314 MR. THOMAS CARRICK ON THE 



system is supposed by the ^^ nebular theory '^ to have had 

 its origin takes up the successive forms of solid^ fluids and 

 gas, the relations of atomic attraction and repulsion which 

 subsisted in the primal nebula before its condensation 

 ought equally, under modified conditions, to subsist be- 

 tween the solid nucleus and the remaining uncondensed 

 nebulous matter of space, — the intervening layers of fluid 

 and gaseous matter forming essential links in the extended 

 chain by and through which one centre of cosmical con- 

 densation is related to another and to all space. 



This mode of viewing the transmission of the force of 

 gravitation leads of necessity to the important conclusion, 

 that, so soon as portions of the solid nucleus of such a con- 

 densed sphere emerge above the surface of the fluid cover- 

 ing into abnormal contact with the gaseous envelope, a 

 differential action of enormous magnitude centering upon 

 these upheaved land- areas would be at once originated, 

 the first measure of which woidd be the cosmical value 

 of the latent forces by which the fluid state of matter was 

 first constituted an essential intermediate link between 

 the solid and gaseous states; or, in other words, the dif- 

 ferential force would be equivalent to the absolute value 

 of the tension of the intervening fluid state of matter 

 over the entire areas of upheaval. Upheaved land-areas 

 would thus become centres of disturbed equilibrium of 

 force. 



It has long been our belief that the three leading states 

 of existing terrestrial matter have each a relative cosmical 

 value, such as might have resulted from their thus ori- 

 ginally forming successive differentiations of one uniform 

 atomic constitution of all matter. 



In support whereof, it may briefly be ui'ged that not 

 only is this matter obviously distributed in the three ana- 

 logous states of earth, water, and air, but each of the 

 simpler forms of inorganic matter can also, under given 



