1 
the stars, proving the declination of the stars less than it 
ought to be. 
Let us, however, examine the proofs of the earth's 
expansion, and the increase of its orbit. La Place says 
"It is impossible not to be struck with the extraordinary 
" circumstance that the motions of all the planets and 
" satellites take place from west to east, and very nearly 
" in the same plane ; that the motions of rotation on their 
" respective axes are all in the direction, and nearly in 
" the plane of their motions of projection. These coinci- 
" dences, to which we may add the small eccentricity of all 
" the planetary orbits, are too extraordinary to be the result 
" of chance. They evidently depend upon some common 
" cause which determined the motions of the respective 
" bodies at their formation.' ' 
I may also add as another bond of connection that their 
densities decrease with their distances from the sun.* Thus 
the density of 
Distances. 
Density. Miles. 
Mercury is 2,585 (of lead) and its distance from 
the sun 37,000,000 
Venus 1,025 „ 69,000,000 
Earth 1,000 (5 times of water) 95,000,000 
Mars 656 (3 and 2-7th times of water) . . 145,000,000 
Jupiter . . 201 (a little more than water) 494,000,000 
Saturn 103 (of cork) 907,000,000 
These distances of the respective planets from the sun and 
their densities (as deduced from their masses and volume) 
* See History of Astronomy, p. 53. (Library of Useful Knowledge.) 
Density of a body is as the mass directly, and the volume inversely. Hence 
354,936 (mass) 
density of 0 \ density of © :: : 1 : 0.2543. 
1,384,472 (bulk) 
(Herschel, Lardner's, p. 239.) 
