ORIGIN or ELEMENTARY SUBSTANCES. 119 



o£ the nebular matter from the annular to the spheroidal 

 form. Moreover, as great cosmic transitions are not 

 made per saltum, it might be expected that some modifi- 

 cation of the law of nebular condensation into planetary 

 systems^ as exhibited in Bode^s law, would be found on the 

 further condensation of the primitive matter into elemen- 

 tary species. 



That relations such as I have indicated exist between 

 the nebular and elementary condensations, represented by 

 the planetary distances on the one hand, with the atomic 

 weights of well-defined groups of elementary substances 

 on the other, will be evident on comparing the numbers 

 in the following Tables : — 





I. 



o . . 4 = 



4 Mercury. 



1X3+4= 



7 Venus. 



2X3+4 = 



10 Earth. 



4X3+4 = 



16 Mars. 



8X3+4= 



28 Ceres, Pallas, &c. 



16 X 3 + 4 = 



52 Jupiter. 



32 X 3 + 4 = 



100 Saturn. 



64 X 3 + 4 = 



196 Uranus. 



In the above Table the numbers expressing the relative 

 distances of the planetary bodies from the sun and from 

 each other are obtained by multiplying successively the 

 difference (3) between the distance of the first and second 

 members of the system by a geometric series, and adding 

 to the products the constant distance (4) of the first 

 member from the sun. Now, if the atomic weight of the 

 second member of the alkaline and silver group of metals 

 (Na=23) be multiplied successively by an arithmetical 

 series, then will the products, minus the atomic weight of 

 the first member {Li=7), be the atomic weights of all the 

 elements belonging to that group. 



