DISCOVERY OF A NEW RING ON SATURN. 119 



solid. He maintains unconditionally that there is no con- 

 ceivable form of irregularity and no combination of ir- 

 regularities consistent with an actual ring, which would 

 serve to retain it permanently about the primary, if it 

 were solid. He maintains that Laplace's statement of the 

 sustaining power of an irregularity, was a careless sug- 

 gestion, which was dropped at random, and never sub- 

 jected to the scrutiny of a rigid analysis. Moreover the 

 fluid ring can not be regarded as one of real permanence 

 without the aid of foreign support. This support he 

 finds in the action of the satellites. The satellites are 

 constantly disturbing the ring, and yet they sustain it in 

 the very act of perturbation. No planet, he thinks, can 

 have a ring unless it is surrounded by a sufficient number 

 of properly arranged satellites. 



"We might hope to obtain important information re- 

 specting the constitution of the rings of Saturn, if it could 

 be observed in its passage over some bright star. In that 

 case the light of the star might be seen through each suc- 

 cessive opening between ring and ring, provided the 

 width of the opening were sufficient to allow the visual 

 ray to clear the thickness of the rings. It would be im- 

 portant to notice whether the light of the star disappeared 

 suddenly behind each of the rings in succession, or 

 whether there was any appearance of refraction. Whis- 

 ton informs us that Dr. Clarke's father saw a fixed star 

 between the ring and the body of the planet ; and Pro- 

 fessor Kobison mentions a star's having been seen in the 



