26 
Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
A Theoretical Representation leading to General Sugges- 
tions bearing on the Ultimate Constitution of Matter 
and Ether. By John Fraser, Ordnance Survey. Com- 
municated by Professor Chrystal. 
(Read January 6, 1902.) 
The idea has long been floating around in thoughtful minds that 
all the different varieties of matter in the world are formed out of 
one primordial substance or stuff, and that the different qualities 
they exhibit are caused by a mere difference of number, arrange- 
ment, and motion of the primordial units forming the atoms of our 
so-called elementary substances. For instance, the atom of oxygen 
would contain sixteen times as many of these units as the atom of 
hydrogen, which would account for the difference of their atomic 
weights ; and besides, the motions of the units forming each atom 
would be different for the different atoms, thus accounting for their 
other different qualities. Nitrogen would contain fourteen times 
as many of these units, carbon twelve times, and so on according to 
their atomic weights. 
It appears to me that the ether of space must be, if such a thing 
exists, this primordial substance or stuff out of which all bodies are 
formed. It seems to exist throughout all space. At least, wher- 
ever a star can be seen, the space between us and that star must be 
full of this stuff, for it is the vehicle by which the light of that 
star travels to us; and it seems to fill all ponderable bodies, as 
water does a sponge, for its vibrations pass through transparent 
and diathermanous bodies in the form of rays of light and heat, and 
by the X-rays we know that so-called opaque bodies are penetrated 
by it. 
Well, then, what is the constitution of the ethereal units? They 
must be perfectly elastic, or all motion between their parts would 
soon come to an end ; and here is the great difficulty — if they are 
units, they cannot be formed out of anything else ; they must be 
wholes, and continuous throughout their mass — that is, contain 
