This looks like a parody on Newton's pebbles: the following is the true account; it comes to me through one remove from Poisson.

Here he was interrupted by Poisson, whose red imperial and mustache irradiated his pale face.

There was ptage la Sunshine, there was poisson la Pacific, there was poulet la reine, and goodness knows what else.

Again, Mr. Godfrey seems to misunderstand the influence of Poisson's ratio in multiple-way reinforcement.