JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 39 
varies as the inverse cube of the distance between the Moon and the 
Earth, so that if the Moon’s distances is reduced i, } or } of its 
present distance then the force and the tide generated would be 27, 
64, 125 times as great. This is, however, only half the truth. We 
must not forget that while tide is being augmented the Moon’s 
attraction is also increasing. ‘These two coalesce and each is in- 
creased as the cube of the distance decreases, so that the cube power 
must be squared or made the sixth power. The tidal retardation of 
the Earth’s rotation therefore varies inversely as the sixth power of 
the Moon’s distance. Jor example, when the Moon’s distance was 
reduced.to ,;'; of the present distance then the tidal action was 10° 
OF I,000,000 times as great as at present. The action at present 
may be slow enough but when the Moon was nearer us it went on 
with immense rapidity. Looking forward in point of time we will 
reach an era when the earth will take about 1,400 hours to turn on 
her axis, and the Moon will take the same time to make a revolu- 
tion round the Earth. The result will be that the Earth and the 
Moon will go round their common centre of gravity as if united by 
a solid bar and locked together in about 55 of our present days with 
the day and the month identical in length. The lunar tides will 
then cease, and any retardation of the Earth due to the Moon can 
then no longer exist. Solar tides will, however, continue to exist so 
long as water is left on the Earth. The solar tide will thus retard 
the Earth’s rotation and so further lengthen the day ; this will retard 
the Moon’s motion and diminish her aerial velocity. The Moon 
‘will therefore approach the Earth and will ultimately fall into the 
Earth in a long, ever-contracting sweep. The Earth will thus fin- 
ally turn the same face to the Sun, and so remain locked with per- 
petual day over one hemisphere, and perpetual night over the other. 
As the system can be traced forward to the 55 day period, so it can 
be traced back until we find the Moon revolving round the Earth 
_ and almost touching the Earth in a period of between three and five 
of our present hours. And thus beauteous Luna had her birth from 
the fiery Earth zeons ago, when in the throes of a world’s parturition 
she was thrown off to seek her fortunes in the universe and work 
out her destiny as our satellite, once doubtless a flower-spangled 
world, with refreshing streams and heaving oceans and gentle breezes, 
now a derelict, a ruined world. In the ages yet to come whose 
