﻿372 
  Hubert 
  Anson 
  Newton. 
  

  

  to 
  fall, 
  had 
  to 
  the 
  Earth's 
  Orbit." 
  This 
  was 
  based 
  upon 
  a 
  very 
  

   careful 
  study 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  116 
  cases 
  for 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  state- 
  

   ments 
  indicating 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  definitely 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   path 
  through 
  the 
  air, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  94 
  cases 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  only 
  

   know 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  fall. 
  The 
  results 
  are 
  expressed 
  in 
  the 
  

   following 
  three 
  propositions 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  meteorites 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  our 
  cabinets 
  and 
  which 
  

   were 
  seen 
  to 
  fall 
  were 
  originally 
  (as 
  a 
  class, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  

   small 
  number 
  of 
  exceptions) 
  moving 
  about 
  the 
  sun 
  in 
  orbits 
  

   that 
  had 
  inclinations 
  less 
  than 
  90° 
  ; 
  that 
  is, 
  their 
  motions 
  were 
  

   direct, 
  not 
  retrograde. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  reason 
  why 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  stones 
  in 
  our 
  

   collections 
  is 
  not 
  one 
  wholly 
  or 
  even 
  mainly 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  

   habits 
  of 
  men 
  ; 
  nor 
  on 
  the 
  times 
  when 
  men 
  are 
  out 
  of 
  doors 
  ; 
  

   nor 
  on 
  the 
  places 
  where 
  men 
  live 
  ; 
  nor 
  on 
  any 
  other 
  principle 
  

   of 
  selection 
  acting 
  at 
  or 
  after 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  stones 
  at 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  Either 
  the 
  stones 
  which 
  are 
  moving 
  in 
  the 
  solar 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  across 
  the 
  earth's 
  orbit 
  move 
  in 
  general 
  in 
  direct 
  orbits 
  ; 
  or 
  

   else 
  for 
  some 
  reason 
  the 
  stones 
  which 
  move 
  in 
  retrograde 
  orbits 
  

   do 
  not 
  in 
  general 
  come 
  through 
  the 
  air 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  solid 
  

   form. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  perihelion 
  distances 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  orbits 
  in 
  which 
  

   these 
  stones 
  moved 
  were 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  0*5 
  nor 
  more 
  than 
  1*0, 
  

   the 
  earth's 
  radius 
  vector 
  being 
  unity. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Newton 
  adds, 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  a 
  natural 
  and 
  proper 
  

   corollary 
  to 
  these 
  propositions 
  (unless 
  it 
  shall 
  appear 
  that 
  

   stones 
  meeting 
  the 
  earth 
  are 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  air) 
  that 
  the 
  

   larger 
  meteorites 
  moving 
  in 
  our 
  solar 
  system 
  are 
  allied 
  much 
  

   more 
  closely 
  with 
  the 
  group 
  of 
  comets 
  of 
  short 
  period 
  than 
  

   with 
  comets 
  whose 
  orbits 
  are 
  nearly 
  parabolic. 
  All 
  the 
  known 
  

   comets 
  of 
  shorter 
  periods 
  than 
  33 
  years 
  move 
  about 
  the 
  sun 
  in 
  

   direct 
  orbits 
  that 
  have 
  moderate 
  inclinations 
  to 
  the 
  ecliptic. 
  

   On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  of 
  the 
  nearly 
  parabolic 
  orbits 
  that 
  are 
  known 
  

   only 
  a 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  number 
  have 
  small 
  incli- 
  

   nations 
  with 
  direct 
  motion. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  briefly 
  mentioned 
  those 
  papers 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  con- 
  

   stitute 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  contributions 
  to 
  the 
  science 
  of 
  

   meteors 
  and 
  comets. 
  To 
  fully 
  appreciate 
  Professor 
  Newton's 
  

   activity 
  in 
  this 
  field, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  take 
  account 
  of 
  

   his 
  minor 
  contributions. 
  These 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  annexed 
  

   bibliography, 
  where 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  

   entries 
  relate 
  to 
  these 
  subjects. 
  

  

  Most 
  interesting 
  and 
  instructive 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  reader 
  are 
  

   his 
  utterances 
  on 
  occasions 
  when 
  he 
  has 
  given 
  a 
  resume 
  of 
  our 
  

   knowledge 
  on 
  these 
  subjects 
  or 
  some 
  branch 
  of 
  them, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   address 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Meteorites, 
  the 
  Meteors, 
  and 
  the 
  Shooting 
  

  

  