Mr. milner on the 
co6 
earth be conlldered as a hard body, firmly cohering in its 
parts by fome other force befides that of gravity, it does 
not feem neceffary that the different columns fhould be 
fuppofed to fuftain each other at the center, though in 
both cafes the diredlion of gravity muff at every point of 
the furface be perpendicular to the tangent of the figure. 
But we know, that there is a confiderable quantity of 
water upon the furface of the earth ; and, therefore, if 
the equatorial regions were not higher than the polar, 
they certainly would be overflowed by the Ocean, which 
is contrary to experience ; and for this reafon the propor- 
tion of the diameters of the earth, determined upon the 
falfe fuppofition of an entire fluidity, cannot differ much 
from the truth. 
§ 2. But the preceffion of the equinoxes, which de- 
pends upon the unequal actions of the Sun and Moon on 
the protuberant parts of the earth at the equator, will 
not be the fame in thefe different hypothefes ; at leaf! we 
can never be certain that it will be fo until we have com- 
puted their effects, and the computation itfelf muff pro- 
ceed on different principles. Suppofe the earth to be 
fluid under the form of an oblate fpheroid ; or, what is 
more fimple, fuppofe the region of the equator to be fur- 
rounded with a ring of fluid matter, and the unequal 
action of the Sun will difturb the figure of the ring, and 
communicate 
