a view
of learning what light might be thrown on the doubtful questions
growing out of Ptolemy's work. At the Litchfield Observatory I
had an opportunity of examining the work, especially the extended
commentaries on special points, and was so impressed by the learning
shown in the research as to express a desire for its speedy completion
and publication. In fact, Peters had already made one or more
communications to the National Academy of Sciences on the subject,
which were supposed to be equivalent to presenting the work to the
academy for publication. But before the academy put in any claim for
the manuscript, Mr. E. B. Knobel of London, a well-known member of
the Royal Astronomical Society, wrote to Peters's executors, stating
that he was a collaborator with Peters in preparing the work, and
as such had a claim to it, and wished to complete it. He therefore
asked that the papers should be sent to him. This was done, but
during the twelve years which have since elapsed, nothing more has
been heard of the work. No one, so far as I know, ever heard of
Peters's making any allusion to Mr. Knobel or any other collaborator.
He seems to have always spoken of the work as exclusively his own.

Among the psychological phenomena I have witnessed, none has appeared
to me more curious than a susceptibility of certain minds to become
imbued with a violent antipathy to the theory of gravitation.
The anti-gravitation crank, as he is commonly called, is a regular
part of the astronomer's experience. He is, however, only one of a
large and varied class who occupy themselves with what an architect
might consider the drawing up of plans and specifications for a
universe. This is, no doubt, quite a harmless occupation; but the
queer part of it is the seeming belief of the architects that the
actual universe has been built on their plans, and runs according to
the laws which they prescribe for it. Ether, atoms, and nebulae are
the raw material of their trade. Men of otherwise sound intellect,
even college graduates and lawyers, sometimes engage in this business.
I have often wondered whether any of these men proved that, in all
the common schools of New York, the power which conjugates the verbs
comes, through some invisible conduit in the earth, from the falls
of Niagara. This would be quite like many of the theories propounded.

Babbage's "Budget of Paradoxes" is a goodly volume descriptive of
efforts of this sort. It w