Comets in the Solar System. 17 



ceive, without resorting to the doctrine of probabilities, that 

 even 137 observations will not authorize us to affirm that there 

 will be always fewer comets near to the ecliptic than at a dis- 

 tance from its plane. In the above table, it may be remarked 

 that there are six comets more between 50° and 60° than be- 

 tween 60° and 70° ; whilst the table of Bode gave a difference of 

 four, but in the contrary way. It must be left, therefore, to pos- 

 terity to decide, whether the primordial physical circumstances, 

 in virtue of which the principal planets are found assembled in 

 the neighbourhood of the elliptical plane, have exercised a diffe- 

 rent influence on the movements of the comets. 



Longitudes of the Ascending Nodes. — From 0° to 80°, the 

 number of nodes is 12 ; 30° to 60°, 12 ; 60° to 90°, 20 ; 90° to 

 120°, 8 ; 120° to 150°, 12 ; 150° to 180°, 13 ; 180° to 210°, 14 ; 

 210° to 240°, 11 ; 240° to 270°, 10 ; 270° to 300°, 8 ; 300° to 

 330°, 11 ; 330° to 360°, 6. 



It may perhaps be regarded as a circumstance worthy of no- 

 tice, that those two regions of the ecliptic, to which only eight as- 

 cending nodes correspond, are at exactly the distance of a demi- 

 circumference from each other ; but, at the same time, the space 

 comprised between the 338th and 360th degree is still poorer in 

 its nodes of comets ; whilst the region opposite to it does not, in 

 this respect, present any thing particular to our observation ; so 

 that probably we are not to recognize in this circumstance any 

 thing more than one of those fortuitous numerical coincidences, 

 which quite disappear so soon as a greater number of observa- 

 tions are collected. 



Longitudes of the Perihelions. — From 0° to 30°, number of 

 perihelions, 11; 30° to 60°, 13; 60° to 90°, 12; 90° to 120°, 

 20 ; 120° to 150°, 10 ; 150° to 180°, 8 ; 180° to 210°, 6; 210° 

 to 240°, 13 ; 240° to 270°, 18 ; 270° to 300°, 30 ; 300° to 330°, 

 10; 330° to 360°, 6; total 137. 



The future will shew whether, as this table would appear to 

 indicate, the extremities of the grand axes of the orbits of co- 

 mets exist in a much greater number towards the 90th and the 

 270th degree of the ecliptic, than at any other point ; and whe- 

 ther it is at a right angle to each of these regions that we ought, 

 on the contrary, to expect the fewest perihelions. Any conclu- 



VOL. XIX. NO. XXXVII.— JULY 1835. B 



