New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-07
Grand Laws of the solar system.
BY rroF. oLnsrrD, or YALE COLLEGE.

BY PROF. oLMsrED, OF YALE COLLEGE.
The first of a series of four Lectures,
termed the franklin Lectures was delivered by
Professor Omsted, Of isle College, at the Tabernacle,
last evening We were glad to notice that the attend
ancc this the first Of series of lectures intended to
combine entertainment with Instruction was very
specially attended.
Prof Omsted upon being introduced, 20 the audience,
was warmly received aud said he was remilded by
the great of Franklin winch his respected patrons
had placed the head OF this Of lectures that
the true dignity and glory OF science consisted in do
ing good God Ind made this world and ordained the
laws of Nature for the many and for the few. It
was meet therefore tina, knowledge should be
rendered free as the pleased air ami light of
heaven But there were two classes OF popular lee
lures upon astronomy addressed 20 two very different
classes of hcnrersto the lovers of pleasure and the
lovers Of truth. An undertaking combine pleasure
taking that word in it, every day acccpiationwth in
structon appeared to him like buying Western land to
promote the cause Of religion. Although he wished to
be unde rstood as believing there a large measure
Of pleasure in the acquisition of truth yet he should re-
marx that those who catered for the lovers Of pleasure
presented the subject Of astronomy with external at
fractions directed chiefly ihe Imagination and senses
Those VINO addressed the lovers OF spcA'
understanding and the int llect only Tie former, in
their lectures upon this science, presented gorgeous
pictures Of the heavenly bodies ofen trcked out with
fantastic coors or embazoned with all the splcndors
of the magic lantern; and these, they declared, were
the appearances of the heavenly bodies seen in the
great telescopes He would be permitted to say, how
ever that such exhibitions those addressed merely
20 the external and Imagination OF the hearers,
were entirely distasteful to the true astronomer But
his object was to spread before his audience the great
ocean Of truth: and instead Of that vague, IN.
satisfactory entertainment which resulted from mere
address of the externas of astronomy to the senses to
raise from those deep foundations gems infinitely more
valuable than those transient bubbles that sparkcd for
a moment and then broke upon the surface The a.
onolner could borrow little aid from the pOmp OF Ian
nuage or the flowers Of rhetoric he must especially
appeal 10 the love of truth that exists among his hear
ers He prof o. earnestly hoped that those who
favored him with patient hearing throughout the lee
lures Of the course, would lind some of the difficulties
removed that heretofore existed in their mind In con
nection with the science OF astronomy This the hrst
lecture Of the course, proposed TO take comparative
view OF the solar system, and the great laws Ivy which
il was governed. The solar system built upon
far more magnificent scale than generally sup
posed Our orreres and diagrams in a measure mis-.
led u because they Represented the system spon
contracted scale The magn,udes of the solar system
were to be measured by thou.ands-the distances by
millions of miles The lecturer here referred 10 dia
gram representing the SUM- and the planets distances
from IT, on scale equal to the magnitude OF the bodies
a. reprosented Mercury was 81 millions Of miles dis
tant from the sun, Venus s. the Earth 81 Mars ll2
millions Of miles Then vast distance intervened be-
tween Mars and Jupter-a chasm 30 great that astron
omers Of old supposed there something In il undis
covered and fact in asteroids had been discovered
from time TO time Then came Jupiter surrounded by
his magnificent satellites 400 millions of miles from the
sun Saturn the next, surrounded by two rings or
belts and attended by eight satellites about 500 millions
Of miles from the center Of the system Then we went
TO 200 millions of miles from the sun and we reached
Hercules OF Uranus and then, on the confines OF
the system was the new planet Neptune, 5000
millions OF miles from the These numbers
were apt to overwhelm US, when first formed
m idea Of them Were we to start a
locomotive travel from the the rate Of twenty
miles an hour il would uake two hundred years 20
reach Mercury nearly four hundred to Venus, 10 the
Earth i've hundred and forty seven TO Mars eight
hundred Jupiter three thousand Saturn i've thousand
Uranus ten thousand and to reach Neptune it re-
ouires sixteen thousand year, the rate Of travel
mentioned The lecturer then proceeded TO the con
sideraton OF the telescope appearance of OF the
planets, and drew attention 10 some diagrams repre-
senng Jupiter and Saturn with their belts and sael
ltes These diagrams were got upon d scale similar
10 the diagram Of the planetary system already re-
ferred to- The beautiful organization OF Jupiter and
saturn were dwelt upon with some minuteRess show
.ng the complete harmony Of their systems in their
respective spheres In regard the velocity OF the
panets though Astronomers made what appeared
very startling assertions yet be would maintain that
their pretensions this score were well founded,
and that too even when they asserted that some
Of the heavenly bodies were travelling through
space az a rate swifler than that Of a cannon
ball when discharged from the gun. Those DO
dies that lay between the Earth and the sun
moved faster than those that lay outside Of IL II wa
the velocity with which the bodies the sun Travelled
that prevented their failing into the sun Neptune
moved ive and nall times slower than the Earth-no
because It's orbit greater but il did actually
slower The velocity Of the Earth in its orbit abou
10000 miles hour-iis velocity sixty times greater
than that of & cannon ball. Even while drew oul
breath the Earth had advanced in its circuit around thu
/ sun some forty fifty miles. To prove all these as
sertoHs true the aid Of Geometry needed. Plat
sgid that the wings OF Astronomy Arithmetic ant
Geometry and true the observation that astron
omers could but little without their help The lee
then produced gecrnetrca diagrams for tn
purpose ofiustratr this branch othe subject and ais
the theory of the psraAx by Of which the dis
tsnces Of he planets could be ascertGned The gen
eral plan or basis upon which tue distances were est