386 SCIENCE IN SHORT CHAPTERS. 



idea of the red-heat of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Nep- 

 tune, and showed that all sucli compounds as water must 

 be dissociated at the base of the sun's atmosphere ; but 

 being then unacquainted with the existence of this critical 

 state of matter, I supposed the dissociated elements to exist 

 as gases with a small solid nucleus or kernel in the centre. 



Applying now the researches of Dr. Andrews to the con- 

 ditions of solar existence, as I formerly applied the disso- 

 ciation researches of Deville, I conclude that the sun has 

 no nucleus, either solid, liquid, or gaseous, but is composed 

 of dissociated matter in the critical state, surrounded, first, 

 by a flaming envelope due to the re-combination of the dis- 

 sociated matter, and outside of this another envelope of 

 vapors due to this combination. 



MURCHISON AND BABBAGE. 



THE curious contrast of character presented by these two 

 eminent men, and the very different course of their lives, 

 conveys a striking lesson to all those superficial thinkers 

 and unthinking talkers who make sweeping generalizations 

 concerning human character; who assume as a matter of 

 course that any man who writes poetry must be merely a 

 dreamer of day-dreams, incapable of transacting any prac- 

 tical daily business, and not at all reliable in money matters; 

 whose eyes are always "in a fine frenzy rolling"; that lie 

 is, in short, a sort of amiable, harmless lunatic. All actors, 

 according to such people, are dissipated spendthrifts; and 

 if Sims Beeves, or any other public performer, is prevented 

 by delicate larynx or other indisposition from appearing, 

 they look knowing, shrug their shoulders, wink wisely, and 

 assume, without the faintest shadow of evidence, that he is 

 drunk. 



In like manner they set up a typical philosopher of their 

 own manufacture, and attribute his imaginary character to 

 all who devote themselves to science. Their philosopher is 

 a musty, dried-up, absent-minded pedant, whose ordinary 



