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I wish to prove it in this way, that the actions of the forces of these stars act 
on one another. If I take hold of this book, and Mr. Mitchell attempts to 
pull it at an angle to me, and I pull it at the same angle, there is no reason 
why the book will fall to him or to me, if both pull at the same angle with 
the same strength. It will remain in the position in which it is, and conse- 
quently obey neither one nor the other. There can be no action in the matter, 
and there can be no motion in the stars unless some force is operating in 
favour of one rather than the other. When a man tells me that this meteoric 
stone came down on the ground with a certain velocity, it depends on the short 
time in which it stopped ; it is not in the velocity, — the force depends on the 
shortness of the time. (Question.) This may be very awkward ; I will try and 
do my best, because Mr. Mitchell’s paper bore on the velocity and force of the 
aerolites falling on the earth. I returned from the subject to the equal 
pulling of the proper motion of the fixed stars, showing the balancing of 
one another (which I did not like to read one by one), not all going one way, 
but balancing one another. There is no system of the law of gravitation 
whatever, it is a secondary thing compared with the actions of the stars on 
one another — 
Mr. Reddie. — You began with the fixed stars, and then you passed from 
them to the planets ; but the difficulty is to understand how you mean to 
connect them together and with the subject of meteors. 
The Chairman. — Keep to the question. 
Professor Byrne. — Am I in order ? I am afraid I wish to carry the 
thing one way too far ; but to go back to the force of a body and the blow 
it gives, as an aerolite coming any distance ; does that depend upon the 
impression so much as the space of the time in w 7 hich the body comes. My 
whole object in rising is this, to show that there is an action in the fixed 
stars, upon which the force of gravitation is secondary — 
Mr. Reddie. — I do not think this question of the fixed stars has anything 
to do with meteors. 
Professor Byrne. — I got up to show that it had. Mr. Chairman, I submit 
I got up to show that. Perhaps Mr. Reddie will show me that it had not, 
and I will then sit down. 
Mr. Reddie. — It is not for me to do so. I should be sorry to interrupt 
unnecessarily any gentleman when speaking, but now I must throw myself 
on the good-nature of the meeting. I must say, that I do not see that Mr. 
Byrne has shown that there is any connection between the fixed stars and 
meteors ; and I do think it irregular to go into such elaborate questions 
as he has entered upon, when we have a specific subject before us. If, how- 
ever, the other question is to be gone into, I think we ought to have it treated 
a little more coherently ; and if Professor Byrne will write a paper on the 
motions of the fixed stars, which it appears to me is a totally distinct subject, 
I am sure we shall all be most glad to hear him. Professor Byrne is a great 
mathematician, and is entitled to bring those things forward ; but we must 
keep to one subject at a time ; and I certainly do not understand how these 
remarks of Professor Byrne can be considered as having any reference to the 
