some common cause upon which all these movements 

 depend. The action of this cause is clearly proved from 

 the circumstance thai the orbits of the planets and their 

 satellites have a very slight eccentric, whilst the paths 

 of comets passing through the solar system present cur- 

 ves with a great eccentric, though their fluctuation is not 

 subject to any law. '}<> ^ 



Both these scientists regard the origin of the solar 

 S3^stem as a widely extended fluid which, at some time 

 or other, in the form of atmosphere, surrounded our 

 central luminary. They suppose that the excessive heat 

 of the sun originally exercised an influence far beyond 

 the limits of the orbits of any, of the planets, and only 

 gradually reduced its sphere to the present dimensions, 

 somewhat as the renowned Star of Bethlehem showed 

 during several months an unusually bright light in the 

 constellation of Cassiopeia; 



Laplace assumes that the cosmic mass revolved at 

 first around its centre, and, ever thickening and concen- 

 trating more and more, formed, by degrees, our sun, 

 whilst the planets appear as the outcome of the sepa- 

 ration from this central mass of ring-like fragments 

 which preserved in their movement the same general 

 direction. The small asteroids between Mars and Ju- 

 piter are formed from clouds of these vaporous rings, 

 which at one time must have fallen to pieces in this part 

 of solar space. (X 



Laplace asserts that, the matter which concentrated 

 into the solar system had formerly the shape of an ex- 

 panded spheriod. In: proportion to the - contraction of 

 this spheriod, the rapidity of its revolution necessarily 

 increased ; rings of its gaseous matter bagah to separate 

 themselves from the main mass, and in . their turn be- 

 came converted into globes, and these . globes . repeated 

 the same process, producing, still smaller globular bodies. 

 Thus from the first, detached rings were formed the 

 planets, and fronv the second their satellites, white from 

 the great central mass was formed the sun. 



