Public Instruction. 175 
8. Lhe Exposition of the System of the World, by the Mar- 
quis de Laplace has reached its fifth edition, revised and 
augmented by the author. In the conclusion of a brief, but 
well written notice of this new edition, the reviewer (Fran- 
coeur) observes: “ After having explained those movements 
in the system of the world which must be regarded, not only 
as certain, but as affording a standard of the highest degree 
of certainty which the buman mind can attain, M. De La- 
place reproduces his ingenious hypothesis of the origin and 
formation of the planets. It is well known that he regards 
these bodies as resulting from the condensation of some parts 
of the solar atmosphere. ‘This would very well account for 
their motions being in the same direction, and their orbits 
‘ nearly circular, and but little inclined to each other, instead of 
moving as the comets do, in all directions, and in orbits ex- 
tremely eccentric. This opinion weuld seem to conform te 
the observations of Herschel] upon the nebula, and to all the 
well established principles of physieal astronomy. Never- 
theless De Laplace presents this theory ‘‘ only with the dif- 
fidence which ought to accompany every opinio’', not found- 
ed upon observation or calculation” ‘Vhis reserve ina phi- 
losopher of the highest order, is not sufficiently imitated by 
certain writers, who, less circumspect, are able to under- 
stand and explain every thing, without observation or calcu- 
Jation. Nothing is more easy than to connect, by a theory, 
facts, but imperfectly understood, and as imperfectly repre- 
sented: the beginning of the present century has given 
birth to many conceptions of this nature; but the ‘system 
of the world,” more than compensates us for such defective 
and flimsy productions.—Rev. Encyc. Jan. 1825. 
9. Corpennacen.—Public Instruction.—In the month of 
October 1823, M. Oerstedt, professor of philosophy in the 
university of Copenhagen, and so justly celebrated in Eu- 
rope for his electro-magnetical discoveries, signalized his 
return to his country by an invitation to his fellow-citizens to 
assemble together and form a society for the purpose of dif- 
fusing the knowledge of experimental philosophy in its ap- 
plication to all the various branches of human industry. This 
invitation was attended with the happiest results. The 
society formed in July 1824 has already named two commit- 
tees, viz. a physico-technical committee, and a committee of 
commerce. The courses were about to commence, and M, 
