The Harmony of Creation. 4g1 
a list of plants which he termed a floral clock, which opened 
and shut at particular hours of the day. The day-lily 
opens at five in the morning, the common dandelion at six, 
the hawkweed at seven, the marigold at nine. Many close 
at corresponding hours in the afternoon. During the de- 
tention of navigators at the North Pole, when they have 
been blocked in by ice and in darkness for many weeks, it 
has been found necessary, in order to retain the health of 
the men, that at six a.m. all should rise from bed, and retire 
to rest at nine p.m., taking their meals at regular intervals. 
If we may be allowed to continue our digression, it would 
be interesting to remark here the strong resemblance which 
exists between the inclination of the earth’s axis and her 
rotation, and those of Mars, Mercury, and Venus. Mars 
rotates on her axis in 24h. 37m., Venus turns on her axis in 
23h. 2im.,and Mercury in 24h.5m. These planets have 
therefore nearly the same day and night as the earth. 
Their inclination is similar to that of our earth, and they 
probably have similar seasons and climates. Clouds are 
visible upon these three planets; they must therefore pos- 
sess both an atmosphere and water, or something analo- 
gous to these elements. 
If the axis of the earth were at right angles to its annual 
orbit we should have equal night and day all over the 
world ; if the axis were in the plane of its orbit the sun 
would be above the horizon for several weeks in summer, 
and below for a similar period in winter. Such alteration 
of axis would be incompatible with the maintenance of the 
organised world. 
In the annual revolution of our earth, therefore, it is ab- 
solutely necessary that the inclination of her axis should 
remain unchanged, for the well-being, or indeed existence 
of animated nature. Without the regular action of light 
and heat the vegetable kingdom would be unable to oxy- 
genate our atmosphere, which would lose its power of sus- 
taining animal life. A suspension of the law of gravitation 
for one hour would destroy not only this earth, but pro- 
bably multitudes of other worlds. No caprice of will, nor 
even any act of intelligence such as is common to animals, 
are allowed to cause the deviation of a hairs breadth in 
the course of the operation of the laws which rule the inor- 
ganic world. The organic world is entirely dependent 
upon the regular and right action of these first laws. A 
prolonged discussion of this subject would occupy too 
much space for this paper. Enough has been advanced to 
