SLIGHT MISTAKES.
M. BABINET disputes M. Leverrier's planet. The young astro- nomer, it seems, thought he had discovered a planet, but it turns out to be another which somebody else had discovered. There is a formidable discrepancy, according to M. Babinet, between the discovery and the thing discovered. M. Leverrier perceived a planet at a distance from the Sun thirty-six times that of the Earth, whereas the planet discovered is only thirty times that distance ; M. Leverrier's globe is thirty-eight times the size of the Earth, the planet discovered is about twelve times ; in its orbit, M. Leverrier's takes two hundred and seventeen years to make both ends meet, the other takes but a hundred and sixty-four years. It seems to us that the actual planet is a paltry affair com- pared to M. Leverrier's; so that he is well quit of it, we should say. But after all, we do not see that these discrepancies very gravely affect the discovery. M. Leverrier found out that there must be a planet, and there is one ; what would you have more? It is, possibly, two hundred millions of leagues off the place as- signed to it; but what then ? what is two hundred millions of leagues? As to the duration of the Neptunian year, and the bulk of the globe, it was, we suspect, but the indiscretion of talking big about it ; which may easily be pardoned in so young a man. We do not see why M. Babinet should quarrel with the planet that he has got, on these slight grounds. A planet in hand is worth two in the vast unknown, although it is such a little ball with such a little hoop of an orbit. M. Leverrier confesses that he magnified his discovery ; and although it is no such great affair as people were led to suppose, we must say that quite enough re- mains to do the young man great credit. Besides, to say no- thing of the residuary planet, M. Leverrier has at least discovered a good berth with some 6001. a year; which he will probably re- gard as a satisfactory set-off against the curtailment of his planet- ary dimensions. We wish all young men could show as much for their education.
By the by, if M. Leverrier's prize is revoked, what becomes of Mr. Adams, who had drawn the next number?
This dispute about a planet is an incident that ought to be in- structive to us all. How positive we are about things the most small, recondite, and obscure ! Here is a thing big enough in all conscience, standing forth in view of the whole universe ; yet men are debating where it is—barely agreeing that it exists at all, and confessing to an error in fixing its whereabout equal to hundreds of millions of miles. Every respectable telescope in Europe is foiled in declaring where this considerable piece of goods is ; and yet we undertake to expound universal laws, and settle the bounds between " right" and " wrong."
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