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lias hitherto been assumed as a direct action of the Creator 
without any secondary cause. After observing the effects 
produced by a rotating magnet upon surrounding objects, 
and after seeing that the sun and the planets are merely 
magnets of a larger size, it is impossible to avoid a com- 
parison between the two — the terrestrial magnets being 
models of the sun and his surrounding attendants. Not only 
is it then possible that the rotation of each planet is produced 
by the sun's rotation, but the rotation of a planet may, by 
the same law, be one cause producing the revolution of a 
satellite. The present paper is already of considerable length, 
and this latter probability cannot therefore be here fully 
discussed. It may, however, be mentioned that, if the two 
effects be connected, we ought to find that those planets 
which rotate the more quickly, ought to have satellites 
revolving around them with the greatest rapidity. Such is 
really the case ; our own planet rotates in about 24 hours, 
and our satellite revolves around us in about 27 days. 
Jupiter, whose rapidity of rotation is enormous, has a 
satellite situated at nearly the same distance from him that 
our moon is from us ; this satellite moves around him in a 
period of only 1 day 18 hours. Thus the quickest rotating 
planet in the system has the most rapidly revolving satellites. 
Saturn again rotates nearly as quickly as Jupiter, and his 
fourth satellite (Dione) is distant about 260,000 miles from 
him, that is, about the same distance that Jupiter's first 
satellite is from him. Saturn rotates more slowly than 
Jupiter, and this satellite revolves more slowly than that of 
Jupiter. Thus it really appears that rotations and revolutions 
are connected by a law, as in each case the quick rotating 
planet is attended by quick revolving satellites. 
It has been assumed as a settled question that rotations 
and revolutions in the Solar System are independent of each 
other. This assumption is empirical and unfounded, yet 
