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which happened to come near. As the comets and myself, however, were journeying in opposite directions, they in quest of the sun, and I of Jupiter, I was seldom incommoded in this way more than a few hours at a time.

As the sun was continually shining, I found, contrary to my first expectations, that although now by account at more than twice the distance of the earth fom the sun, I continued to suffer much more from the heat than the cold. The ether around me being probably a bad conductor of caloric, the heat of the sun's rays was sometimes accumulated on myself and clothes to such a degree as to occasion the utmost inconvenience. I at length resolved, though not without some apprehensions that the step was an imprudent one, to throw off a part of my moveables. It occurred to me that this would be a finer opportunity than any philosopher had hitherto enjoyed, to verify the generally received doctrines of motion. So I stationed myself in a favourable position for watching the result-and having done up one of the blankets and some other burdensome articles into a compact bundle, I gave them a gentle toss directly towards the constellation Sagittarius. By ranging with a particular star, the motion, though slow, appeared perfectly rectilineal and uniform till they at length vanished from my sight.

Having now less burden to carry, and getting daily more out of the reach of the sun's attraction, I found I was approaching, by rapid strides, to the end of my journey. Jupiter's belts were very plainly visible to the naked eye; and his satellites, now in full view, furnished me with a better measure of time than I had hitherto possessed. I generally calculated to make seven nights while the inner satellite was describing four revolutions; and by now and then inserting as I did, an intercalary night, my reckoning must have agreed almost precisely with terrestrial time. The hours now passed very pleasantly away, being generally employed in anticipating the pleasure of setting foot on a new world, in picturing to myself the strange features, customs, &c. of the inhabitants, and in forming schemes for securing a favourable reception among them.

One time as I was deeply musing on these topics, I felt on a sudden a smart blow on the side. I looked that way, but saw nothing; and supposing it might be nothing more than the telescope which was dangling in my pocket, or possibly a slight spasm, I returned to my former train of thought. About half an hour after, I felt another-much gentler indeed than the first, but still so unlike any thing I had felt before on the journey, that my curiosity was roused to ascertain the cause. On turning myself partly round, what should I see a few yards off, but the bundle of clothes I had thrown away two months before! It must have struck me just before, and bounded off by its elasticity. The surprise produced by this, however, was but momentary; for the thought immediately occurred that the bundle and myself were gravitating bodies, and must act like primary and secondary to each other, in the absence of larger masses of matter. The length of time which had intervened was no greater than might be expected; for it is a received principle with astronomers that the smaller the mass, the less is the gravitating force. I wondered that the thought had not struck me before; but it was not now too late to avail myself of the discovery, in lightening my burdens. Accordingly I afterwards determined every morning how many articles I could dispense with during the day-and gave them a slight shove before me; by which I was relieved from all farther inconvenience by them till night. They were seldom entirely out of sight; and I was always sure to find them lying safely by my side the next morning.

(To be resumed in our next No.)

EDITED BY A FRATERNITY OF GENTLEMEN.

NEW-HAVEN, (CONN.) PUBLISHED BY A. H. MALTBY & CO.

No. 49.] TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1820.

I stood, methought, betwixt earth, seas, and skies

The whole creation open to my eyes.

(Concluded from last No.)

Pope.

AS my distance from Jupiter diminished, it was gratifying to perceive the ease with which I accomplished a greater day's journey than formerly. It seemed to require scarcely any effort to get along fifty thousand miles in twenty-four hours. Perhaps, thought I, the zephyrs of Jupiter may be beginning to blow in these regions, and may waft celestial life and vigour on their gales. As I was speculating on the occasion of this newly acquired power, and some slight suspicion began to be excited that all was not right, I retired to my usual rest. After sleeping perhaps a few hours, I awoke-but it was in consternation inexpressible. I had already passed the fourth satellite--Jupiter was more than eight degrees across, and was momently increasing! I was hurrying down with an impetuosity which my utmost efforts were unable to check. Nothing but the dismal prospect now presented itself, of plunging headlong into the polar snows, or at any rate, of being dashed into a thousand pieces. My blood has often run cold in thinking of this perilous juncture. No time was to be lost. There was but one expedient which promised the least chance of preservation. I noticed that I was nearly in a line between Jupiter and the third satellite; and I made a desperate struggle, as I was falling, to gain such an oblique motion as should throw me into the point of equal attraction between the two. By many a severe effort, aided by the ap

proaching motion of the satellite itself in its orbit, it was my good fortune at length to reach this point; and my fears of impending destruction in some measure subsided.-But the brilliant prospects which my imagination had depicted, had forever vanished. I composed myself into a sitting posture, and began to reflect on my forlorn condition. Situated as I was, at the distance of a hundred million leagues from the habitation of any human creaturs, with no kind friend to sympathize in my distresses, my feelings at this moment can be better conceived than described. I involuntarily drew out the telescope to take a last look at my native planet--it was just visible among the smallest stars of the firmament. Ah! never, I exclaimed with a sigh, shall poor Lemuel again revisit thy beloved shores! Never again shall his ears be greeted by the mild accents of domestic affection! Fool that I was, ever to engage in so perilous an enterprise!

I reflected however, on the many difficulties I had already surmounted, and began at length to take courage. There were a number of little bodies lately discovered between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, on which, if they could be found, I was certain I could alight with safety.-But how to extricate myself from my present situation was the difficulty. I was kept in equilibrium between two powerful bodies, and durst not stir either way for fear of being hurried by one or the other to instant destruction. But of staying where I was no one could have borne the thought: so I finally concluded to cast myself on the mercy of the satellite. I had read that a body projected in a direction oblique to a centre of force might be made to pass round that centre; and would acquire a velocity in falling sufficient to carry it to a vast distance beyond. Accordingly I provided myself with a small parachute made of such materials as happened to be at hand, to use in case of accidents; and summoned all my powers to give myself a rapid projectile motion. in a direction about fifteen degrees one side of the satellite. My own efforts, conspiring with the attraction of the central body, soon gave me the desired motion; and in less than half a day I whirled round my lower apsis with a prodigious velocity,

which to my great joy I retained, till I was too far away for Jupiter or his attendants to give me any further trouble.

I now had nothing to do but to make the best of my way to the asteroids; which I did with as much speed as my fatigue and exhaustion of spirits would permit. As my way lay towards the sun, my progress was not a little accelerated by his attraction; which, though by no means too powerful to be counteracted, yet probably had about as much effect on my motion as a moderate wind ordinarily has on a steam-boat; and what is particularly deserving of notice, it enabled me to gain as much during the night as I had formerly lost. So that not more than five months had elapsed before the sun subtended an angle of twelve and a half minutes, from which it was apparent that I must be at about the distance of the asteroids. I now halted--took out my telescope, and pointed it to every part of the zodiack;--but no asteroid presented itself in the field of view. I then changed my station by about a fortnight's journey, still keeping the same distance from the sun, and swept the zodiack a second time--but with no better success. This process was repeated till I became vexed and almost desperate when I determined that it was best to lie absolutely still--and wait till one of them should overtake me in the natuprogress of his revolution round the sun. An interval of some months after this was to me a period of almost entire inactivity, and furnished scarcely any incidents worth recording. It required only a few minutes work each day to keep good my distance from the sun; and the rest of the time I was generally on the watch with the telescope. The positions of all the stars in the heavens down to the seventh magnitude, had now become perfectly familiar; otherwise the attempt to search the heavens for so little a body would have been utterly fruitless. I generally awoke once in the night, and took a cursory glance in the direction where the asteroid might be expected to appear, for fear it might pass me unobserved. It was at one of these intervals, as I was closely inspecting a cluster of stars in the hinder toe of the Crab, that a minute speck had made its appearance which I did not recollect to

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