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One of the most eminent microscopists living, and perhaps the most eminent of all who have applied the microscope to the the study of rock-substances Sorby, of Sheffield - has arrived at the conclusion that the structure of meteorites "cannot be explained in a satisfactory manner, except by supposing that their constituents were originally in the state of vapour, as they now exist in the atmosphere of the sun."

at least twice this velocity at starting, | matter. And if the sun thus rejects matunder the actual circumstances of resist-ter, so also do those other suns, the stars. ance to which its motion was exposed. Let us add to this reasoning two facts Here, then, we have evidence of a pro- which have been regarded as severally sufpelling force in the sun, fully equal to the ficient to establish the strange theory that discharge of meteoric matter in such sort many meteors, if not most or even all, as never to return either actually to his have been expelled from the interior of globe or on an orbital path close by him. the suns which people space. If the same discharge which propelled the gaseous substance of the great prominence to a height of 160,000 miles, carried some denser substance along with it (which seems not only credible, but exceedingly likely), and if that substance by virtue of its density passed with much less loss of velocity through the solar atmosphere (as a cannon-ball retains much more of its velocity than the gases propelled along with it), then, unquestionably, the sun rejected that matter for ever from his substance on the day that the great prominence was formed. The gas of the prominence was checked in its outward course by the resisting solar atınosphere, the denser matter only by the sun's attractive force; and this force, inconceivably mighty though it is, could only deprive the departing matter of a portion of its velocity. A portion amounting to about 125 miles per second would still remain, and would carry the erupted matter away through space until it entered the domain of some other sun.

Again, the late Professor Graham, one of the most eminent chemists of our time, was led to a similar conclusion by the chemical analysis of a meteor. He had found that the iron of the Lenarto meteor contains much more hydrogen (" occluded in its substance) than can be forced into the substance of malleable iron. "It has been found difficult," he says, "to impregnate malleable iron with more than its own volume of hydrogen, under the pressure of our atmosphere. Now the meteoric iron (this Lenarto iron is remarkably pure and malleable) gave up about three times that It will be observed that, startling though amount, without being fully exhausted. the theory may seem, there is nothing The inference is, that the meteorite was exforced about any of the suppositions on truded from a dense atmosphere of hydrogen which it is based. The theory that the gas, for which we must look beyond the solar prominences are phenomena of erup- light cometary matter floating about withtion is regarded by the leading observers in the limits of our solar system. . . . of these objects as highly probable, if not Hydrogen has been recognized in the speccertain. The aspect of these strange for-trum analysis of the light of the fixed mations shows that they are flung through a resisting medium, and therefore it is certain that they must be projected much more swiftly than we should infer by merely regarding them as projectiles flung through a vacuum. It seems highly probable that, as in the case of terrestrial volcanoes and geysers, denser matter is flung forth along with the gases of the prominences. And it is certain that such matter, like the ball from a cannon or stones and cinders from a volcano, would be much We do not indeed suppose that all meteors less affected by the resistance of the atmo- have had an origin of this sort. It is alsphere than the lighter gaseous matter most impossible to examine the facts which projected along with it. Admitting these have been made known respecting meteors four postulates, of which two are highly without arriving at the conclusion that no probable, and two certainly just, it follows, inconsiderable proportion of these bodies as an inevitable conclusion, that the sun have not as yet formed part of any of the rejects matter from his substance, such more massive orbs which are spread rejection being final, owing to the enor- throughout the realms of space. It would mous velocity imparted to the erupted seem as though two processes were simul

stars by Messrs. Huggins and Miller. The same gas constitutes, according to the wide researches of Father Secchi, the principal elements of a numerous class of stars of which Alpha Lyra is the type. The iron of Lenarto has, no doubt, come from such an atmosphere in which hydrogen greatly prevailed. This meteorite may be looked upon as holding imprisoned within it and bearing to us the hydrogen of the stars."

taneously at work. On the one hand, neither been for all ages unattached wanthere is an aggregating process, by which derers through space, nor certainly have meteoric matter is brought to the surface they been rejected from the fiery interior of orbs, such as the sun and his fellow of a sun such as ours. In fact, Sir W. suns, our earth and other planets, the moon Thomson tells us very definitely what they and other orbs which, like her, circle around arc, - they are the fragments of worlds the members of our own and other solar which have been destroyed by collision. systems. On the other, there seems to be It is desirable to present Sir W. Thomson's a process of rejection by which meteoric reasoning in his own words (according to matter is continually being projected from the fullest reports), because full justice has the substance of the sun and the countless not always been done to him when his millions of other suns which constitute our startling hypothesis has been described galactic system. or summarized. The theory is amazing enough even as he presents it; but it is rendered utterly absurd by some of the modifications which it has received in the mouths of exponents.

Let us first consider how the theory was suggested. The questions which have recently been raised respecting the origin of life, could scarcely pass unnoticed in a review of the scientific work of the past year. Accordingly, Sir W. Thomson, as President of the British

We may remark, in passing, that it is not as yet clear whether comets, which are undoubtedly associated with meteors in some unexplained way, are to be regarded as composed of matter which has never yet belonged to the substance of a sun, or as composed of sun-rejected matter. But the paths followed by some comets would lead to the conclusion that these comets at least have been projected with considerable velocity from the interior of stars. It is well known that some of the comets Association, seemed invited to their diswhich have appeared in our skies have been found to traverse path so shaped that the comet cannot possibly return to our sun's neighbourhood. When a comet has a path of this sort, we see that it does not belong to our sun's domain, for it is free, after its visit, to retire into the depths of space; nor can the comet have belonged to the domain of the sun it last visited, for otherwise it would not have been free to visit our sun's realm: and tracing back the comet's course through as many visits to different star domains as fancy may suggest, we yet never find that it could have belonged to the domain of any star. The only conceivable explanation of its first appearance on the stellar scene seems to be that which regards it as ejected bodily from some orb among those which shine amid the depths surrounding us. It may seem fanciful to recognize the action of the same sort of repulsive force which first ejected the comet, in the repulsive effect undoubtedly exercised on the matter composing the tails of comets which approach our sun. Yet after all, this repulsive effect, and the enormous velocity of motion which it is capable of producing (as Sir John Herschel has shown) may afford perhaps the most satisfactory solution of the difficulties we have been considering.

The seedbearing meteors of Sir W. Thomson, if their existence be admitted, must be regarded as holding an intermediate position between the two classes of meteors above referred to. They have

cussion. "How did life originate," he asks, "upon the earth? Tracing the physical history of the earth backwards, we are brought to a red-hot melted globe on which no life could exist. Hence, when the earth was first fit for life, there was no living thing on it. There were rocks, water, air all round, warmed and illuminated by a brilliant sun, ready to bcome a garden. Did grass, and trees, and flowers spring into existence, in all the fulness of a ripe beauty, by a fiat of Creative power? or did vegetation, growing up from seed sown, spread and multiply over the whole earth? Science is bound, by the everlasting law of honour, to face fearlessly every problem which can fairly be presented to it. If a probable solution, consistent with the ordinary course of nature, can be found, we must not invoke an abnormal act of Creative power."

He then proceeds to consider under what circumstances regions which in some respects resemble, or may be supposed to resemble, the lately cooled earth, become under our eyes the abode of abundant life.

When a lava stream flows down the side of Vesuvius or Etna it quickly cools and becomes solid; and after a few weeks or years it teems with vegetable and animal life, which for it-originated by the transport of seed and ova, and by the migration of individual living creatures. When a volcanic island springs up from the sea, and after a few years is found clothed with vegetation, we do not hesitate to assume that seed has been wafted to it through

the air, or floated to it on (natural) | on which, as on certainties, Sir W. Thomrafts." son has based his hypothesis, it may be well to touch briefly on a few incidental considerations. In the first place. it will be noticed that the hypothesis accepts to the full the principle of development as respects life on the earth. For it professes only to explain how the earth may become covered with vegetation, that vegetation being presumably developed from a few primal forms, introduced by mete

"Is it not possible," he proceeds to ask, "and, if possible, is it not probable, that the beginning of vegetable life on the earth is to be similarly explained? Every year thousands, probably millions, of fragments of solid matter fall on the earth. Whence come these fragments? What is the previous history of any one of them? Was it created in the beginning of time an amorphous mass? This idea is so un-oric agency. The lower forms of animal acceptable that, tacitly or explicitly, all life would then be developed from certain men discard it. It is often assumed that forms of vegetable life, and thence higher all and it is certain that some, meteoric forms of animal life, and (on our earth at stones are fragments which had been least) man as the highest form. It is, again. broken off from greater masses and to be noticed that the theory does not prolaunched free into space. It is as sure fess to explain the origin of life generally, that collisions must occur between great but the origin of life upon our earth. Of the masses moving through space, as it is that two orbs whose collision led to the scatships steered without intelligence directed tering of seed bearing meteorites for our to prevent collision could not cross and earth's benefit, one, at least, must have recross the Atlantic for thousands of years been already the abode of life. The diffiwith immunity from collisions. When two culty of the problem discussed by Bioggreat masses come into collision in space, enists and Abiogenists is removed but a it is certain that a large part of each is step, and remains untouched for one who melted; but it seems also quite certain is ready, with Sir W. Thomson, to adopt that, in many cases, a large quantity of as an article of scientific faith, true through débris must be shot forth in all directions, all space and through all time, the theory much of which may have experienced no that life proceeds from life, and from nothgreater violence than individual pieces of ing but life. Nor must the fact remain rocks experience in a landslip or in blast- unnoticed that meteors have never been ing by gunpowder. Should the time when found which either contain or show traces this earth comes into collision with another of having once contained the germs of body, comparable in dimensions to itself, life. It might be expected that, if a globe be when it is still clothed as at present so vast as our earth could be peopled with vegetation, many great and small with all the forms of vegetable and animal fragments, carrying seed and living plants life now existing on its surface, through and animals, would, undoubtedly, be scattered through space. Hence, and because we all confidently believe that there are at present, and have been from time immemorial, many worlds of life besides our own, we must regard it as probable in the highest degree that there are countless seedbearing meteoric stones moving about through space. If at the present instant no life existed upon this earth, one such stone falling upon it might, by what we blindly call natural causes, lead to its becoming covered with vegetation. I am fully conscious," adds the learned mathematician, in conclusion, "that many scientific objections can be urged against this hypothesis; but I believe them to be all answerable, the theory that life originated on this earth through moss-grown fragments from the ruins of another world may seem wild and visionary; all I maintain is, that it is not unscientific."

Before considering the statement as to the movements of masses through space,

the agency of meteoric stones, some signs of the seed bearing character of meteors would be recognized by microscopists. Yet neither the solid bulk of meteoric stones, nor the light meteoric dust which seems to be at all times sinking through the air, has revealed, under the closest microscopic scrutiny, the slightest trace which could be regarded as confirmatory of Sir W. Thomson's hypothesis.

But the hypothesis is so clearly expressed as to leave us in no doubt of the nature of these probabilities, possibilities, and certainties, in which its author believes. We need not pass backwards to the former history of our own earth, but may proceed to discuss its future fate, as predicted according to this hypothesis. Our earth is certainly to "come into collision with another body comparable in dimensions with itself," and then (if only the earth is in its present condition, as respects the existence of life upon its surface) "many great and small fragments, carrying seed,

abundant reasons for questioning whether | laws assigned to the universe in the beginany meteors are fragments of worlds which ning by the Creator; but, according to have once been the abode of life; while this new doctrine of development, life assuredly we seem entitled to reject de- passes from world to world in a series of cisively the theory that such fragments catastrophes. It was rightly objected by could bear the seeds of life to other worlds. Leibnitz, that the views of some religious The great mystery of the origin of life men in his day implied that the machine upon our own earth has not yet been of the universe required continual windingsolved, nor has a path towards its solution up; but this is little to the teaching of the been discovered; and even if the strange new hypothesis, according to which the hypothesis we have been considering had progress of the universe is only secured by appeared admissible, the mystery of the repeated collisions. Others, again, have origin of life in the universe would have urged that Nature, so far as we can comremained as inscrutable as ever. The prehend her acting, seems "in filling a great problem which is at present, engag-wine-glass, to upset a gallon;" but it was ing the attention of biologists the ques- left to this new theory to show that she tion whether all the forms of life now must destroy two worlds in order to plant existing on the earth have been developed a few moss-seeds in a new one. from a few simple forms, or even one would in fact be replaced by this infinitely more stupendous problem, the question whether all the forms of life existing in all fessor Young has witnessed a solar eruption in which glowing hydrogen passed from a height of the worlds throughout space have had 100,000 to a height of 200,000 miles in ten minutes. their origin in some primal form existing The last-named height would imply ejection at the rate of 213 miles per second; but the present at an infinitely remote epoch. And one writer has found, after a careful calculation, that circumstance, which to some extent gives matter ejected at this rate would occupy twenty-six countenance to the hypothesis of develop- minutes in traversing the observed distance. Hence the velocity of ejection must have enormously exment, even to the mind of those who ceeded 213 miles per second, and atmospheric resistdesire to form the noblest conceptions of ance must have acted, depriving the upflung hydrothe nature of the Deity, is wanting from fen of a portion of its excessive velocity, and limiting its range of flight. More condensed matter, this amazing extension or perversion of flung up along with the hydrogen, would retain a the hypothesis. Development, rightly un- much larger share of the original velocity, which probably exceeded 500 miles per second. Such matderstood, implies the perfect working ofter passed for ever from the sun's domain.]

[Note. Since the above pages were written, Pro

THE following extract is from Rossel's diary kept during his last days. It is dated the 26th of November, and the language is so simple and touching that we leave it in the original. The day had been rather miserably spent:

mémoire. Un air de Mozart vient de me passer par la cervelle: que viennent faire ici ces notes joyeuses? Est-ce moi qui savais et qui aimais cet air! Déjà je ne me le rappelle plus et je le cherche en vain. Combien de sentiments, comVers minuit je me suis couché, et presque reparaître! Mais que de douleurs, que d'anbien de sensations sont ainsi effacé pour ne plus aussitôt le cours de mes idées a changé. Après tout, pensais-je, combien de mères chaque jourgoisses ont aussi disparu; que de fautes incorperdent un fils bien-aimé et ne peuvent le dis-igibles où je ne retomberai plus, que de reveries amères ne viendront plus m'obséder! Je puter à la mort! Le monde est peuplé de semsalue la mort libératrice; ce qu'elle m'apporte blables douleurs. Et moi, quelle meilleure mort Et pourtant puis-je souhaiter? Cependant, combien le choses compense ce qu'elle m'ôte! j'ai soif de vivre et d'aimer. J'ai entendu sonen moi répugnent à la mort! me disais-je; j'ai beau ne pas me plaindre, je sens que j'ai droit er minuit trois quarts. Je sonde en mon esd'être plaint. Je n'ai pas assez vécu; j'ai besoin prit les éléments du grand problème, l'être, le de travailler, de penser, d'agir, d'aimer, d'aimer moi, l'enveloppe organique, la résultante des surtout. Mes poumons sont faits pour respirer tions, des muovements; où est l'effet, où est la organes, la résultants des impressions, des affeclongtemps encore, et mon cœur pour battre. Il cause? Je m'endors en y songeant. n'est pas naturel de mourir ainsi! .

Mes

pensées passent si rapides que j'ai peine à les suivre. Je songe combien sont promptes ces dernières heures, et combien change à chaque instant la perspective du passé et de l'avenir. Je ne suis plus ce que j'étais hier: il y a comme des pages entières qui s'effacent du livre de ma

A VALUABLE discovery of workable lead ore is announced from Jersey.