New-York tribune., 1841-12-14
PRICE ONE GENE.

manned that this variation could not he m coa'e-
uuence of an error n the calculation, 1t becsc'e
apparent that the real cause was the existence OF
resisting medium, through which the planets
and all celestial bodies are moving. 1ou may De
startled by the announcement that a resisting me-
dunn should accelerate the motion OF the comet
so that it should anticipate Its time of appearance:
il would seem most in acco, dance with the laws
Of nature that It's motion should be retarded and
lis appearance DELAYED. But i i easy TO explain
thi. apparently difficult matter. The comet in re-
volving arsuad the Sun, If there were resisting
medium, would back to precisely the same
place, and pass ever III the same path. But II
the influence Of this medium be excrled upoD the
comet being retarded in its course, the attraction
! of the San uson it will become greater, and in
consequence the comet will fall more toward the
Sun; instead cf passing around that IN Ainary,
therefore, in its former path. this path will be d.
ninishcd, and the comet will trace sort OF spiral,
approaching closer and closer to the Sun at each
revolution and "a the successive orbits become
less and less ii will of require less and less
time for the csmes traverse them so that 1t
will anticipate the period ofits appearance. Thus
| have given you brief account of the way in
which a resisting medium produces an apparent
acceieration in the comets motion.
Thus BIZ the continued anticipation b. Encke's
Comet If the period of its return the existence OF
this resisting medium was proved-whch is pro-
baby ef the nature Of subtle fad attenuaied
sther Newton, by that wonderful and almost
prophetic sagaciry which /. characteristic of scien-
thc minds seem, to have had suspicion of the
existence and influence OF this medium, which Is
probably the instrument by means OF which light
is prcpagated The test by which its existence Is
pat past all doubt, if this possible, Ia evident
" TO observe other comets than that of Beia.-
- l. ,b.aV plrsfn,
of which all conspiie prove that this anlicipa-
ton, in point of time i. caused in this way: and
this is generally considered among scientific
sufficient proof OF The existence Of u resisting
medium.
The question naturally arises. what will be the
effect OF this As the comst revolves not conrinr-
ally in the same path but in spiral, all the while
approaching the Sum- it follows that after certain
length Of timc-nillians of years, perhaps, but
still definite period-a number of years expressi
bic by numbers, the comet must fall into the Sun.
This is as certain ultimately occur, any thing
can be: we know it certainly We know that
these lamps are lighting the room.-Another qucs-
ton arises in every rcRcctins mind How Is it
with regard TO the plaseis? Does the Earth ie-
volve in spiral and is it continually approaching
the Sun Unquestionably it is, for the fact OF the
existence Of resisting medium being established.
it ever puts an end TO all doubt, and shows most
clearly that instead Of returning year after year IN
the same orbit, the Earth is continually approaching
the Sua ard will Ultimately fall into it. The 'irac
which will elap-e before this will happen is i'm
mensc-hut still it is finite it is calculable
however for we have no data for the process; but
there cannot be shadow of doubt that the Earth
will NEE, its fate in the bosom OF the Sun.
alluded Just now to the wonderful instinct by
which Newton, deprived as he Of the mass of
information concerning comets which we now pos,
ses, always believed that the yta into the SUM-
At the age OF SO II conversation occurred between
this great philosopher and his nephew on this sub
cct Of which have record. The old man
expressed the belief that when the comet of $780,
which he observed ,nd which | spoke of at ths
last evening should fall into the Sun, the heat Of
that BODY would be so increased by It's applica-
ton of fuel tina, the Earth and all that it nherlts
must insvitably perish. To this cause he ascrlhed
the modern disappearance OF stars mentioned by
Hpparchus Tycho, Blahe and kepler, which he
believed had thus persisted The sudden appear
ance of stars of great splendor and the as sudden
disappearance is upon record, and has frequently
been observed. This undoubtedly owing to
thi, cause.-The falling of comets INFO the Suns al
far distant systems. Upon Newtons advancing
this opinion, his nephew inquired why he did not
state il openly in his writings. " Because" said
is somewhat too closely connected with
welfare have said enough however in my works
to enable the world TO collect what my oPn-
ions without, al the time, creating urnecss-
ssry alarm However erroneous to the effect
that would be produced by a comets falling into
the Sun, Ne~tons opinions were, (and we now
know that his specuaions were perfectly futiIe,)
it is still quite clear that he had anticipated the
discovery of the fact now known, that the comets
do ultimately rush into the Sun
The next point, which is Of considerable ints
rest is the question to the number OF TIE COM
ct, You see how limited i, the number of tho
Planets. AT least far we have discovered; the
number of comets Is far greater NJ Arago. who
devoted much time 10 the investigation OF the CIR
curstances of comets, made computation rs TO
their probable number. His reasoning rests upon
ground which, if | were 10 use popular language,
| might saw is attended with mora! certainty In
investigating the courses Of the comets, il
found that they are distributed uniformly through
.pnce; that in proportion 10 the magnitude Of the
spaces included by their orbits. the number between
Mercury and Venx. is equal TO that between We
nus and the Earth. and 40 for all the others. Thus
WAS the Solar System gagged, ans as it were, the
number of comets that revolvc IN every part OF II
counted. Ii was found, too, swe have Rresd, SAID
that they net only do not traverse common plane
but that there are nearly equal numbers OF them
which revolve at all possible inclinations The
process BY which the number ascertainod. is
based upon this extremely elegant process of rea-
soning
Suppose a globe whose centre is at the cen
tire Of the Sun, and whose surface passes
through the orbit of Mercury. 1t will include all
the space in every direction within 100000 OF
miles from the Sun. Within this sPacs thirty com
cts have been seen. Now suppose another globe
with the same centre. but whose surface passes
through the remotest orbit IN the system, that OF
Hsrschell This will embrace all the space within