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, but show the two triangles; on a plane surface the interpenetration of the triangles cannot be clearly indicated.) Further, the six bodies are not all alike; they each contain three smaller bodies—­each of these being an ultimate physical atom—­but in two of them the three atoms are arranged in a line, while in the remaining four they are arranged in a triangle.

The wall of the limiting spheroid in which the bodies are enclosed being composed of the matter of the third, or gaseous, kind, drops away when the gaseous atom is raised to the next level, and the six bodies are set free.  They at once re-arrange themselves in two triangles, each enclosed by a limiting sphere; the two marked b in the diagram unite with one of those marked b’ to form a body which shows a positive character, the remaining three forming a second body negative in type.  These form the hydrogen particles of the lowest plane of ether, marked E 4—­ether 4—­on the diagram.  On raising these further, they undergo another disintegration,