Various

“ One thing I think is certain, that no disruption of a world belonging to our system could take place without producing some perceptible effect upon every other member of the system. The single centre of attraction being suddenly diffused and spread abroad into many smaller ones, at variable distances, must produce a sudden sway and alteration of position in all the other planets, and to a certain extent, derange their respective economies. ”

“ It would not be strictly speaking correct to call them philosophical methods, because a philosophical method only exists when any tendency works itself clear, and gives rise to a formal, connected, and logical system of rules, by which we are to proceed in the elimination of truth. ”

“ The Calotype on the Sea-shore.—The great quantity of blue light reflected from the sea renders calotyping in its vicinity much more difficult than in the country; the more distant the object, the greater depth has the blue veil which floats over it, and as a consequence of this disproportion, if time enough is given in the camera to bring out the foreground, the sky becomes red, and the distance obscured. ”

“ Hind has drawn attention to the singular fact, that the asteroids "appear to separate the planets of small mass from the greater bodies of the system, the planets which rotate on their axes in about the same time as our earth from those which are whirled round in less than half that time, though of ten times the diameter of the earth and," he continues, "it may yet be found that these small bodies, so far from being portions {130}of the wreck of a planet, were created in their present state for some wise purpose, which the progress of astronomy in future ages may eventually unfold." ”

“ These dimensions, if correct, correspond in many points with those of the planets. The first three satellites revolve in orbits of less diameter than that of our moon. The orbit of Dione, the fourth satellite, is almost precisely at the same distance from its primary as the moon is from the earth. As if to carry out the parallelism to the utmost, the zodiacal light of the sun has often been compared to the ring of Saturn. ”

“ In other writings the word "elimination" has but one correct signification, viz. "the extrusion of that which is superfluous or irrelevant." As an example of this legitimate use of the word, I will quote from Sir William Hamilton's accurate, witty, and learned article on "Logic," published in the Edinburgh Review, April, 1833:
"The preparatory step of the discussion was, therefore, an elimination of these less precise and appropriate significations, which, as they could at best only afford a remote genus and difference, were wholly incompetent for the purpose of a definition." ”

“ Secondly, Whether any Jews are supposed to have settled in Ireland at so early a period; and whether (that being the case) there are now, or were once, proofs of their having done so, either in the Irish language or in any of the ancient laws, customs, buildings, &c. of the country? Thirdly, Whether the Scotch believe that stone to have come from Ireland; and whether that belief in the owner of it being king existed in Scotland? and, lastly, Can any of your correspondents, learned in geology, inform me whether the like kind of stone is to be met with in any part of the British Isles? ”

“ If the picture will not develop, from too short exposure in the camera, a solution of pyrogallic acid, as Dr. Diamond recommends, after the gallic acid has done its utmost, greatly increases the strength of the blacks: it slightly reddens the whites, but not in the same ratio that it deepens the blacks.
After the first wash with gallo-nitrate, it is essential to develop these strongly iodized papers with gallic acid only: the half-and-half mixture of aceto-nitrate and gallic acid, which works well with weaker papers, turns these red. ”

“ It is, however, somewhat singular that it should be principally men of classical attainments who perpetrate it. In my under-graduate days at Cambridge, the proneness of "classical men" to commit the blunder in question was proverbial.
In conclusion, then, let it be remembered that the word "eliminate" obtained general currency from the circumstance of its being originally admitted into mathematical works. In such works elimination signifies the process of causing a function to disappear from an equation, the solution of which would be embarrassed by its presence there. ”

“ Among your subscribers there are doubtless many collectors of topographical drawings and engravings. I shall feel specially obliged if any of them could find in their collections a view of old Mereworth Castle (as it stood prior to the comparatively modern erection of Lord Westmoreland) , and furnish me with a long desiderated description of it. Local tradition represents it as having been a baronial castle rising from the middle of a small lake, like that of Leeds, though of smaller dimensions, with the parish church attached. ”

“ Having cut the paper somewhat larger than the picture, turn up the edges so as to form a dish, and placing it on a board, pour into it the iodide solution abundantly, guiding it equally over the surface with a camel-hair pencil; continue to wave it to and fro for five minutes, then pour off the surplus, which serves over and over again, and after dripping the paper, lay it to dry on a round surface, so that it dries equally fast all over; when almost dry it is well to give it a sight of the fire, to finish off those parts which remain wet longest, but not more than just to surface dry it. ”

“ To excite the paper, take distilled water two drachms, drop into it four drops (not minims) of saturated solution of gallic acid, and eight drops (not minims) of the aceto-nitrate solution; mix. Always dilute the gallic acid by dropping it into the water before the aceto-nitrate; gallate of silver is less readily formed, and the paper keeps longer in hot weather. If the temperature is under sixty degrees, use five drops of gallic acid, and ten of aceto-nitrate; if above seventy degrees, use only three drops of gallic acid, and seven of aceto-nitrate. ”

“ We have several Welsh peers, noblemen, knights; four bishops, men of science and learning, Welshmen. I hope the good Queen Victoria will revive this ancient order of knighthood, and the Prince of Wales be created the first knight. The emblem of Wales is a red dragon.
Can any of your readers give an account of this ancient order? Some years ago there were several letters in The Times, and other papers, respecting it and the Welsh motto. Wales should have its knight as well as Ireland, Scotland, and England. ”

“ The distance between the internal asteroid Flora, and the external one Hygeia, exceeds ninety millions of miles; or nearly the distance between the earth and the sun. The force which could shatter a world into fragments, and drive them asunder to such an extent, must indeed be tremendous. ”

“ On the first destruction of Jerusalem, some of the royal family of Judah are supposed to have escaped, and to have gone in search of an asylum beyond the sea, taking this precious stone with them. Their resting-place was Ireland, where they founded a kingdom. Many centuries afterwards, a brother of the king descended from these exiles, named Fergus, went, with his brother's permission, to found a kingdom in Scotland. ”

“ Besides his rings, Saturn is attended by eight satellites, so far as is at present known. The names of the satellites in their order from the body of the planet, are 1. Mimas, 2. Euceladus, 3. Tethys, 4. Dione, 5. Rhea, 6. Titan, 7. Hyperion, 8. Japetus. If we place them in a list in their order, and overagainst each place the names of the planets in their order from the sun, certain parallelisms will appear:
The relative magnitudes and relative positions of these bodies correspond in many points, I believe, so far as is at present known. ”

“ It is better, as soon as the gallic acid has been applied, to put the picture away from the light of the candle in a box or drawer, there to develop quietly, watching its progress every three or four minutes; the surface is to be refreshed by a few light touches of the brush, adding more gallic acid if necessary. ”

“ They are now at college, and have imbibed in different degrees that curious theory which professedly recognises Christianity (as consigned to the New Testament) as a truly divine revelation, yet asserts that it is intermingled with a large amount of error and absurdity, and tells each man to eliminate the divine 'element' for himself. According to this theory, the problem of eliciting revealed truth may be said to be indeterminate, the value of the unknown varies through all degrees of magnitude; it is equal to any thing, equal to every thing, equal to nothing, equal to infinity. ”

“ The dialects of the Deutsche Sprache, the German language, are the Ober Deutsche and Nieder Deutsche, Upper German and Low German: from the former dialect has, in course of time, proceeded the Hoch Deutsche Sprache, the High German language, now used exclusively as the book language by the more educated classes throughout Germany. ”

“ The reasons for standing rather than kneeling seems to be, that when the Lord's Prayer comes in the course of the lessons it is only read historically, as a part of a narrative, which indicates that the whole sacred narrative should be treated, as it was anciently, with the like reverence. ”

“ It appears to us impossible to produce instruments of the same size possessing a richer and finer tone, more elastic touch, or more equal temperament, while the elegance of their construction renders them a handsome ornament for the library, boudoir, or drawing-room. ”

“ The language is plain Saxon language, from which 'the men on the wall' can easily gather what it most concerns them to know.
"Again, the range of thought is not high and difficult, but level and easy for the wayfaring man to follow. ”

“ Titan, like Jupiter, is the largest of his system; being but little less in size than the primary planet Mars. The next in magnitude is Japetus. Rhea is supposed to be of considerable size. The four inner ones are smaller than the others. ”

“ Clarke's Travels, at the beginning of December, when the Fleets of Great Britain and France were on the point of entering the Black Sea, and having read in many quarters fears expressed for the fleets from the want of charts, I ventured to copy out the passage relating to these remarkable documents, and sent it to Lord Aberdeen; in case, from the alleged poverty of charts in the Admiralty Catalogues (see The Guardian, Jan. 11.) , Dr. Clarke's "documents" should have fallen out of sight, and were forgotten. ”

“ In the third extract the word under consideration is used in the latter sense; in the other extracts it carries the former.
Lectures on the Philosophical Tendencies of the Age, by J. D. Morrell, London, 1848, p. 41.:
"Had the men of ancient times, when they peopled the universe with deities, a deeper perception of the religious element in the mind, than had Newton, when having eliminated the great law of the natural creation, his enraptured soul burst forth into the infinite and adored?" ”

“ Sandford, in his valuable History of the Coronation of James II. (fol., 1687, p. 39.) , has given some dates and names which will probably assist our correspondents in elucidating the origin of this far-famed relic. He says, "Jacob's stone, or The Fatal Marble Stone, is an oblong square, about twenty-two inches long, thirteen inches broad, and eleven inches deep, of a bluish steel-like colour, mixed with some veins of red; whereof history relates that it is the stone whereon the patriarch Jacob is said to have lain his head in the plain of Luza. ”

“ When the officiating clergyman began to read the ninth verse, in which the prayer commences, the congregation at Bristol Cathedral rose, and remained standing till its conclusion. Is this custom observed in other places? and (if there is to be a change of position) why do the congregation stand, and not kneel, the usual posture of prayer in the Church of England? ”

“ That stone (so runs the legend) is supposed to have been taken away from Bethel by the House of Joseph, when they destroyed the city and its inhabitants (Judges i.) ; and a tradition, that whosoever possessed that stone would be especially blessed, and be king or chief, was current among the Jews; the stone itself being guarded by them with jealous care. ”

“ When the picture is fully out, wash, &c. as usual; the iodide of silver is rapidly removed by a saturated solution of hyposulphite of soda, which acts much less on the weaker blacks than it does if diluted. ”

“ Thus Titan, like a huge pendulum, seems to sway and maintain the regularity of the minor system, just as Jupiter may be imagined to do in the great one.
I must not intrude too far on your valuable space, but there remain some interesting points for discussion in the Saturnian system.
John William Harrris.
Exon.
CAPS AT CAMBRIDGE. (Vol. ix., p. 27.)
The extract from an unpublished MS. given by A Regent M.A. of Cambridge refers to the year 1620, as will appear from the following passages in Anthony à Wood's Hist. and Antiq. of Univ. of Oxford. ”

“ Perhaps some of your correspondents having access to the Inquisition would ascertain more on the subject, and give it to the public. The name of Nicholas O'Brien occurs in the Irish rolls of Chancery about that very period.
A. B.
Order of St. David of Wales.—In the reign of Queen Elizabeth there was an order of knighthood—the Order of St. David of Wales. When was that Order created? Who was the first knight? Who was the last knight? What prelate was the chaplain to the Order? Why was it dissolved? Why is it not revived again? ”