New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-02-10

such phsuomens... Probable universalty Of Ii, de.
vslopment' among material phenomena
LADIES AND GESTLENES | have now endeav
ored to explain and fully to exemphfy by means Of
the remarkable discoveries OF the planet NEPTUNE,
the nature Of the mechanism that s1stains Plan
etary System. As we have seen it. it indeed sp-
pears most compact and hsrmonious-.very orb
bound to all others around it by sympathies which
seem indissouble and which raise the smslle station
from condi.ioSof isolation into constituent and
essential part OF the vast fabric An understai ding
Of this mechanism so fall and minute as that W hich,
under the guidance Of ADAMS and LEyERRIER, has
enabled Us TO penetrate with so sure an effort to
the FAR region of NEPTUNE, may well be considere,
ct first sight almost IN have exhausted all problems
Of interest connected with our System but mas
much as Mans knowlelge never isnor can be com
pete-nssmuch il Is his destiny always 10 strug-
| gle and his hope ever 10 rise-we have no sooner
reached what seems satisfactory IN this line OF In
quiry than doubts and difficulties press for notice
which lead 10 investigations yet oitier and arther
reaching II soon occurs TO US, on contempt ating
this mechanism OF ours. that although the law OF
gravtsti0n entirely explains how Il at present pro
ceeds, enabling US to trace the many and com pick
relations OF all these orbs there still facts con
nected with IT, and these of high import, which the
l
does not explain.
Nothing think, could convince one more sure ly
than the discovery Of NEPTUNE how completed V
we have got hold of the laws governing the internal
mech anism OF our system.
| mentioned on a previous evening, tor instance,
that We find all the planets lying nearly IN the
same plane to illustrate; suppose | place
ball in the center of this table; now let the
ball represent the Sun, and then if were to rep.
resent the position OF the planets by other balls
would have to place them on the table also, and not
ab0re nor bei0r the surface OF the table. Now the
law Of gravity does not explain this IL would sus
tain the motions OF the planets round the SUM- how
ever lying Ia space ar, orb
also stated that the curve descrii--n,o no, an oval
revolving round the sun is % .' PIsne, n,ov.as in
and that gravity wouiS sustain "a tnat these orbs
any elpse wherever bql5b ss very near a circle so
are a.! nqYSYssss you represent the orbit very
large scale you may represent 1t by circle. Here,
then is another condition which the law ID graYIta
tion does not explain
Thirdly We find that the planet. are z rs"".S S,
log round the sun IN one direction we 90 not
find one travelling in direction and another pur.
SUING an opposite course bot all isweeping round
in the same direction. This also 10 quite unex'
planned by the law OF gravitation They might
move in any direction and still gravity would sus'
tain them.
Fourthly. We find that the Satellites move
round the primary planets in the same direction
that the primary planets reyolye round TIE SUI.
Now when we consider the number OF the primary
planets this may be regarded as special arrange
ment and one not at all accounted tor oy the law
Of gravity.
Lastly The planets and satellites have rotary
motion on their axes, as also has the Sum- which
completes its revolution ia twenty-five days, and
all these motions take place in the same direction
This s not explained by the gravitating power.
Now when persons look at these facts It must
strike them that there is great law here which
uota | should
the-by that 10 the circumstances OF which have
spoken there s one exception. The planet Uranus
has three satellites Herchel said i had sls' bat
no other Astronomer has ever been able 70 discern
more than three. Lord Roses great telescope
has never been turned 20 Uranus. and the question
still remains unsettled, but know that the
planet has three Satellites. Now IN this orb IL the
exception. Its satellites are not moving round
ranus in the plane TO which the other planets are
confined They sweep out from II, nor 90 they
move in the same direction as the other planets
but in the opposite. They move backward. Now
this il the sole exception in the whole system TO
the order and the laws 10 which | have referred
The planet Neptune confirms this order. We now
know that Neptune has one satellite, and IT'S mo
ton s the same as that OF all the rest OF the plan
cts | believe il may almost be said with comb.
dence that Neptune has two satellites second
one il is said has been discoyeredby the excellent
telescope at the observatory at Harvard nlyersty,
bat il has not yet been satisfactorily ascertained
The only exception then, is ranus, and the
question arises, What are we 20 do with 10 Are
we TO accept this single exception as oyerthrowing
the general order as arising from some exter.
ma cause with which we are not acquainted
believe II you consider the vast number OF other
motions governed by the law 10 which have refer
red you must consider the case OF Uranus as an ex
cepton II had not treated the Comets so lightly
the other night | would say that Comet would be
very acceptable here. Laughter and applause
That these facts are constituent elements Of our
System not rendered necessary by what nave
termed the sustaining power OF Gravity. is satii-
GENTLY manifested by the phenomena OF Comets.
for these wandering mists pass round the 5un in
al directions and Ia the most elongated orbits, de-
tying every one Of those laws which control the mo-
ton. OF ordinary planets. Instead Of being confined
% the plane rsyersed by the other orbs they often
come moving up toward the Sun from all quarters
of the heavens. Instead OF moving in orbits nearly
circular there is ehiPse so elongated that We do
10. find Comets moving in il; nay, we hnd them
moving IN orbits called parabola and hyperbola
that is 10 elpses carried out indefinitely. Comets
moving in such orbits visit our system bat and
then plunging into the boundess confines Of Space
are never more seen by Man
We know OF several eliPses of immense extern |
sion Halley's Comet has a very elongated one,
stretching beyond the orbit of faroff Neptune, bat
even that Is near Us compared with the orbits Of
others We are able with great probability to con-
lecture. The great Comet Of lSll-f presume |
most brilliant body that ever appeared IN our heav
ems and answering 10 the most terrific descriptions
of toe Comets given by the ancienIs seems 10 have
an orbit % immense thar its period Is about 900
wears To whs. an awful depth in space that body |
must 20 no eye but that Of Omniscience can ever |
discern and yet there is another whose orbit sp- !,
pears double that Of the Comet Of Isll il period
being about 900 years
The facts 70 which have alluded. then, mast be /
bed as especially chsrscterizing toe Planetary |.
Sy stem-setting j, apart a distinct and peculiar
arrangement and no more flowing necessarily from 4
the connection Of Gravity than the forms sustained
by the agency o. life are sustained By the energy
thar keeps them in being Indeed, this illustration
is not map, for even Life dIfases warning and 1
glowing activity through the whole innumersble 4
families Of snzstion, may this system OF ours
be Bat one exhibition Of what gravity perform
one special planetary arrangement belonging only 4
% one special class, among the immense varieties
which must roll around those niyriads OF slrsie, 1
double. and more complex stars
Accepting, then. the Circumstances that have \
described indie atoms Of the fundamental constita-
non Of our system the question arises whence came