PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



117 



o.oo. = o.oo,oo- All such cosmic matter within the sphere of 



the sun's influence will be gathered into the solar 

 system. Let us try to follow their course when 

 they pass toward the sun. 



Masses coming into the system move rapidly 

 around the sun and as a rule pass off into space ; 

 they may sometimes collide with other masses 

 moving in opposite directions, and as this would 

 destroy their projectile force and shatter the 

 masses, some of the fragments will in such cases 

 fall on the sun. The planets as well as the sun 

 will receive cosmical matter, and I tliink the 

 meteoric showers which fall on the earth are but 

 a small fraction of the matter which is constantly 

 being added to its mass. The ultimate particles 

 existing in space must be aggregating and form- 

 ing chemical atoms ; these enter our atmosphere 

 and form part of it. 



I have frequently observed the beautiful 

 aurorfc with which we in Canada are so often 

 favoured, and I could not repress the conviction 

 that some attenuated form of matter was descend- 

 ing through the atmosphere from a radiating 

 point above us, when the arches passed roughly 

 from east to west, with waves of light near the 

 zenith passing westward, and especially when a 

 corona has formed at the zenith. Streaimers radi- 

 ating from that point reminded me so very forcibly 

 of the meteoric shower of 1868 that I could not 

 doubt but those radiating beams of light were the 

 result of matter of some kind falling on the 

 earth, as the star showers are known to be. 



This view of the aurora finds support from 

 the fact that bright meteors have been seen to fall 

 passing parallel to the direction of auroral stream- 

 ers, and the fact that the magntts in the Obser- 

 vatory of Itataya were violently disturbed 

 during the fall of a meteorite which fell or rather 

 passed very near it. (See note, page 119.) 



We thus find a reason why magnetic storms, 

 aurone, and sun-spots are most numerous at the 

 same time, namely, that a larger quantity of 

 cosmic matter is in the central part of the solar 

 system than at other times, which falling on the 

 earth produces aurorae. The aurorte cause the 

 magnetic storms, and large masses fall into the 

 sun, producing sun-spots. 



It is now time for us to ask if this affects 

 the weather? To answer this question we must 

 ask why more cosmic matter exists near the earth 

 sometimes than at others. 



If no planets existed moving around the sun 

 in the same plane, our weather would be less 

 varied. It is the action of the outer planets on 

 the incoming cosmic matter which condenses it 

 in some parts, causing it to move in streams at 



The above diagrain shows the rainfall in each year since 1840. The arcs of a circle represent the perioils of 

 Jupiter of which there are five. It will be noticed that each period ends with a heavier rainfall than the 

 average, and this is followed by a dry year. If this is a law we should have a «W year in 1902 and a dry one 

 in 1903. But as the more distant planets Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will be disturbing factors a year plus or 

 minus may be possible. 



The late investigations of J. J. Thompson and of Arrhenius, on fractional portions of the chemical atom, 

 seem to me to be in harmony with the views expressed in this paper. 



