New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-12-28
NEw-yoRK. TUESDAY noRNING, DECEMBER IS,

seemed - set the lsv o. grayitstion AZ defiance,
IS reiUcei absolutely within the control OF the law
and most beautiful ex planation o. the Phenonens
IS presented.
When these difsculties Rad been removed
more rieid scrutiny seemed 70 reveal others IN Ss
turn tai finally. after having exhausted al the
means within the limits Of the Solsr system 70 sc
count for them, some mind ventured % pass tne
limits a. II had hitherto crcimscrbed T. and say
There must be a planet upon the outside. But
no one dared at that time % undertake the reso.a
ton Of the vast problem, BY whose solution the
position Of the unknown body could be deter
mined. Fortunately for tho world IN ilsA or
VIM. Herschel in Of his telescope explora-
tons fosnd object which attracted his attention
In short he saw IN il something which resembleda
planetary disc On the following night the exam
nation showed that body 70 hsye changed its lace
vet so it.le did he expect % md another planet
that be announced be lad found comet and com.
uenced 20 compute its orbit. Ogt found 20 elongated
orbit would suit the place which had been sisen 70
IL and that nothing but the circular, or nearly So
would fulfl It's conditions. Il was found to be
planet revolving outside Of Saturn at distance OF
eighteen hundred millions OF miles from the Gun.
This FIRST ca ed Georgiun Sldus IN honor OF hins
George Ill IS know by the name Of Herschel-
more generally called Uranus.
Ia the course Of five or six years, Hersche an
nosnced he had found six satellites revolving about
the body bat what astonished every one, was the
announcement that these satellites instead OF ni.
loving the analogy Of the other known planets by
revolving in the same direction in which the plan
cts moved. were actually moving backward 10 their
orbits and nearly perpendicular 20 the plsne OF tue
ecliptic Here was 3 difficulty In the great Sys.
tenn OF the Universe called " Lsplaces Theory,
which have already announced II this System
was formed as he supposed, how Is It possible to
account for the retrograde motion OF these satel'
ites and for the fact that their Psnes are nearly
perpendicular to the plane Of the ecliptlcl Per
hsps IL is impossible 10 account Tor II out II we
viii admit that such thing may occur as the I'M
Ringing of a comet upon any body IN our system u
would not be impossb bic 10 account for these retro
grade movements nor for this great inclination by
/ sUpposing at the time this was iuid mass, the
movement may have changed its rotation upon It's
axis and have caused the satellites TO take the po
siton they now occupy | do not present this Tor
any one 10 receive as true hypothess u ouiy
shows that those who adhere 70 particular theory
will find WAYS and means Of explaining difficulties
which others never would think OF. Neither do /
wish 70 be understood as having adopted Laplace
theory very fer from il. IL remains 10 be demon
strated vet. and IL is possible the means may yet
he attained whereby, by the power Of analysis we
may bring out the truth or talsehood OF this most
stunendous theory We are obliged therefore, %
I accent the statement Of Herschel for the present
although. so far as know, up 70 the present time
10 eve has ever more than three out OF the SIX
satellites which be tells n reyolve aboutths planet
When this planet had been watched suti.
! cieut number OF years. and the observations hsd
| been made by means OF which its orbit could be
computed with accuracy, and the place which II
had occupied years and years before It's discovery,
ON running back through the Catalogues OF stars
which had been formed by preceding Astronc mers u
was found that this body had been seen NUMBER
Of times and had had It's place liked IN the heav-
ems being regarded n fixed star. These early
observations were Of infinite value in determining
a more accurate orbit OF this planet, 40 that long
before the elements of this orbit were known u
was POSSIBLE to predict its position IN ali COMING
/ time. But when these predictions were made
| rnd when observation and theory were compared
il was found that the planet was deyisting from JUS
! computed place-lt was found that no analysis
! coud copine IL il has broken away from It's CON
| puted orbit aud at the distance OF eighteen hun
/ dred millions OF miles from the center this BODY
| seemed 10 be moving lawlessy through the heavens
La order to resolve this great problem, IL would be
necessary to go into minute investigation Oh a.
the observ nsions that bad been nsaoi to go DO.
from the planet through the whole solar D stem u
the sun itself ard To ascertain with the most Psree
precision what influence was exerted by all ths
known bodies upon this one II alter every possible
influence bad been admitted, accounted tor and ap
piled, there were yet outstanding Inequalities re
naming unaccounted for, It certainly became
necessary % look for their cause beyond the
limits of the known Solar System. THIS was the
problem taken up by Leverier, and 10 which VII
now call your attention.
Perhaps there is no person living in the world
who occupies 50 unfortunate position as the mol
vidual inst named This may sound strangely II
vour ears. The difficulty is this That he has &C
complshed the resolution OF one oftne most sublime
problsms ever attacked by the human mInd-hte
rally and truly accomplished it-and yet that proc
lem turns out not to be the problem oil Mature oil
one that God had given to be resolved kno" no"
difficult a task il will De to explain this, and It l,
.uIft
of what have stated that bis position IS one eas
10 be envied for he probably never Will receive inc
credit due to him In consequence OF the TACT ina
the planet so recently found IS not the planet o
bis analysis. ,.
But now for the examination OF this matter
Leverrier is a comparatively young man. and mad
shown the power OF his genius by risid examina
zion of the conditions involved in the movements o.
the Planet Mercury. He had taken up the oid "a
| leswbich seemed 10 govern the movements OF TINS
I Planet and had corrected them from beginning :.
end Ii was believed that the knowledge WHICH
we already had OF the movements oil tois oo'y wa'
sufficiently correct for all practical purposes Ine
transit OF that planet across the Sun. which &C
Cured not long since gave the opportunity OF test
ing the accuracy OF ms own Investigations Ia tue
most perfect manner; and when the results came
in from every quarter OF the world, and were con
centrated at Paris and presented for examination
il WAS found that he had predicted the instant Al
more accurately than any other person VINO nsd
attempted il and indeed be only tailed ny the
amount Of sixteen seconds OF time.
His great success in this particular Induced DIS
friend Arago 10 request MIN to attempt tns resoiu
ton Of the problem Of the Perturoatlons oil Uranus
He commences not to SKIN superhclaly over th'
surface-taking tor granted what had already beer
d1ne--but goes back the first observation record
ed and traces each and every one down the stream
OF time. sitting out everything which belongs y
each one OF them. Not satisfied with this ne com
mences review OF all the planets that can ope
rate upon it's motion, makes new theory ior ga
turn and tor Jupiter takes into consideration ever
the change Of position occasioned BY the action o
Jupiter upon Saturn Itself and the minute saose
: quent changes in the action Of Saturn upon TOE
planet nine hundred millions OF miles distant ron
il All these things gone through and WIN zoe
hand of a master he holds the problem steadily be
fore bis gaze, and SEXES every point with Pefiec
certainty At length he has accounted tor the per
tarbarion due to the action Of any known BODY II
toe Solar system. and there Is certain aino 1l
vet outstanding And now the grand ooJece Is ''
PASS upon the true elements and see whether II De
possible 50 10 locate q planet IN space tnat IL 10
account for this outstanding perturosrlon' ana
whether by giving il this position Il be possio'e
To find IL How did be attempt this To most per
90. 4, uouId seem utterly beyond the grasp Of Tue