to the sun. An immense number of various theories 

 as to the origin and formation of the earth have sprung 

 into existence, and at -these we must now glance. 



In 1745 the astronomer- Bufton expressed an opinion 

 that our earth, in common with the other planets and 

 their satellites, has been formed from liquid fire, which 

 has been separated from the body of the sun. This 

 phenomenon, he assumes, might be caused by collision 

 between the sun and some - comet, which may have torn 

 away a mass of burning matter and scattered it in space 

 thereby producing our planetary system. 



In 1775, Kant, expounding his theory of world origin,, 

 supposes that originally there must have existed a va- 

 porous form of matter or cosmic cloud, which in the 

 form of separate particles filled the whole universe, and 

 that, in consequence of concentration, separate worlds, 

 amongst them our earth, came into being.. The ring of 

 Saturn, visible from earth, presents itself as the very same 

 gaseous vapour from which the planet Saturn was formed. 



Kant's theory of the formation of worlds is maintained 

 by William Herschel (1789),' who says that the stars 

 acquired their globular shape from the action of centri- 

 petal forces, and, as an example of a similar, phenome- 

 non points to his own investigation of cloud spots, in 

 which a concentration of matter round a centre, had 

 proved in cases visible to the naked eye. Of such cloud- 

 spots he had himself traced more than two thousand 

 three hundred. 



In 1795 Laplace presented his hypothesis of the for- 

 mation of the solar system from,, gaseous -vapour. Like 

 Kant he says : all* the planets move round the sun from 

 West to East; and almost in the same - plane: their sa- 

 tellites move around them- in the same direction and 

 again almost in the same -plane. Finally the sun, 

 the planets and their < satellites revolve upon their 

 axes in the same direction and. almost -in the same plane 

 in which proceeds their common -forward movement. 

 Such harmony is no mere coincidence, but .points to- 



