THE NEBULA OF ORION. 267 



ferent instruments are hardly comparable. Indeed, drawings by dif- 

 ferent observers, with the same instrument, and made at the same 

 time, are often as different from each other as any of the previous 

 drawings from Lord Rosse's. 



The resolvability of the nebula is claimed by Lord Rosse, but the 

 testimony of the spectroscope, as far as that goes, is against that in- 

 ference, and the testimony of large telescopes, at least equal to Lord 

 Rosse's in their defining power, is likewise unanimously contrary. 



Any one, who will critically study the drawings named above, 

 will, it is believed, arrive at the conclusion that no traces of resolva- 

 bility have been fairly made out. Changes of form, although the 

 evidence of the various drawings is seemingly in favor of such changes, 

 are not probable, from a comparison of all the data. The drawing of 

 Bond is confirmed, we believe, by Safford, of Chicago, by aid of the 

 1 Scinch refractor, and by the great refiactor of the Naval Observa- 

 tory at Washington, so far as an examination has been made, and 



N 

 Nebuxa Orionis. (Rosse, 1860-'B7.) 



after a careful collation of all drawings ; the only inference it seems 

 possible now to draw is as to the enormous personal differences of the 

 artists. It should be remembered that the difficulty of getting a cor- 

 rect drawing engraved correctly is itself immense, and not often to be 

 overcome, especially if the engraver has not himself studied the neb- 

 ula which he is to represent. 



