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no smaller a space than what appeared before to be the whole region of fixed stars, but which now has assumed the shape of a crookedly branching nebula: not one of the least, but probably very far from being the most considerable, of those numberless clusters that enter into the construction of the heavens. Dr. Herschel confirms these ideas by a series of observations, and thinks it will be found upon the whole, that this view, with all its consequential appearances, as seen by an eye inclosed in one of the nebulæ, is no other than a drawing from nature, wherein the features of the original have been closely copied ; and Dr. Herschel hopes the resemblance will not be called a bad one, when it shall be considered how very limited must be the pencil of an inhabitant of so small and retired a spot of an indefinite system, in attempting the picture of so unbounded an extent.

"In the most crowded parts of the milky way, he has had a field of view of 588 stars, and these continued for many minutes; so that in one quarter of an hour's time, not less than 116,000 stars have passed through the field of his tele scope: he endeavours to shew, that the powers of his telescope are such, that it will not only reach the stars at 497 times the distance of Sirius, so as to distinguish them, but that it also shews the united lustre of the accumulated stars

that compose a milky nebulosity at a far greater distance. From these considerations, it is highly probable, that as his 20 feet telescope does not shew such a nebulosity in the milky way, it goes already far beyond its extent; and therefore a more powerful instrument would remove all doubt, by exposing a milky nebulosity beyond the stratum, which could then no longer be mistaken for the dark ground of the heavens.

"To the foregoing arguments, we may add the following, drawn from analogy. Dr. Herschel says, that among the great number of nebula, which he has already seen, amounting to more than 900, there are many, in all probability, equally extensive with that which we inhabit; and yet they are all separated from each other by very considerable intervals. Some indeed there are, that seem to be double and treble; and though with most of them it may be, that they are at a very great distance from each other, yet he does not mean to say that there are no such conjunctions; though there may be also some thinly scattered solitary stars, not yet drawn into systems; their number cannot be very considerable a conjecture that is abundantly confirmed, in situations where the nebulæ are near enough to have their stars visible; for they are all insulated, and generally to be seen upon a very clear and pure ground, without any star

near them, that might be supposed to belong to them and though they may be often seen in beds of stars, yet from the size of these stars, we may be certain that they are much nearer to us than those nebulæ, and belong undoubtedly to our own system.

"Dr. Herschel thinks the nebula that we inhabit has fewer marks of profound antiquity upon it than the rest; having previously supposed that the condensation of clusters of stars is to be ascribed to a gradual approach; the number of ages that must have past before some of the clusters could be so far condensed as they are at present, makes him naturally ascribe a certain air of youth and vigour to many very regularly scattered regions of our siderial system. There are many places where he asserts, that there is reason to believe, that the stars, if we may judge from appearances, are now drawing towards various secondary centres, and will, in time, separate into different clusters, so as to occasion many sub-divisions. Our system, after numbers of ages, may be divided so, as to give rise to a stratum of two or three hundred nebulæ.

"Though the words condensation and cluster often occur in the foregoing extract, we are by no means to infer that any of the celestial bodies, in our nebula, are nearer to one another than we are to Sirius, whose distance is supposed to be

not less than 38 millions of miles.

The whole

extent of the nebula being, in some places, near 500 times this distance, must be such, that the light of a star placed at its extreme boundary, supposing it to fly with the velocity of 12 millions of miles every minute, must have taken near 3000 years before it could reach us.

"These immense spaces, these numerous hosts of systematic universes, are probably connected the one with the other. Like so many immense circuses, by the mutual contact of their circumambient spheres, they press each other: these aereal atmospheres being also connected and interwoven together by an infinity of insertions, constitute a celestial sphere, which is again linked with others, till by an infinity of orbs they obtain a form, which is the origin and pattern of all forms, in which all the variegated siderial revolutions harmoniously concur to one and the same end: that of mutually strengthening and establishing each other, and forming a celestial union *."

The apprehensions of nullity and insignificance, which are so apt to depress an individual, when contrasting his existence with that of worlds so numerous and illimitable, are obviated by Addison, in the concluding part of his admirable paper, with great skill and address, and form a

* Vide Adams's Lectures, vol. iv. p. 221,

clear and rational view of the attributes of omnipresence and omniscience.

"If we consider him in his omnipresence," he remarks," his being passes through, actuates, and supports the whole frame of nature. His creation, and every part of it, is full of him. There is nothing he has made that is either so distant, so little, or so inconsiderable, which he does not essentially inhabit. His substance is within the substance of every being, whether material or immaterial, and as intimately present to it as that being is to itself. It would be an imperfection in him, were he able to remove out of one place into another, or to withdraw himself from any thing he has created, or from any part of that space which is diffused and spread abroad to infinity. In short, to speak of him in the language of the old philosopher, he is a being whose centre is every where, and his circumference no where.

"In the second place, he is omniscient as well as omnipresent. His omniscience indeed necessarily and naturally flows from his omnipresence; he cannot but be conscious of every motion that arises in the whole material world, which he thus essentially pervades, and of every thought that is stirring in the intellectual world, to every part of which he is thus intimately united. He cannot but regard every thing that has being, especially such of his creatures who

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