FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   >>  
l, is only that the earth is larger than the hill. And at New South Wales, which is a point on our globe nearly opposite to England, plummets hang and fall towards the centre of the globe, exactly as they do here, so that they are hanging up and falling towards England, and the people there are standing with their feet towards us. Weight, therefore, is merely general attraction acting every where. It is owing to this general attraction that our earth is a globe. All its parts being drawn towards each other, that is, towards the common centre, the mass assumes the spherical or rounded form. And the moon also is round, and all the planets are round; the glorious sun, so much larger than all these, is round; proving, that all must at one time have been fluid, and that they are all subject to the same law. Other instances of roundness from this cause are--the particles of a mist or fog floating in air; these mutually attracting and coalescing into larger drops, and forming rain; dew drops; water trickling on a duck's wing; the tear-dropping from the cheek; drops of laudanum; globules of mercury, like pure silver beads, coalescing when near, and forming larger ones; melted lead allowed to rain down from an elevated sieve, which cools as it descends, so as to retain the form of its liquid drops, and become the spherical shot lead of the sportsman. The cause of the extraordinary phenomenon, which we call attraction, acts at all distances. The moon, though 240,000 miles from the earth, by her attraction raises the water of the ocean under her, and forms what we call the tide. The sun, still farther off, has a similar influence; and when the sun and moon act in the same direction, we have the spring tides. The planets, those apparently little wandering points in the heaven, yet affect, by their attraction, the motion of our earth in her orbit, quickening it when she is approaching them, retarding it when she is receding.--_Arnott's Natural Philosophy._ * * * * * THE GATHERER "I am but a _Gatherer_ and disposer of other men's stuff."--_Wotton_. * * * * * CITY FEASTING. The following is the bill of fare for the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful the Company of Wax Chandlers, London, 1478:--Two loins of veal, and two loins of mutton, 1s. 4d.; one loin of beef, 4d.; one dozen of pigeons and one dozen of rabbits, 9d.; one pig and one capon, 1s
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   >>  



Top keywords:

attraction

 

larger

 

general

 

coalescing

 
forming
 

England

 

centre

 

spherical

 

planets

 

spring


apparently

 

heaven

 

affect

 
points
 
wandering
 
farther
 

raises

 

distances

 

extraordinary

 

phenomenon


similar

 

influence

 

motion

 
direction
 

Philosophy

 

Chandlers

 
London
 
Company
 

Worshipful

 
Assistants

rabbits
 

pigeons

 
mutton
 

Arnott

 
Natural
 

sportsman

 

receding

 
retarding
 

quickening

 

approaching


GATHERER

 
Wotton
 

FEASTING

 

disposer

 
Gatherer
 

melted

 

common

 

assumes

 
rounded
 

proving