OF THE NATURAL AND

/order to carry the point N from the star to thesun ; for the star will always come to the meri-dian when N m is parallel to R S A, because D S,the radius of the earth’s orbit, is but as a pointin respect to the immense distance R S.

When the earth is at E, the star will come tothe meridian at four o'clock in the morning; atF at two in the morning; and at G, at mid-night ; for the earth having now gone just halfround its orbit, the point N will be directly op-posite to the fun; and, therefore, by means ofthe earth’s diurnal motion, the star will cometo the meridian twelve hours before the fun.In like manner, when the earth is at H, the starwill cyme to the meridian at ten o'clock in theevening, or fourteen hours before the fun; at I,jt will come to the meridian sixteen hours be--fore the fun ; at K, eighteen hours before him ;at L, twenty hours; at M, twenty-two; and atA, it will return to the meridian at the fametime, and be exactly with the fun again.

The daily revolution of the earth, which, byobservation, is known to be uniform, is alwayscompleted, when any particular meridian is e»actly parallel to the situation which it had atany time of the preceding day. And it is plain,from the figure, that the fame meridian cannever be brought round, from the fun, to thefun again, by one entire revolution of the earthupon its axis, but that it will require as much

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