Notes on the Drift and Alluvium of Ohio and the West. 205 
1. The orbit of Le Verrier’s planet was highly eccentric, while 
that of Neptune is almost circular. 
he mean distance of Neptune from the sun is six hundred 
millions of miles less than that of the planet of Le Verrier. 
- The mass of Neptune is only about one half that of the 
planet of Le Verrier. 
- The hypothetical planet of Le Verrier perfectly explained 
the inequalities of Uranus, while Neptune explains them only 
partially. 
If then Neptune is not the hypothetical glanet of Le Verrier, 
some may conclude that the hypothetical planet remains to be 
discovered. Such aconclusion is entirely erroneous. ‘The hypo- 
thetical planet of Le Verrier does not exist. The state of the 
question is this. A certain effect was observed in the motions of 
ranus. Le Verrier proved by legitimate reasoning that if we 
admit the existence of a certain planet, this effect is fully explain- 
ed. This hypothesis led to the discovery of Neptune. It is now 
ascertained that Neptune will not explain the whole effect observ- 
ed; but it will explain @ part of it. We cannot then admit that 
Le Verrier’s hypothetical planet is still to be discovered, because 
its existence wonld involve a greater effect than that which 010 
remains to be explained. But the conclusion seems irresistibly 
forced upon us that there does exist a planet yet undiscovered, to 
which we are to ascribe that portion of the perturbations of Ura- 
nus which remains unexplained. ‘This unexplained inequality 
now demands the united attention of mathematicians. Let them 
deduce from the observations the mest probable elements cf the 
hitherto undiscovered planet, and then let the great telescopes of 
American and European observatories be put in requisition to 
ferret out this unseen troubler of the planetary motious. 
Arr. XXIII.—Notes upon the Drift and Alluvinm of Ohio and 
the West; by Cusries Wuirtiesey, of Cleveland, Ohio. 
In the following pages I have endeavored to give some mp 
unincumbered by theory, relating to the superficial ssqaaenely 
Ohio in particular, and of some other parts of the West, whic 
have observed. The names used to designate different beds or 
Strata, will be provisional and common. 
In Ohio, beginning at the stratified rocks, the upward section 
is as follows: 
Ist. “ Blue hard pan,” resting unconformably on the surface of 
the stratified rocks. 2 
- 2d. “ Yellow hard pan,” resting unconformably on the strati- 
fied rocks, and the “blue hard pan.” 
