Spiral Structure in the Solar System. 



191 





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dated from a mass originally- 

 possessing a spiral constitu- 

 tion, and that the planetary- 

 centres were arranged, at the 

 relative distances stated in the 

 Table, upon a plane, conti- 

 nuous, spiral line, making 

 three coils, of which each had 

 a breadth twelve times greater 

 than its immediate precursor, 

 we shall obtain the results 

 shown in the accompanying 

 figure — which, however, must 

 be taken to illustrate only the 

 angular position of the gene- 

 rative centres, and not their 

 relative distances, since these 

 could not be exhibited within the limits of the page*. 



It will be seen that upon this hypothesis we obtain the results 

 following : — 



1. The original position of the generative planetary centres in 

 each coil of the spire would fall on the same angular points. 



2. All these centres would have been placed in the same half 

 of the constitutive mass ; seven out of nine within the same 

 quadrant -, and five out of these seven within a segment of 30 

 degrees. 



Hence the original mass must have been decidedly overweighted 

 in one quadrant, and would thus have displayed from the first 

 that principle of adaptation by which we find existence to be so 

 deeply penetrated upon the earth. For such a disposition of 

 the planetary centres must obviously have been adapted to secure 

 the uniform rotation of the whole mass in which they were situ- 

 ated, in the direction determined by their mutual attraction and 

 the pressures upon them, arid thus to lay the foundation for that 

 process out of which a system of planets circulating round a 

 central sun could arise. 



Since the publication of my former paper, my attention has 

 been drawn to certain calculations by Mr. S. M. Drach, published 

 in the Philosophical Magazine for January 1841, "On the Limit 

 of distance at which a Planet could circulate round the Sun 

 without danger of falling into it." Mr. Drach fixes this limit at 

 16,000,000 of miles. Now if my theory of the original posi- 

 tion of the planetary centres be correct, there should have been 



* Supposing the innermost coil to have in its broadest part a radius of 

 on ly 2V tn of an inch, the second coil would have an additional breadth of 

 inch, and the third of 6 inches. 



