I. On the influence of geological changes on the Earth's axis of rotation

The subject of the fixity or mobility of the earth’s axis of rotation in that body, and the possibility of variations in the obliquity of the ecliptic, has of late been attracting much attention; but the author believes that it has not hitherto been treated at much length. The paper, of which the following is an abstract, is an attempt to investigate the results of the supposition that the earth is slowly changing its shape, with especial reference to the effects on the obliquity of the ecliptic and on the geographical position of the earth’s axis of figure. 1. This part of the paper is devoted to the consideration of the precession and nutations of an ellipsoid of revolution which is slowly and uniformly changing its shape.