322 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. {September, 1912. 
that are of relatively acid character, are light in weight, and of 
glassy texture. The origin of these bodies is not known, but 
some petrologists are inclined to regard them as of extra-terres- 
trial origin; in no case, however, have they been seen to fall. 
If there be any foundation for this suggestion, then, obviously, 
these obsidianites might have been a portion of the crust of the 
primitive body postulated above.! 
Thus far I have considered meteorites from the petrologi- 
: am cal point of view, and, on the evidence 
ats weet for. Of the microscope and chemical composi- 
mationofsolarsystem. tion, have deduced that all the varieties 
of extra-terrestrial bodies found on the 
earth's surface may be ascribed to different portions of a primi- 
tive celestial body that has undergone disruption. e must 
now see how this hypothesis agrees or conflicts with the deduc- 
tions of astronomers. Sir Norman Lockyer’s meteoritic hypo- 
thesis has been before the public for many years, and in many 
the history of evolution one stage further. Consequently, I 
will give here a very brief summary of Lowell’s account of the 
origin of the solar system. 
Postulating infinite space, infinite time, and an infinite 
number of stars, both light and dark, distributed through 
space, let us consider the case of a dark star. This dark star 
will suffer disruption due to tidal stresses. We may imagine 
