New-York daily tribune., 1858-06-30

,bo.e Of ,hs larger and at times bring the planet 70
r.,. or cause il 70 move back yard, While on the
! utole the general forward motoB would prevail.
JOS, o. il We seppo.e person bosdirs lamp 10 Die
! hard in the DARK, and ~ distance, 10 that the
| lamp Alone 10 vnbe, shoald ruu, on turning m
! self round; We thoud see the hghr, io0es nee
,tatouary. sometimes retrOgrsd-, but on tae ~hoe
! prosrer,i,e. A mechanism Of this kind WAS imas-
/ lied for each of the planets, and the wheels sup
posed 70 hold them received the "a ne OF tpieycks.
Tbe sugg- stion is attributed ~ Plato, Aod II PROB
ably .tili older, but It was adopted and extended,
sbou. $50 year. before Carss, By HiPp.rchu' the
creates, Asuopouer Of antiquity. Finding that the
,un did not move in an e1.cty circular course, ou'
in An .cc-Dtric path, II ppa'chas sdjastsd hs
| movements by the additional device VI scc, "Hhs.
! Hpparchas bail. the science Of astronomy upon
this framework Of epcyces and eeeentric'. IL Vas
an iptellaible theory # the celestial moVements'
the onIy imd Of explanation posslble Il that ume'
and wss OF invaluable service - working plan.
/ Hlppsrcsus caIculsied the maanitunea distances
ao ro,ons Of the varioss circles with such success
that be was able, on the basis OF the theory, 70
| eon.truct tables of the positions Of the planets
which sgreed with their observed place with re-
mari able accuracy. P,oleDy. who lived century
AID hs after Christ, accepted and modified the
theory ofrpcy cles and eccentrcs BY an able ms!ae
mstical exposition. The theory had tho unqaes-
toned psnt Of serving TO embody all the most
exact knowledge then tItant and Of taking 10 aud
preserving al the new re.uits of Greek, Lato and
| Arsbi,n astronomers for q long period after~ard
| Still it grew more intricate, cumorous, perplefed
aid ir,tlonAl with advancing kIoSledge instesd Of
b. &C ming more and more simple, as ~ss the course
| Of the true theory. Hence the celebraed saying
| Of Alfonso x, hing Of CASTLE, when this complex
.yst D, wss explained 10 hiU, that If God ha1
cUprul~d him st tho creation, the universe should
haze been on better aud simpler plan" Copper
picus IN ,be sixteenth century, received the tAeoty
Of tpicycl.s, venerable from seventeen hundred
wears OF useful service IN the csus- Of science, but
the ime was 10. yet come TO dispense with 1t. Iae
great CoperIican induction consisted IN H.
teriIg the center Of the planetary system
from the earth to the sun. The true move
u.pt was shown 10 be that Of the earth aud
plaLsts around the stat onAry sun. Blu. n, nsH
cew was offered 10 the causes Of inequalities OF
planetary movement. There WAS ntong to
~, ,ersede epcy css, AID so they were retained by
CoperDicus Who only rsorsanzrd the machlns'y,
adapting it to tho b. .loceb'ric bJposhesis. Toe
| Coperbican theory was vsst stride in the d'rec-
ti-n of truth, explaining fsc's which the oil geo.
centric scbrme could nnt. and greatly simplifying
| the mechanism Of planetary movement; 10 mucu
no. indeed, that although epicycles were retained,
KepIer ebunerates eleven movements OF that syI
tenn wbica we're at once EXTERN mated aud rendered
unpee essaIy BY the Coperuican view. II wa re-
served for the genius Of Kspler to strike from tae
heavens this ancient theoretic device. The mind
Of this rmMksbe m.n was profoundly nbied
with the Mes that there must be some harmoni.
ous Ium- rical or geometr: relation amoog the
times, distances and v.joclties Of the revolving
! bod,es of the solar ,ysten. AZ s)On As COperncus
had taught wrp that the planetary orbits referred
II the sun, il sobviousy became question what was
the true form Of those orbits, aud the rule OF no.
ton of each planet in its path. Kspler com
mel ced moIe carful series Of 0,ervauons On the
planet Mars, aDd soon discovered that tue anclens
dogma which bad Ian at the foundation Of the doc
trDe of epicyclrs, viz: that the planetary motions
must be circular and equabs, was false IN both par
ticusrs. Mare moved With an unequal motion
through an eliptic.l orbit The ls~ OF motoo was
found 10 BE- that the urtss described or by lines
drawn from The to the planets are proportional %
the trm,s eUp ed the motion. tie also discovered
TIE mathematical ratio between the periodic tines
of the pl,Dets aud their distances from the sdo
thus the old Greek Hypothesis broke down before
the d. " facts. 1t WAS abandoned, add by the To-
durtiys ssceut We arrive at lsws Of beautiful sin-
pGciiy add unprf cedented grandeur But the
iDye,,iss,ion canost rest. Tne newly discov-
cred order ia significant aad prophetic, and
host Of pregnant Inquiries are started. Toe
general laws Of the motion Of bodies upon earth
now b. gin 70 be actively Investigated; the great
" improved ensinery of mathemat &C 1 brought
70 bear, the arts of observation Sod eIPermeot
sre perfected and the human mind ciimy Add
col fdehtly clses with the snblmest question
it bod ever yet encountered. BY what system 81
laws or by what simp.e law, s the integrity aud
harmony Of the universe sustained The era Of
Kerler has introduced US 70 the epech Of Ne gton.
Respecting the Causes Of planetary motion, there
was much wi d. f,ot,suc speculation mingled with
f-qu-ns scute conjecture. Keptr maintained
that iom st.risl spirits ema,ate from the sun into
the distant spaces, circulating around hun aad
brsIu the plsbets. a. q whirlpool carries hoa.ng
,trsws. This spiritual enluebce 10 carried rouai
by and ~b the SUD- and IT 10 cariOus tha! tlis oo-
ton led K-plr to o,s', bef re toe ioveshon OF the
tele,cope, or the discovery of solar rotation, that
the SUD turned IN its axis. DESCRIBES taught AAs