the Nature of the Sun. 
3°3 
THEORETICAL EXPLANATION OF THE SOLAR PHENOMENA. 
We have admitted, in order to explain the generation of shal- 
lows, that a transparent elastic gas comes up through the open- 
ings, by forcing itself a passage through the planetary clouds. 
Our observations seemed naturally to lead to this supposition, or 
rather to prove it ; for, in tracing the shallows to their origin, 
it has been shewn, that they always begin from the open- 
ings, and go forwards. We have also seen, that in one case, a 
particular bias given to incipient shallows, lengthened a number 
of them out in one certain direction, which evidently denoted a 
propelling force acting the same way in them all. I am, how- 
ever, well prepared to distinguish between facts observed, and 
the consequences that in reasoning upon them we may draw 
from them ; and it will be easy to separate them, if that should 
hereafter be required. 
If however, it be now allowed, that the cause we have assigned 
may be the true one, it will then appear, that the operations 
which are carried on in the atmosphere of the sun are very 
simple and uniform. 
Generation of Pores. 
By the nature and construction of the sun, an elastic gas, 
which may be called empyreal, is constantly formed. This 
ascends every where, by a specific gravity less than that of the 
general solar atmospheric gas contained in the lower regions. 
When it goes up in moderate quantities, it makes itself small 
passages among the lower regions of clouds : these we have 
frequently observed, and have called them pores. We have 
shewn that they are liable to continual and quick changes, which 
must be a natural consequence of their fleeting generation. 
