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Paul struggled in the traces of literature at a still earlier age. But Jean Paul never ceased to read and study, and strive after truth; and Schiller, night after night, in the solitude of a little garden-house which he had on the top of a hill near Jena, gave testimony to the indefatigability of his industry in learning new truths and discovering and communicating new beauties. Occupy the position of Newton. Feel in the joy of your greatest acquirements that you are like a child on the sea-shore, busied with a few trifling shells, while the Ocean of Truth ever invites your onward and upward explorations.

And now may we be permitted to say that it rests with the members, by their gentlemanly conduct, by their sustained perseverance, and by their active diligence, to make a character for themselves, and keep up that which this Society has already attained, so as to render its membership a desirable and an honourable distinction. And sure we are, that we only express the feelings of all the members when we say, that we shall all regard this Society as a nucleus of ever-increasing and more strongly-cementing association and friendship, a friendship and an association calculated, and we trust destined, to produce benefit to the community among which we dwell, and to which, when years have terminated our period of activity, if God shall spare us till then, we shall look back with pleasurable emotions, reviving the recollection of our youthful emulations in the pursuit of knowledge, and our more manly contendings in the cause of truth and right, and recalling with delight the commencement of attachments and undertakings which are still a comfort in life's decline.

For we take it for granted that each member of this Society looks forward to a life of usefulness. We take it for granted that none of us purpose to live a life of selfishness on God's earth. We take it for granted that every

one feels that he has been placed in this sphere of labour, this world that is progressive, never standing still, for other purposes than merely vegetating. We take it for granted that each is satisfied that for him a work has been appointed, and that the aim and ultimate endeavour of each are to find out and to fulfil that appointment.

That destiny, that work, it is not ours to predict. It may be in humble spheres, or in positions of extended power and influence. But whatever it may be, or wherever it may lie, such a work exists for all; and if we may judge from the aspect of the times, our position, if we maintain long any position on the earth, will require more determination, more nerve to sustain it, than our fathers needed for theirs.

Be it ours to prepare for this future. Let our pursuits in connexion with this Society tend towards that preparation. So, should a period of social or moral revolution come, let us who have enjoyed the advantages of this Christian Literary Association, be found with fixed principles, consistent practice, and trained, and tried, and reliable powers, ever doing battle on the side of timely justice and eternal truth.

W. F.

FIERY METEORS AND SHOOTING STARS.

"WHENCE Come these stones and metallic masses?" said we at the close of our previous article. In this one we shall notice the various hypotheses that have successively claimed the suffrages of the learned.

In ancient times these meteoric masses were denominated sun-stones, and were supposed to fall from that luminary; but as there was never any ground for this supposition, and as we now know that the King of Day is 96,000,000 of miles away from us, we need say no more about this hypothesis.

Leurery imagined that they were due to lightning tearing up the ground and converting soil into compact masses, but this fancy we may summarily dismiss.

Another theory was, that they had been projected from volcanoes on the earth, and being carried into regions where the earth's attraction was small, they had remained long in the upper atmosphere, and had travelled far before descending to the earth. To this there are several most serious objections, especially that the meteoric stones are of a totally different character to the lavas actually thrown out of volcanoes.

Some have supposed that these meteoric masses were formed in the atmosphere itself like hail; and they have made large use of the words electricity, magnetism, and diamagnetism. But there is this difference between the two, that hail is made of water, of which there is an abundant supply in the clouds, and the physical forces by which the water is formed into solid masses of a considerable size are well known; whereas the meteoric stones are composed of iron, silica, &c., which do not exist in the

atmosphere; and even if they did, we are absolutely unacquainted with any means by which they could be at once consolidated into masses of many pounds weight.

In quest of the origin of meteoric stones we have thus travelled from the earth to the atmosphere, but we find no possible source there: we must proceed farther on our adventurous search, and see whether in the extra-terrestrial spaces we can find something which shall account for these strange visitors: and, indeed, they seem very independent of our earth; they fall unceremoniously on every part of it alike, and appear quite indifferent to fair weather or foul, thunder-storms or bright sunshine.

Yet if they be actually extra-mundane, what a tale do they tell of the unity of creation! No element has been found in them which does not occur in the earth, and a third of our recognised elements have been detected there. The laws of chemical combination and of crystallisation, too, are the same; for the olivine of these masses, and the iron pyrites, are identical in composition and in form with terrestrial minerals; and yet there is something unearthly about them, too. Why that deficiency of oxygen which, though it admits of the oxidation of silicon or magnesium, has allowed the iron and nickel to remain in the metallic state? Verily, had they been formed in the atmosphere, that great storehouse of oxygen, this had never been the case; and then the phosphorus and sulphur are also unoxidised, while the mineral Schreibersite, so general in them, occurs not on the surface of our planet.

Yes, they are assuredly no children of the earth or of the air. But was Olbers right when, speculating on the great fall at Sienna, he threw out the idea that they might be fugitives from the moon? This lunar hypothesis has been supported by Laplace, and other distinguished philosophers, and still finds a powerful advocate in Professor Law

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rence Smith of Louisville. The idea is, that these masses may have been projected from lunar volcanoes; that they flew into a part of space where the earth's attraction was greater than that of the moon, and thus they either revolve for a while around the larger sphere or fall at once upon its surface. An initial velocity of 8000 feet per second would be sufficient for this, and such a velocity is easily conceivable when the prodigious size of the moon's volcanoes is taken into account. At the time also of the prevalence of this theory, it was believed that some of these volcanoes were active, but now it is generally considered that the bright spots seen on the dark portion of the moon were only the sun's rays impinging on the summits of very high mountains. The moon, indeed, seems to be given up to death-like quiet.

Though this lunar theory may satisfy many of the requirements of the problem, there are some circumstances about the fall of these meteoric masses which it seems inadequate to explain, the very oblique direction in which they almost always strike the earth, the extreme rapidity of their descent, and certain peculiarities of the fire-ball; for we must not rest satisfied with observing only those fireballs from which stones have been known to descend. Hundreds have been noticed, from which we have no record of projected matter having been found; but there is nothing improbable in that; if a fire-ball of no remarkable brilliancy shoot down towards us in broad daylight, it will be scarcely distinguishable from some errant wreath of cloud, and will attract no attention, while the stone descending will just at that time stand the best chance of being seen and secured. If, on the other hand, our fire-ball wend its way earthward during the night, it cannot fail to be remarked by any observer; but the stone being dark, will not be seen in its fall.