29 
any two cosmical theories could possibly be. He suggested a 
totally different theory, in which the sun is not only the centre 
ot the solar system, but the source whence all the planets were 
drawn . Instead of the sun being fed with meteors to keep it 
from burning out, Mr. Brayley's theory makes the sum in 
rotating rapidly on its axis, throw off meteoric bodies • and 
thus he argues the earth and other planets were most probably 
created ! I have no intention of going further into this specu- 
lation here. I mention the fact of its having been brought 
orward, and that in the Royal Society, in the presence of Pro- 
fessor Tyndall, and of Newton's successor in the Lucasian 
chair, without a word being uttered against it. This forces us 
I say, naturally, to ask this question. What is now our know- 
ledge, our science," of the sun or Cosnios ? Mr. Brayley's 
views, of course, are entirely opposed to every part of the 
Prmcipia ' and all that was dreamt of in Newton's philosophy. 
Professor Thomson's theory destroyed the possibility of the 
sun being the theoretical centre of the solar system, if universal 
gravitation had anything like a plausible foundation. But 
apart from that argument, which some people may not trust 
th Tw VeS to admit ; any boy can see that Professor Thomson's 
and Mr. Brayley's theories are flat contradictions of one 
another, even as speculations ; and then we are bound to ask 
upon what extraordinary data of facts or principles can such 
conflicting theories be based ? 
That existing societies do not trouble themselves to compare 
and contrast, and so to reject as unscientific such contradictory 
hypotheses, or one or other of them, is simply true. The 
transactions of the Royal Society — and no other need be 
named bear witness to the truth of this averment. And 
that to do so— as proposed in the third object of the Victoria 
nstitute would tend to the advantage and real advancement 
of . true science, I think will scarcely be disputed. The 
Science of Sciences, in fact, is the proper co-relation of all the 
various sciences into one grand and consistent Philosophy 
which will be the interpretation of the nature of things as or- 
dained by the one true God; and it does not require to be 
argued that each science should at least be consistent with 
itself. True lovers of Science, and all lovers of Truth, must 
surely unite in one desire to harmonize the conflicting elements 
of human speculations ; and the members of the Victoria Insti- 
tute may reasonably hope, that when this is done it will be 
found that the highest human wisdom will be in accordance 
with the Wisdom of the One God, Who has created all things 
very good. ° 
