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When an individual is perfectly satisfied with his own 
knowledge, it is not unusual, if we examine closely, to discover 
that in some elementary matters he may have been somewhat 
careless ; consequently, as we know that there are facts in 
geology which are not explained by astronomy, and as there 
are facts in astronomy (viz., the retrograde movement of the 
satellites of Uranus for instance, and even the daily rotation 
of the earth on its axis) unexplained by any theory, it is not 
utterly impossible that we may, if we examine carefully, find 
that there is some trifling item in astronomy which has either 
been overlooked or misinterpreted, — some little circumstance 
probably, which, from its very simplicity, has not been worthy 
of attention, and which consequently may fall to the share of 
some humble, persevering, common- sense individual, who is 
content with the crumbs which fall from his master's table. 
We will first examine what conclusions have been arrived 
at with regard to the tropical remains in northern regions. 
From experiment, and the simple method of proceeding, 
which we observe in all the works of nature, it appears 
almost certain that the tropics must have once extended as 
far, if not farther, than Melville Island, rather than that 
some spadmodic convulsion took place in our earth. 
If the tropics extended far to the north of England, then 
would the sun be twice in each year directly over head in 
England, and during the English winter it would be directly 
over the southern hemisphere, as far as Australia, and even 
the south pole. 
Then also in England the sun would remain one- third 
of the year always above the horizon, not near the horizon 
as is now the case in the far north, but directly over head 
or nearly so — thus producing a heat far more intense 
than that which now pervades the tropics, and, in fact, 
forming a climate exactly suitable to the production of 
those magnificent flora which are found among our coal. 
