﻿Gravitational 
  Bearings 
  of 
  Electrical 
  Theory 
  of 
  Matter. 
  155 
  

  

  resultant 
  of 
  a 
  component 
  of 
  the 
  known 
  solar 
  motion 
  with 
  

   reference 
  to 
  the 
  stars 
  

  

  V29-7 
  

  

  ' 
  x 
  cos 
  57i°=-352, 
  x 
  10" 
  4 
  c, 
  in 
  direction 
  270°-46 
  

  

  compounded 
  with 
  a 
  true 
  drift 
  in 
  plane 
  of 
  ecliptic 
  

   1-78 
  x 
  10~ 
  4 
  c 
  in 
  direction 
  .162°. 
  

  

  I 
  really 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  whether 
  astronomers 
  could 
  pass, 
  as 
  

   at 
  all 
  possible, 
  outstanding 
  perturbations 
  such 
  as 
  those 
  last 
  

   tabulated. 
  Comparing 
  Tables 
  V. 
  and 
  II. 
  they 
  are 
  clearly 
  

   not 
  of 
  orthodox 
  size 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  big 
  for 
  Earth 
  and 
  Venus, 
  

   and 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  Mars. 
  But 
  I 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  recognized 
  

   values 
  are 
  in 
  reality 
  dissected 
  out 
  from 
  a 
  group 
  system 
  of 
  

   small 
  discrepancies 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  total 
  is 
  more 
  certain 
  than 
  

   the 
  precise 
  distribution 
  among 
  individual 
  members. 
  

  

  I 
  submit 
  also 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  forced 
  agreement 
  for 
  Mercury 
  

   is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  wholly 
  set 
  aside 
  as 
  mere 
  algebra 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  

   postulated 
  solar 
  drift 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  not 
  unreasonable 
  order 
  of 
  

   magnitude, 
  and 
  the 
  figures 
  are 
  got 
  from 
  it 
  absolutely 
  by 
  a 
  

   theory 
  which 
  if 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  degree 
  valid 
  might 
  have 
  

   given 
  them 
  millions 
  of 
  times 
  wrong. 
  So 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   absolute 
  values 
  not 
  quite 
  hopelessly 
  discordant 
  with 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  can 
  be 
  thus 
  reckoned 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  

   account. 
  

  

  Assuming 
  that 
  astronomers 
  will 
  not 
  pass 
  them, 
  however, 
  

   we 
  must 
  face 
  the 
  question 
  why 
  not. 
  Full 
  gravitational 
  

   influence 
  on 
  the 
  extra 
  inertia 
  might 
  halve 
  the 
  necessarv 
  

   values 
  of 
  k, 
  but 
  would 
  not 
  otherwise 
  improve 
  things. 
  Total 
  

   absence 
  of 
  solar 
  drift 
  is 
  unlikely 
  ; 
  so 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  

   hypothetical 
  absence 
  of 
  perturbations 
  which 
  ought 
  to 
  occur 
  

   but 
  do 
  not, 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  driven 
  to 
  conclude 
  that 
  the 
  gravitation- 
  

   constant 
  itself 
  is 
  a 
  function 
  of 
  the 
  speed 
  of 
  the 
  attracting 
  

   masses, 
  in 
  some 
  such 
  way 
  as 
  that 
  suggested 
  in 
  Part 
  I. 
  above 
  : 
  

   thus 
  adding 
  to 
  the 
  evidence 
  for 
  an 
  uncompromising 
  Principle 
  

   of 
  Relativity. 
  

  

  Part 
  III. 
  — 
  Suggested 
  Possibilities. 
  

  

  In 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  gravitative 
  attraction 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  

   function 
  of 
  speed, 
  I 
  may 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  attraction 
  were 
  

   of 
  an 
  electrical 
  order, 
  such 
  dependence 
  on 
  speed 
  would 
  be 
  

   reasonable, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  dependence 
  would 
  

  

  