passively carried around their primaries,
with the ethereal current, and have no rotation relative to the ether,
and therefore they always present the same face to their primaries, and
have no vortex.

The consideration of these propositions involves many others, many
difficulties, many apparent anomalies and contradictions, which should
bespeak for such a theory,--the offspring of observation, without the
aid afforded by the knowledge of others, and of toil without leisure,--a
large share of indulgence. With this we will close these preliminary
remarks, and present our theory of the physical cause which disturbs
the equilibrium of our atmosphere, and which appears the principal agent
in the production of storms, in the following words:

The dynamical axis of the terral vortex passes through the centre of
gravity of the earth and moon, and is continually circulating over the
earth's surface in both hemispheres, in a spiral,--its latitude and
longitude, at any particular time, being dependent,--

1st. On the relative mass of the moon.

2d. On the inclination of the axis of the vortex to the earth's axis.

3d. On the longitude of the ascending node of the vortex on the lunar
orbit.

4th. On the longitude of the ascending node of the lunar orbit on the
ecliptic.

5th. On the eccentricity of the lunar orbit at the time.

6th. On the longitude of the perigee of the lunar orbit at the time.

7th. On the moon's true anomaly at the time.

MASS OF THE MOON.

Those elements which represent the moon's distance and motion are
accurately known, and may be taken from the Nautical Almanac, being all
embodied in the moon's parallax or semi-diameter, and in the declination
and right ascension; but for the most important element,--the moon's
mass, we in vain look to astronomy. In fact, it may be averred that the
importance attached to astronomical authority, concerning the mass of
the moon, has caused more trouble than any other question of the whole
theory, until we trusted implicitly to the theory itself to determine
it. The determination of three unknown elements, viz.: the moon's mass,
the inclination of the axis of the vortex, and the right ascension of
that axis, is a more difficult problem than at first sight appears,
owing to the nature of the phenomena, which affords the only clue for
its solution. There are six principal vortices ever in operation on the
surface of the earth, and their disturbing influence extend