/flr'mj 
'V'A'W X/X/* X/X/H W^v/VV 
THE NEW THEORY. 
From the Kentucky Herald, Sept. 1. 
From occasional notices in the newspapers, it 
appears that Capt. Stmmes still persists in lhs 
theory nf the earth, and that he has applied to 
different Sovereigns of Europe, for assistance to 
explore the internal cavity. It is time to notice 
such extravagant speculations, when the lives 
of men may be endangered by their being actec 
on. [ have waited to see if any of our astrono¬ 
mers, geologists, or mechanical philosophers, 
would show the impossibility of such a forma¬ 
tion as Symmcs supposes to exist; but have 
waited in vain—on the contrary, Hr. Mitoueh 
has encouraged him in his extravagant notions, 
j It therefore rests with me, who am neither as- 
| trcnomer nor geologist, to do what some of 
them ought to have done long ago. 
The density of earth, as found by calcula¬ 
tion from a mean of 347 experiments, made on 
purpose, by Dr. Maskelyne and Mr. Cavendish, 
i is more than live limes greater than that of wa¬ 
ter. Now, as the materials we find composing 
the sr Dace of the earth, will net more than aver¬ 
aged, a If of this density, it follows, that the cen¬ 
tral part must exceed it. So far then from hav¬ 
ing any reason to believe that our globe may 
be holloiv within, we are at a loss to conceive of 
materials heavy enough to make up the great 
pecifieg' avity, found by experiment,supposin g 
it to be all solid. 
It may be shown, by the theory of gravitation, 
that no hollo-us globe of the magnitude of the 
earth caw exist. Suppose such a shell of fluid 
matter to be created, and put into rotary motion 
the same as that o the earth, and subject also to 
the laws of gravitation, it could not retain that 
shape for a moment—it would fall in from all 
points, and soon coalesce in a solid spheroid.— 
The centrifugal force which Capt. Symmes em¬ 
ploys to keep his shell in shape, is altogether in¬ 
sufficient to produce any such effect. At the 
I equator that force is only one two hundred and 
I thirtieth ofthe gravitating force, k at the poles 
nothing. Even supposing the rotary motion was 
increased to such a degree as to keep the e- 
quatorial part of its original position, still no o- 
tlier part would retain it. The poles being at¬ 
tracted by each other, and by every other par- 
ticle between them, while there was no force 
tending to keep them apart, would soon meet 
—so would every other opposite parallel; for 
in all the centrifugal, being less than the centri¬ 
petal force, would only retard, but could not 
prevent them from meeting; and the whole 
would, form a very oblate spheriod. 
