ae Ain 
LeVerrier on the constitution of the Solar System. | 225 
volving within its orbit. Those to whom these objections appear too 
] teroids, 
periodical inequality of much importance.” : 
_ “The hypothesis to which we find ourselves conducted, contains noth- 
ing extravagant or incredible. A group of asteroids is found between 
_The principal difficulties presented by the system of the four 
inferior planets, are reduced then to an excess of movement of 
the perihelion of Mercury, and that of Mars. This two-fold 
conclusion is worthy of attention; for if the cosmical matter ha 
such a disposition, that although partly or whoily invisible it 
acts in such a manner as to increase the direct motion of the 
perihelion, having but little influence apart from this, it is easy 
) see how the existence o 
highly probable. 
low this is, in fact, the mode of action of a series of minute 
bodies forming a ring about the sun, and revolving from west to 
east, in the same direction as the other planetary bodies. These 
i the excentricity of 
istence of a ring of intra-Mercurial asterol 
Venus and that of Mars now unl 
clusions, : 
causes which acting 
m of inferior planets, serve 
a 
ng the mass of the 
earth increased by a tenth part. The motion of Venus in latitade 
‘mM. “ 
‘cal matter; but, on the other 
to the parallax of the sun. 
? 
he same distance from the 
Sun as the earth have a total mass equal to the tenth of that of 
Au. Jour. Sc1.—Secoxp Surtes, Vou. XXXI, No. %.—SzPr., 1 
29 
e ro : 
made to disappear by admitting that the asteroids, W 
ing 
