of matter; solid, liquid, gas, ether 4, ether 3, ether 2, ether 1. On the
gas level are represented three chemical atoms, one of hydrogen (H), one of
oxygen (O), one of nitrogen (N). The successive changes undergone by each
chemical atom are shown in the compartments vertically above it, the
left-hand column showing the breaking up of the hydrogen atom, the middle
column that of the oxygen atom, the right-hand column, that of the nitrogen
atom. The ultimate physical atom is marked _a_, and is drawn only once,
although it is the same throughout. The numbers 18, 290 and 261 are the
numbers of the ultimate physical atoms found to exist in a chemical atom.

The dots indicate the lines along which force is observed to be playing,
and the arrowheads show the direction of the force. No attempt has been
made to show this below E 2 except in the case of the hydrogen. The letters
given are intended to help the reader to trace upwards any special body;
thus _d_ in the oxygen chemical atom on the gas level may be found again on
E 4, E 3, and E 2. It must be remembered that the bodies shown
diagrammatically in no way indicate relative size; as a body is raised from
one substate to the one immediately above it, it is enormously magnified
for the purpose of investigation, and the ultimate atom on E 1 is
represented by the dot _a_ on the gaseous level.

The first chemical atom selected for this examination was an atom of
hydrogen (H). On looking carefully at it, it was seen to consist of six
small bodies, contained in an egg-like form. It rotated with great rapidity
on its own axis, vibrating at the same time, and the internal bodies
performed similar gyrations. The whole atom spins and quivers, and has to
be steadied before exact observation is possible. The six little bodies are
arranged in two sets of three, forming two triangles that are not
interchangeable, but are related to each other as object and image. (The
lines in the diagram of it on the gaseous sub-plane are not lines of force,