The inventor has not only to convince him.' 
self, and surmount each difficulty, and ex¬ 
plain each absurdity as it is presented to 1 
' jjis own mind; but he has to remove the 
prejudice, ignorance, or preoccupying opin¬ 
ions to whiCii the consent of ages lias given, 
the impress of correctness, before thatj 
which is new 7 or innovating can he received,! 
however philosophically it may be explained. 
He lias not only to convince himself; but 
! to remove the rubbish of ages, to open a 
road to conviction in others. The man of 
science in investigating the u theory ol Con¬ 
centric spheres,” is burthened with, the pre- 
j judiccs of the old school; the deeper he is 
learned in the popular theories of the> 
earth, of the present day, and the firmer 
he is established in the belief of their cor¬ 
rectness, the less capable is he of receiving 
those doctrines which are contrary to them. 
Captain Symmes states it as fact, that 
there are many phenomena observable about 
our globe, and throughout the solar system 
which can be more philosophically explain¬ 
ed upon the principles of his new theory, 
than by those taught in the old school.—If 
this be so, it is worthy the attention of men 
of science. It is however, philosophical to 
admit that there may be many principles as¬ 
sumed, in the new theory, the truth or error 
of which will be only established, as the 
theory is more tested and developed,' by po- 
* l ar exploring expeditions. And it may, 
likewise, be admitted, that some phenomena 
may ever remain equally unexplained, 
Whether the old or new theories be adop* 
ted by the learned. That which, upon full 
investigation leaves least to hypothesis and 
conjecture, will certainly be most entitled 
to the adoption of correct philosophy. The 
author of the new theory is of the opinion, 
■ the variety ol phenomena which go so , 
- to esLa blish its correctness, and many of 
biose which support the old theories, notji 
inconsistent with the new, gives it! 
