single impulse, it is considered, by computation, that the impulse must have passed through a point about twenty-five miles from its centre."

The application of the Dynamical Theory to the astronomical data which we have just recapitulated, and the blending of some of the best established of these announcements with the conclusions which we have arrived at during the course of our investigations, lead to two distinct but equally important results.

With respect to the direction in which it is apprehended that the primary projectile impulse was impressed upon the earth, it will be obvious, that if this did not-as we consider we have satisfactorily shown it did not-simultaneously cause the earth's motion in space and its rotation around its axis; but, that the former preceded the latter in time by the whole period necessary for the deposition of the principal portion of the strata, then, the force which caused the earth and other planets to revolve around the sun, and all around their common centre of gravity, must have been of a description which (in connexion with the other existing laws of matter) would cause them to revolve around each other, and all around the common centre alluded to, without rotating around their individual axes. The deduction itself is so necessarily evident as scarcely to require either explanation or comment; but the direction of the impelling force is by no means so easily determined; nevertheless we are inclined to consider it to have been akin to that power which, ages afterwards, caused the orbitally revolving earth to rotate around its axis, without affecting the forces which maintained it in its predetermined path through the heavens, and which, no doubt, impressed similar motion on the other primary bodies of the system around their respective

axes.

As regards the diurnal motion, which we have all along maintained was not communicated to the earth coevally with its orbital impetus, otherwise we could not have accounted satisfactorily for the geological phenomena which bestrew its surface, we shall now have to go more into detail, in order to substantiate, by astronomical data, the position which other,

natural evidences occasioned us to assume, and which, hitherto, they have enabled us to maintain.

Attraction, one of those counterpoising forces which retain the earth in its orbital revolution around the sun, is (as has already been quoted) thus described by Sir John Herschel

"The direction of attraction at any point of the orbit of each planet, always passes through the sun. No matter from what ultimate cause the power which is called gravitation originates, be it a virtue lodged in the sun as its receptacle, or be it pressure from without, or the resultant of many pressures or solicitations of unknown fluids, magnetic or electric ethers, or impulses; still, when finally brought under contemplation and summed up into a single resultant energy, its direction is from every point on all sides towards the sun's centre."

Being made aware that such is the direction of one of the divellent forces which, acting on the earth in motion in the heavens, retains it in its destined orbital path; and bearing in mind the deliberate conclusion we have previously come to"that these two motions are quite independent of each other," inasmuch as that there was duration in time, between orbital revolution in space and diurnal rotatory motion, sufficient to admit of the deposition of the greater part of the stratified formation of the earth's outer crust; we must come to the conclusion which we did before, namely, that the other divellent force which is required to maintain the earth and other spheres in their orbits, must have been communicated at right angles, or tangentially, to that which is occasioned by the centripetal force of gravity, and so have caused the resultant direction in which the spheres travel in space.

This conclusion is most interesting, inasmuch as it points out, in language which can neither be set aside nor misunderstood, that the force which acted at right angles to the direction of gravity, and by overcoming its aggregate inertia caused the earth ever to be disposed, but, owing to the perfect equipoise, never able to fly off at a tangent from its path in space, must have been similar to that which we assume to have emanated from the primary light, when introduced into the material universe, and divided from the darkness, on the FIRST day of

the Mosaic week; because the result of this last was also to communicate motion in a direction tangentially to the molecular attraction passing through the earth's centre, and to overcome the inertia of its recumbent matter. It was not, however, merely to reach this conclusion, notwithstanding its importance, that we thought proper, at present, to point the attention to these facts. We more particularly desire that the mind should be directed to the circumstance itself, of the just equipoise of the two divellent forces, and to the knowledge, that to this we are indebted for the steadiness and certainty with which the earth performs its annual revolution around the sun; consequently, that any increase or decrease of either of those counterbalancing forces would be destructive of that security; would, in reality, disturb the whole economy of the solar system.

Now it is, when this conviction is strongly impressed upon the mind, that we recognise, most clearly, the importance of the conclusion we previously came to, namely-that there was a protracted period during which the earth did not rotate around its axis; but that it had diurnal motion impressed upon it, in common with the other spheres of the system, at a comparatively recent period: and that thereby such a centrifugal impetus was communicated to the earth as to raise its continental ridges and mountain chains, to depress the oceanic hollows, and to occasion the previously circumfluent waters, in rushing from the poles, to retire within these receptacles: because, as it has already been observed, if neither of the forces which restrained the earth in its orbital path could, without suffering disturbance, admit of either increase or of decrease, then we are constrained to conclude, that the force which caused the orbital revolving earth to rotate diurnally, could not have impinged upon it, equipoised as it was, either in the direction. of gravity, or in that of its divellent counterbalancing force; and if it could not have impinged upon it in either of these two directions, neither could it have done so in any intermediate one; because this, too, would have tended, as far as it went, to have augmented one of the equipoising powers, to the certain overthrow of the other.

We are thus wholly excluded from assuming, that the force

which caused the earth to revolve around its axis impinged upon it in the direction of the centripetal or centrifugal influences, or in that of any intermediate point between the two; although these, nevertheless, constitute the directions in which all forces act which proceed in straight lines, and produce effects directly either to or from their own centres; or which could have affected the earth in any line perpendicular to its axis.

SECTION IX.

CONCENTRATION OF THE LIGHT AROUND THE SUN; AND THE COMPLETION OF THE WORK OF CREATION.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Preparatory observations. Unique nature of the force which occasioned the protorotation of the earth, and other spheres of our system. Supposed to be identical with electro-magnetism. This description of force defined, and described more minutely from scientific sources. Also the movement of rotation which frequently accompanies the exhibition of this kind of electricity. Confirmatory evidence deducible from the single motion, or non-diurnal rotation of the moon. This satellite fully described according to the latest telescopic discoveries. Concluding inferences.

THE Conclusions which we came to at the close of the preceding chapter are very important, and are likely to exercise considerable influence over our future arguments. Convinced of this, as well as of the certainty of the non-rotating sphere having been caused, by a commensurate influence, to revolve around its axis, we are shut up to the alternative of supposing, that this effect was produced by a force which acted in a manner distinct from any we have yet had occasion to contemplate; one, for instance, which, while it proceeded in a direction parallel to the earth's axis, was capable of sending forth its resultant effects at right angles thereto; and, fortunately for our hypothesis, and the fate of this theory, there has been discovered, lately, a force which causes rotation in planes perpendicular to the line of its direction; and which, therefore, completely corresponds with the description of force of which we are in quest.

This unique impelling power belongs to a class of pheno