an observer on the earth as 

 they approach it. The uniformity of position of these radiant 

 points, the many corroborative observations on the direction, 

 the distances, and the velocities of these .bodies, the circum- 

 stance that their paths intersect the earth's orbit at certain 

 definite periods, and the total failure of all other theories 

 which have been advanced, while there is no substantial objec- 

 tion to this, afford evidence almost amounting to proof that 

 these are cosmical bodies moving in the interplanetary space by 

 gravitation around the sun, and some perhaps around planets. 

 This view gives us a new element of continuity. The universe 

 would thus appear not to have the extent of empty space for- 

 merly attributed to it, but to be studded between the larger 

 and more visible masses with smaller planets, if the term be 

 permitted to be applied to meteorites. 



Observations are now made at the periods at which me- 

 teors appear in greatest numbers at Greenwich, by Mr. 

 Glaisher ; at Cambridge, by Prof. Adams ; and at Hawkhurst, 

 by Mr. Alexander Herschel ; and every preparation is made 



