136 



ON THE NUMERICAL RELATIONS OF GRAVITY AND MAGNETISM. 



greater perturbations at the epochs of the equinoxes, which certainly bear no relation to 

 the state of the atmosphere or to the solar beat 



"A hypothesis, however, can be found which would conciliate the various facts, viz., 

 that atmospheric changes may generate electricity ; but that the direction of the current, 

 which of itself would be indeterminate, may be determined by the magnetic action of the 

 sun. But to expand this further into a hypothesis would be at present premature. We 

 will only say that it is not improbable that the earth is subject to the magnetic action of 

 the sun in a manner unknown to us ; but now that magnetic phenomena are developing 

 themselves under so many aspects, we may hope that the explanation of these mysterious 

 actions will soon be found." [Phil. Mag., 4th ser., vol. ix, p. 441 to 450.] 



I can already discover, in the gravitation of the various currents which I have pointed 

 out, an explanation, satisfactory to my own mind, of all the phenomena here referred to ; 

 but numerous special and novel observations are desirable before attempting any further 

 development of my views. 



