METEORS OF AtJGllST AND NOVEMBER. Ill 



the occasional abundances seen since 1833, on the 12th — 13th November; 

 or else to adopt, with Erman, that of a more or less continuous ring or lens 

 with slight variations of the length and position of the radius vector of the 

 node, so as to have exhibited the magnificent spectacles occasionally recorded, 

 and at other years only a moderate abundance, or even an ordinary number. 



For the August asteroids, the supposition of a single cluster with half 

 yearly period, gives a relative velocity rather too small, and a yearly period too 

 great to conform precisely with the average value in Table I.; and a period of 

 0.57 year affords a better agreement; still the half yearly value is within the 

 limits of the probable errors of the observed mean value, and. accordingly, the 

 supposition of a single cluster with half yearly period being possible, there is 

 no need of resorting, with Prof Erman, to that of a continuous ring, unless 

 the a priori probability of the latter hypothesis, or other circumstances which 

 have been overlooked in this inquiry, tend to give greater plausibility to the 

 theory of the existence of the ring, than to that of the cluster of half yearly 

 period. 



§ VI. — Of certain Analogies in the Solar System and Siderial Heavens, 



TENDING to CoNFIRM THE PRECEDING CONCLUSIONS. 



I have already alluded to certain analogies, which would lead us to expect a 

 gradual aggregation of these or other cosmical bodies in the vicinity of the sun, 

 a conclusion, also, authorized from the observed geometrical relations of these 

 asteroids, when seen by an observer on the earth. A similar law of aggregation 

 is known to prevail with respect to the primary planets of our system. The 

 same remark applies to the distribution of the perihelia of secondaries, or 

 satellites round their primaries. This law of distribution of the perihelia of 

 the primary and secondary planets round their central bodies, admits of very 

 simple numerical formulae for its expression. Comets, from the great eccentricity 

 of their orbits, afford, perhaps, a closer analogy with meteors. Though the 

 law of distribution of the perihelia of comets is unknown, still an inspection of 

 the catalogue of their elements shows that four fifths have their perihelia 

 beneath that of the earth, and six tenths beneath that of Venus. 



