Wheeling compiler. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [i.e. W. Va.]) 1829-1831, 1830-06-09

from, the motion Of ueSe masses, that the
,nn rotated on its pdes, in the same man.
npr as ifthey were l0ated in the moon and
se,inp our northern ices descend to the
sottb should thence onclude that the earth
revolyed from north south. At last a..
other sage, celebraed for bis eloquence
and his prodigious IboIs, pretended that
the earth. in its orign, was nothing more
than ono of those froby masses, detached
by chance, from the sun, and that it had
been driven from it place by fortultous
contact with a vagabnd COMETS tail; that
then. by the attractia or centriPetal force
which il had received from the sun. It was
rounded TO It's preset shape by turning
upon itself. This mechanical system Sc
duced most Of the acedoulciaus. They
concluded from u ,Aat the earth coming
as ii were from a glass furnace. ought to
be hattened at the poles.-Sqveral acad-
emicians were sent to the equato- to meas
ure a degree on it, and although hey all
reported different admeasurements, they
did not the less confirm, by them, the he.
ory Of Newton. and their application Ia
that of the universe. But how many OBJ
iectons may be urged against the theory
Ia the first place, the veraclous Boyle re-
lates in his dictionary the experiment otan
able philosopher, who, in the silence ofhls
study, uselessly essayed to put little ball
Of iron in equilibrio amongst several mag
nets. How can we suppose that chance
has placed so many celestial bodies IN
state of equilibrium, Of which some arc
stationary whilst others move around them,
without the least arrangement for a multi
tude of ages. How have they been able 10
imagine that the earth IN a state Of soft.
ness, by its rotatory motion had become
flattcned at the poles, whilst the sun, from
which they say it was broken off turns.
like the earth, upon It's axis unc0oled and
preserves perfect roundnessl Whence
could have sprung the elements which VIC
see upon the earth, most OF which are so
foreign 70 the agency Of fret Are there
then air, water and vegetables In the sunf
AT last came Herschell who brought tho
telescope TO such perfection as to increase
celestial objects to more than four humid
red times the size attained in the time OF
Newton. He saw that the sun was a sol
id body. having mountains more than ono
hundred leagues in height and one humid
red and fifty leagues in length, surrounded
with an atmosphere Of bIlloSy light, l0OO
leagues 10 depth, which opening IN It's I'M
dula;inc motions, revealed n glowing disk
the briliancy of which the eye could not
sustain. He 10 persuaded that the fire OF
the sun does not burn, and that this star is
habitable: for myself am convinced of Il
by the effects of his light upon the SUBMITS
OF our highest mountaIirs, clad in everlast.
ing SHOWS. Herschell having made such
learned and consoIBg observations upon
this star, which pours forth It's food Of
hight, made others equally interesting upon
the planets which receive This light
lie discovered that the most remote Of
all was surrounded with double belts and
reyerbefating satellites: he deserved TO
bestow a name upon it which the justice Of
postsrlty will undoubtedly preserve.
But do you believe, said ], that the Lap'
LADDERS may have discovered this planet
before him that they may have given It
namel The air Of LapIaud is 80 pure ITS
heavens so serene. and the land so eleya-
ted, that it may be possible. They my
have been aided by the relract'on OF somo
masses Office. Most discoveries owe their
origin to satages.
/ am charmed, said he, with the interest
you take in what say, but the subject
which now occupies US is immense: let uS
not lose sight Of it, but turn to the secor'
dary causes OF light, the moon, for exam
ple. and then we will occupy ourselves
with their united effects upon the earth.
ITO bo contnued.l