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from its distance it might not be visible through our atmosphere, yet, as it must occasionally intercept the sun's body in the earth's diurnal revolutions, its existence must always have been palpable. The phenomenon therefore may, perhaps, be better accounted for, by supposing that the channel I had passed connected our earth and its counterpart which had just received me, like the chain of a double-headed shot, both of which might revolve around the sun together, and the moon around both, the interjacent channel revolving along with them.—There is nothing in this hypothesis at all inconsistent with the Newtonian system, which, standing upon the basis of mathematical truth, cannot be shaken in the mind of any reasonable being; but this channel may exist in perfect harmony with it; indeed it is no more inconsistent with the round figure of the earth to have such an appendage protruded from it, than it is unnatural for cows and horses, or other round animals, to have tails; or, to come closer to the subject, than that comets should have them, which are now believedto
