SCIENCE. 



383 



become a part of the Neptunian ring-. Conceive the 

 sphere at rest ; let some unknown law cause it to rotate, 

 with constantly accelerating velocity, until finally equato- 

 rial atoms are moving so fast that tangental force just 

 counteracts gravity. The particles will be balanced and 

 without weight. Increase rotation, and the atoms will 

 move on a tangent instead of the surface of the sphere. 



But they had to move 50,000 miles before it could be 

 determined whether they were traversing the periphery 

 or tangent, and over 50,000 more miles in order to attain 

 an elevation of two miles ! To do this the maximum 

 force was required, as it alone was able to project matter 

 to the tangent. 



Nothing in nature can exceed the feebleness of this 

 maximum tangental force. An atom on the equator re- 

 quired 8h. 54m. to traverse 107,000 miles, and then it was 

 not quite two miles further from the centre. Yet this 

 gentle force cast off a ring whose mass was 102 sextillion 

 tons, if the Hypothesis is true. 



No theory ever advocated concerning the development 

 of the planets has so little in its favor as that of ring de- 

 tachment. Below is a table showing the increase of dis- 

 tance of equatorial atoms from the centre of the sphere 

 after having traversed different arcs from the point where 

 they became balanced between the opposing forces, cen- 

 tripetal and tangental. 



The first column gives the arcs, the second their length 

 in miles, and the third shows the gain in distance from 

 the centre of the nebula, after reaching the extremity of 

 arcs, providing the matter touched the tangents. 



Length in Miles. 



Altitudes 

 of Matter in 

 Miles. 



107,824 

 134,780 

 202,170 

 33 6 >95° 

 808,671 

 8,086,710 

 48,520,266 



'■94 

 2.78 

 7- 

 20. 

 ir 7 . 

 ii,759- 

 417,061. 



But no atom could rise above the periphery, for the 

 entire periphery itself would rise. Thus, let a particle 

 become subject to tangental force and fly along a tangent. 

 Let the force be enormous, sufficient to hurl equatorial 

 matter along a tangent of 1" or 48,520,666 miles, and it 

 will then be 417.061 miles more distant from the centre. 

 The next atom behind would follow and all others on the 

 same line around the sphere. The next inner particle 

 would become elevated, and the next until the space 

 417,061 miles filled with gas, the result of the process 

 being that the equatorial diameter of the nebula in- 

 creased 834.122 miles. B8t this diminished rotation 

 allowed gravity to regain dominion and bring down the 

 protuberance to a level as before. This mutation must 

 obtain in all rotating masses so long as they remain gas 

 or liquid, the areolar velocity being a constant. During 

 the ascent and fall of the equatorial matter it is seen that 

 no particle wandered away, but every one returned at the 

 command of gravity. When a mass solidifies its rotary 

 velocity cannot accelerate, and since matter is unable to 

 part from a fluid sphere it cannot possibly leave a solid. 

 Hence no cosmical mass, whatever its size, density or 

 rate of revolution, ever detached an atom by force gene- 

 rated by rotary motion. Suppose the nebula received an 

 impulse that imparted inconceivable velocity of revolu- 

 tion, causing peripheral matter to rush on a tangent of 20 , 

 flattening the mass into the shape of a bi-convex lens, 

 then rotation must have almost ceased, when gravity 

 reasserted mastery. Let one imagine himself to have 

 been placed on the equitor of the nebula, assuming the 

 gas visible, which was not the case. An ordinary tree 

 could then be seen with a telescope at a distance of 

 50.000 miles ! The top of a common terrestrial moun- 



tain would have been in sight at a distance of more than 

 100,000 miles ! The observer would have found himself 

 in the midst of a mighty plain, and would have been 

 able to see mountains a hundred thousand miles in every 

 direction, so slight was the curvature. At a distance of 

 I'or 48,000,000 miles the depression below a tangent 

 was only 417,000 miles. The diameter of the sun is 

 852,000 miles ; therefore, if it were placed on the cir- 

 cumference of the primeval sphere, its semi-diameter 

 could be seen at that enormous distance. Reverse 

 nature's laws, making it possible that tangental force 

 can disrupt a revolving mass, then with the sphere's 

 known rotation of 3.36 miles per second (admitting the 

 Hypothesis true) could a ring have been abandoned ? 

 Could the rotary motion even cause currents to flow from 

 the latitudes to the equator, or even produce an equa- 

 torial elevation in so vast a level capable of detection by 

 some distant micrometer ? We answer no, because 

 Neptune, with the same velocity, keeps on its orbit. We 

 fail to see why the theory of ring displacement was ever 

 entertained, since no analogy in nature suggests it. 

 New Windsor Ons., Aug. 8, 1881. 



MICROSCOPICAL TECHNOLOGY. 

 Dr. Carl Seiler's Methods. 

 MOUNTING. 



For mounting, both resinous and aqueous solutions 

 may be used, which each possess advantages over the 

 other, and for this reason a controversy has been going 

 on for some time, between eminent microscopists, in 

 regard to the advantages of glycerine, on the one hand, 

 representing the aqueous mounting media and balsam, 

 on the other, representing the resinous class. The truth 

 is, that both should be used, as occasion requires. 

 Glycerine, or its equivalents, should be used when it is 

 desired to bring out delicate stria;, lines, hair-like pro- 

 jections, such as cilia on the epithelium of the respira- 

 tory tract, processes of the ganglionic nerve cells, and 

 so forth, and for delicate vegetable preparations. Balsam 

 should be used when clearness and transparency of the 

 object, and brilliancy as well as durability of the stain- 

 ing is desired. 



In order to clearly understand this the student will do 

 well to mount two preparations of the same tissue, the 

 one in balsam, or other resinous medium, and the other 

 in glycerine or its equivalent, and then compare the re- 

 sults. He will find that the one medium is better suited 

 for a particular preparation than the other. 



Balsam. Among all resinous substances Canada 

 balsam is the best for mounting purposes, provided it has 

 been properly prepared. To do this, take a clear sample 

 of balsam and evaporate it in a water bath, to dryness, 

 that is, until, when hot, all odor of turpentine has disap- 

 peared, and, when cold, it is hard and brittle, like resin. 

 This will take several days ; and great care should be 

 exercised in keeping the water bath full of water, for as 

 soon as the temperature in the balsam is raised above 

 212 F. it turns brown, and is then unfit for use. 



When thus evaporated the balsam is again heated in 

 the water bath and enough of Squibb's absolute alcohol 

 is added to dissolve it and make the solution of the con- 

 sistency of thin syrup. It is now allowed to cool and 

 poured into a spirit lamp, the wick having been re- 

 moved, in which it is kept for use, the glass cap of the 

 lamp protecting it from dust and preventing the evapora- 

 tion of the alcohol. If, after using for some time, the 

 solution becomes too thick, it should be warmed by 

 placing the spirit lamp in warm water and adding to it 

 some warm absolute alcohol. If the alcohol used in dis- 

 solving the balsam or in diluting the solution is not 

 strong enough, a white precipitate will form, which may 

 be redissolved by the application of heat, but will reap- 

 pear when exposed to the air, in a thin layer on the 



