Jan-. 16, 1S65.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



47 



interfering with their free use in the improvement and 

 cheapening of our food supplies. I am also treating such 

 vegetable food material with various acids for the same 

 purpose, and make the same claim in reference to this. 



When by these or other means we convert vegetable 

 tissue into dextrine and sugar, as it is naturally converted 

 in the ripening of a pear, and as it has been artitioially 

 converted in our laboratories, we shall extend our fooil 

 supplies in an incalculable degree. Swedes, turnips, mangold- 

 wurzels, ic, will become delicate diet for invalids, horse- 

 beans better than beef ; delicate biscuits and fancy pastry, 

 as well as ordinary bread, will be produced from sawdust 

 and wood-shaviugs, plus a little leguminous Hour. 



This may be done now. Long ago I converted an old 

 pocket-handkerchief and part of an old shirt into sugar. 

 Other chemists have done the like in their laboratories. It 

 has yet to be done in the kitchen. 



I should add that the sugar referred to in all the above 

 is not cane-sugar, but the sugar corresponding to that in 

 the grape and in honey. It is less sweet than cane or beet 

 sugar, and a better food. 



I no!v conclude this series with the expression of my 

 tirm conviction that the application of chemical science to 

 cookery is capable of vastly extending and improving our 

 food-supplies, and thereby of greatly increasing the numbers 

 of prosperous human beings capable of living on the earth. 

 This, however, demands a great deal of further experiment-il 

 research. 



I have done so little of this in proportion to my sug- 

 gestions for further research that I fear my readers will 

 liken these papers to those others found by Prince Hal in 

 the pockets of Jack FalstatF, " Oh, monstrous ! l)ut one half- 

 pennyworth of experimental bread to this intolerable deal 

 of speculative sack ! " 



OTHER WORLDS THAN OURS. 



A WEEK'S CONTEESATION OX THE PLURALITY OF 

 WOfiLDS. 



By Moxs. de Foxteselle. 



with notes by richard a. proctor. 



THE FOURTH EVENING (continued). 



*' TT "^E are now arrived at the centre, which is always the 



> \ bottom or lowest place of what is round ; if we 

 go on we must ascend : we shall find Mercury, Venus, the 

 Earth, the Moon, and all the planets we have already 

 visited ; the next is Mars, who affords nothing curious that 

 I know of ; his day is not quite an hour longer than ours, 

 Ijut his year is twice as long. He is a little less than the 

 earth, and the sun seems not altogether so large and so 

 'oright to him, as it appears to us. But let us leave -Mars, 

 he is not worth our stay." 



" But what a pretty thing is Jupiter, with his four moons, 

 or yeomen of the guard '. They are four little planets that 

 turn round him, as our moon turns round us." 



" But why," says she, interrupting me, " must there be 

 planets to turn round other planets, tliat are no better than 

 themselves. I should think it would be more regular and 

 uniform, that all the planets, little and great, without any 

 distinction, should have one and the same motion round 

 the sun." 



"Ah, Madam," said I, "if you knew what were Des- 

 cartes's whirlpools or vortexes (whose name is terrible, but 

 their idea pleasant) you would not talk as you do." 



"Must my head" (says she, smiling) "turn round to 

 comprehend 'em, or must I become a perfect fool to under- 



stand the mysteries of philosophy 1 Well, let the world 

 say what it will, go on with your whirlpools." 



" I will," said I ; "and you shall see the whirlpools are 

 worthy of th(>so transports. 



" That, then, which wo call a whirlpool or vortex is a 

 mass of matter whose parts are separated or detach'd one 

 from another, yet have all one uniform motion ; and at the 

 same time every one is allow'd, or has a particular motion 

 of its own, provided it follows the general motion. Thus 

 a vortex of wind, or whirlpool, is an iuliuity of little par- 

 ticles of air, which turn round altogi^ther, and involve 

 whatever they meet with. You know the planets are borne 

 up by the celestial matter, which is very subtile and 

 active ; so that this great mass, or ocean of celestial matter, 

 which Hows as far as from the sun to the fixed stars, turns 

 round, and bears the planets along with it, making them 

 all turn after the same manner round the sun, who iiossessea 

 the center, but in a longer or a shorter time, according as 

 they are farther or nearer in distance to it. There is not 

 any planet next the sun, which does not turn, but he turns 

 on himself, because he is just in the middle of this celestial 

 matter; and you must know by the way, that were the 

 earth in his place, it must turn on itself, as the sun does. 

 This is the great vortex, of which the sun is lord ; yet 

 at the same time, the planets make little particular 

 vortexes, in imitation of that of the sun. Each of them 

 in turning round the sun, does at the same time turn round 

 itself, and makes a certain quantity of celestial matter 

 turn round it likewise, which is always prepar'd to follow the 

 motion the planet gives it, provided it is not diverted from 

 its general motion. ; this then is the particular vortex of the 

 planet, which pushes it as far as the strength of its motion 

 reaches ; and if by chance a lesser planet falls into the 

 vortex of a greater planet, it is immediately borne away by 

 the greater, and is indispensably forc'd to turn round it, 

 tho' at the same the great |)lanet, the little planet, and the 

 vortex which encloses 'em, all turn round the sun. 'Twas 

 thus at the beginning of the world, when we made the 

 moon follow us, because she was within the reach of our 

 vortex, and therefore wholly at our disposal. Jupiter was 

 stronger, or more fortunate than we ; he had four little 

 planets in his neighbourhood, and he brought 'em all four 

 under his subjection ; and no doubt we, tho' a principal 

 planet, had met the same fate, had we been within the 

 sphere of his activity : he is ninety times bigger than the 

 earth, and would certainly have swallowed us into his 

 vortex ; we had then been no more than a moon in his 

 family, when now we have one to wait on us : so that, you 

 ste, the advantage of situation decides often all our good 

 fortune." 



" But pray," says she, " who can assure us we shall still 

 continue as we do now 1 If we should be .such fools as to 

 go near Jupiter, or he so ambitious as to approach us, 

 what will become of us 1 For if (as you say) the celestial 

 matter is continually under this great motion, it must needs 

 agitate the planets irregularly ; sometimes drive 'em toge- 

 ther, and sometimes separate 'em." 



" Luck is all," said I ; "we may win as well as lose ; 

 and who knows we might bring Jlercury and Venus 

 under our government? they are little planets, and cannot 

 resist us. But in this particular, madam, we need neither 

 hope nor fear ; the jilanets keep within their own bouiic's, 

 and are oblig'd (as formerly the kings of China were) not 

 to undertake new conquests. Have you not seen when 

 you put water and oil together, the oil swims a-top'! and if 

 to these two liquors, you add a very light liquor, the oil 

 bears it up, and it will not sink to the water ; but put 

 an heavier liquor, of a just weight, and it will pass 

 through the oil, which is too weak to sustain it, and 



