April 3, 1885.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



283 



touch, yet they are well satisfy'd with their being where 

 they are. These are the little worlds whose suns are not to 

 be discovered but with a telescope, and whoso number is 

 prodigious. To conclude, all tlifse vortexes are join'd to 

 one another in so admirable a manner that every one 

 turns round about his sun without changing place ; every 

 one has such a turn as is most easy and agreeable to its 

 own situation ; they take hold of one another like the 

 wheels of a watch, and mutuiiUy help one another's motion, 

 and yet 'lis certain that they act contrary to one another" 

 Every world, as some say, ia like a football made of a 

 bladder covered with leather, which sometimes swells of 

 its own accord, and would extend itself if it were not 

 hinder'd. But this swelling world being press'd by the 

 next to it, returns to its first figure, then swells again, and 

 is again depressed ; and some allirm that the reason why 

 the fixed stars give a twinkling and trembling light, and 

 sometimes seem not to shine at all, is because their vortexes 

 perpetually push and press our vortex, and ours again con- 

 tinually repulses theirs."* 



" I am in love with these fancies," said the Marchioness ; 

 " I am pleas'd with these footballs, which swell every 

 moment, and sink again, and with these worlds, which are 

 continually striving and pushing one another ; but above 

 all, I am pleas'd to see how this justling keeps up the trade 

 of light, which is certainly the only correspondence that is 

 between them." 



" No, no, madam," said I ; " light is not their sole com- 

 merce. The neighbouring worlds sometimes pay visits to 

 lis, and that in a very magniticent and splendid manner. 

 There come comets to us from thence, adorn'd with bright 

 shining hair, venerable beards, or majestic tails." 



" These," said she, "are ambassadors whose visits may 

 be well spared, since they serve only to affright us." 



" They scare only children," said I, " with their extra- 

 ordinary train ; but, indeed, the number of such children 

 ia now-a-days very great. Comets are nothing but planets, 

 which belong to a neighbouring vortex, they move towards 

 the outside of it ; but perhaps this vortex being differently 

 presa'd by those vortexes which encompiss it, 'tis rounder 

 above than it is below, and it is the lower part that 

 is still towards us.f These planets which have 

 begun to move in a circle above, are aware that below 

 their vortex will fail 'em, because it is as it were broken : 

 Therefore, to continue the circular motion, it is necessary 

 that they enter into another vortex, which we will suppose 

 is ours, and that they cut through the outsides of it. They 

 appear to ua very high, and are much higher than Saturn ; 

 and according to our system, it is absolutely necessary they 

 should be so high, for reasons that signify nothing to our 

 present subject. From Saturn downwards to the other 

 side of our vortex, there is a great void space without any 

 planets. Our adversaries often ask us, to what purpose 

 this void space serves 1 But let them not trouble them- 

 selves any more ; I have found a use for it : 'Tis the apart- 

 ment of those strange planets, which come into our world." 



" I understand you," says she ; " we do not suffer them to 

 come into the heart of our vortex, among our own planets, 

 but we receive them as the Grand Signior does the ambas- 

 sadors that are sent to him ; he will not show them so 



• The whole of this reasoning mnst be regarded as admirable 

 fooling. Yet might it be paralleled with some disquisitions by 

 mathematicians and physicists of our days — as any one who has 

 read the " Unseen Universe " will admit. — K. P. 



+ Confidence is usually in an inverse ratio to knowledge. I have 

 known comets and meteors as confidently dealt with by ignorant 

 persons even in our own times, when men begin to know how little 

 they know. — E. P. 



much respect, as to let 'em lodge in Constantinople, but 

 quarters 'em in one of the suburbs of tlie city." 



" Madam," said T, " we and the Ottomans agree likewitc 

 in this, that as they receive ambassadors, but never send 

 any, so we never send any of our planets into the worlds 

 that are ne.xt us." 



" By this," says she, " it appears, that wc are very proud ; 

 however, 1 do not yet very well know what I am to believe. 

 The.se foreign planets, with their tails and their beards, 

 have a terrible countenance, it may bo they are sent to 

 affront us ; but ours that are of unoliier nuike, if they 

 should get into other worlds, are not so proper to make 

 ])eoplo afraid." 



" Their beards and their tails. Madam," said T, " arc Lot 

 real, they are ph;enomena, and but mere appearances. 

 These foreign planets differ in nothing from ours ; but 

 entring into our vortex, they seem to us to have tails or 

 beards, by a certain sort of illumination which they receive 

 from the sun, and whicli has not been yet well ex- 

 jilain'd.* But certain it is, that 'ti.'-: but a kind of 

 illumination; and, when I am able, I will tell you how 

 'tis done."t 



"I wish, then," says she, " that our Saturn would go 

 take a tail and a beard in another vortex, and aflVight all 

 the inhabitants of it. That done, I would have him come 

 back again, leaving his terrible accoutrements behind him, 

 and, taking his usual place amongst our other planets, full 

 to his ordinary business." 



" 'Tis better for him," said I, " not to go out of our 

 vortex. I have told you how rude and viol, at the shock 

 is when two vortexes jostle one another ; a poor planet 

 must needs be terribly shaken, and its inhabitants in no 

 better condition. We think ourselves very unhappy when 

 a comet appeal's ; but 'tis the comet that is in an ill 

 case." 



" I do not believe that," says she ; " it brings all its 

 inhabitants with it in very good health. There can be 

 nothing so diverting as to change vortexes. We that 

 never go out of our own sphere lead but a dull life. If the 

 inhabitants of a comet had but the wit to foresee the time 

 when they are to come into our world, they who had 

 already made the voyage would toll their neighbours before- 

 hand what they would see ; they woubl tell them that 

 they would discover a planet with a great ring about it, 

 meaning our Saturn; they would also say, you shall see 

 another planet which has four little ones to wait on it ; 

 and perhaps some of them, resolved to observe the very 

 moment of their entrance into our world, would pre- 

 sently cry out ' A new sun ! a new sun ! ' as sailors use to 

 cry, 'Land! laud!'" 



(To he couiinued.) 



The Colo.mal and Indian Exhibition.— The Royal Commission 

 appointed for the purpose of organising this Exhibition, which is to 

 be held in South Kensington next year, met for the first time on Mon- 

 day at Marlborough House, under the presideucy of the Prince of 

 Wales, who expresBcd a hope that no untoward events may occur 

 to prevent this resulting in perhaps the finest exhibition that has 

 ever been held. The Guarantee Fund up to the present amounted 

 to £12S,G00, and included the following sums ; -The Government 

 of India, £20,000; the Government of the Dominion of Canada, 

 £10,000; the Government of Now South Wales, £.5,000; the 

 Government of Victoriii, £5,000; the Gorernment of New Zealand, 

 £5,000 ; the Government of South Australia, £2,000 ; the Govern- 

 ment of Queensland, £2,000; and the Government of the Cape of 

 Good Hope, £2,000. 



* These doubts are unworthy of our confident philosopher. — R. P. 

 t Unfortunately, Fontenelle was never able to do this. — It. P. 



