If the rays of light, from a circumscribed luminous body, fall 

 on a particular part of the retina of the eye, they will, by their im- 

 petus on the nerves, so wound them, as partially to paralyze that 

 part for a time, so that, if soon afterwards, the eye be directed 

 to an object with a white surface from which light is reflected, that 

 portion of light, which fulls on the paralyzed part, will not pro- 

 duce the usual effect of vision, but represent, as a dark spot, that 

 part of the object from which the light is reflected to it. 



The diff'erence of size between that of a particle of light and of 

 a cannon ball, may almost, but cannot be absolutely, infinite. — 

 The effects which either can produce are governed by the same 



plied by its velocity. If then a ball, discharged from a cannon, 

 has an effect to propel whatsoever may be in its course, so has a 

 ray of light ; both are governed by the well known laws of moving 

 bodies impinging on those that are at rest. If the proportions be- 

 tween the one and (he other arc the same, the effect will be the 

 same, diflfering only in degree. If then the sun-beams can, in. 

 passing through the moon's atmosphere, carry with them some- 

 thing contained in it to this earth, whether it be by elective at- 

 traction or by impulse, the theory that has been advanced respect- 

 ing the functions of the moon, cannot be considered as absurd, or 



rational assent. 



The tooth of time crumbles every thing into atoms, and the re- 

 generating energies of nature constantly recompose them into or- 

 ganic bodies. 



Every thing is under a process of dissolution and reorganiza- 

 tion, although it may, in some subjects, be so slow as to require 

 ages to make its effects visible, yet, in thousands of others, such 

 effects are matters of daily observation ; and this process cannot 

 be thus unceasingly in operation without admitting the position 

 that the atoms, aggregated in the various substances belonging to 

 this earth, and probably, all that compose the universe, do, by 

 their faculties of attraction and repulsion, and perhaps some otherp 

 unknown to us, so operate as to produce the ultimate results for 

 which those provisions of nature are made, and which we perceive 

 in the origin, growth, maturity, decline and destruction of every 

 thing about us, besides the many other wonderful phenomena we 



