Polytechnic Association. 889 



all between that and the earth, and this, perhaps, a sun to other worlds ; 

 then it would follow that the earth's orbit round the sun should be 

 measured by the revolutions of the moon's orbit round the earth. 

 This is a new idea, it is a grand one, — it is startling. I must look to 

 it and see if it is true. 



Imagination has now done her work, — she has led our thoughts, she 

 has created a figure and presented the moving image to our mind of 

 the earth revolving around the sun and measuring the distance per- 

 formed by the value of the circumference of the moon's orbit, and, 

 having no more to do, imagination now bids us to prove our intelli- 

 gence. 



I retire immediately to my room, and, not to make my story too 

 long, after a variety of defective and erroneous calculations I at 

 length arrived at these results : 



The sun, as ascertained by my quadrature, is distant from our 

 earth 92,285,568, of those parts of which the diameter of the earth 

 is 7,912. We call them miles. The diameter of the earth's orbit 

 is then 1S4,591,146 of such miles. Its circumference is therefore 

 579,847,623+ of the same miles. In passing round the sun the 

 earth revolves on her axis 365.24225 times. In so doing she gains 

 one revolution=l. In the same period the moon revolves about the 

 earth 12.36S26. In doing so she gains one revolution of the earth. 

 Total of revolutions, 379.61151 + . 



These revolutions are all of them solar days, each one of which is 

 greater than the revolution of a circle in space in the proportion of 

 5184 to 5153, and therefore, as 5153 : 5184 : 379.61151=381.895, and 

 the circumference of the earth's orbit being 579,847,623 + -^ 381.895, 

 gives 1,518,343 miles for the circumference of the moon's orbit, and 

 the diameter of 1,518,243 + is 483,303 + half equals 241,651, which is 

 the moon's distance from us. Now observe that this distance is of 

 such parts as compose the earth's diameter, reckoned at 7,912 miles, 

 and, if there is any error in that diameter of the earth, then there is 

 an equal proportional error in this distance. And in my opinion the 

 diameter of the earth should be considered as 7,853 + miles, and in 

 that case the moon's distance will be 239,838 and the sun's distance 

 will be 91,597,392 miles. The reasons for all these conditions will 

 be apparent to any one who will take the trouble to examine them. 



In the problem to determine the sun's distance, I have taken the 

 diameter of the earth at 7,912 miles, because that is the sum set down 

 in the books as ascertained by the measurement of a degree on the 

 equator. But because in the problem to determine the sun's distance 



