5:^ 



skill of Mr. Huggins and Professor Miller, no less than fifty stars have been 

 scrupulously examined and tested as to their spectra. The address, adverting 

 to this, thus goes on:— "The physical result of all this scrupulous and con- 

 scientious care was to discover the fact, or it may be to confirm the suspicion, 

 that «^ stars are in strict reality worlds fashioned in their material constitution 

 at least not altogether differently from the fashion of the little orb on which we 

 live I" Such are the President's words; let us now hear these two discoverers 

 Bpeak for themselves. They say : These, spectrum observations, are not without 

 interest also when viewed in connexion with the nebular hypothesis of the 

 cosmical origin of the solar system and fixed stars. For if it be supposed that 

 all the countless suns which are distributed through space were once existing 

 in the condition of nebulous matter, it is obvious that, though certain con- 

 stituents may have been difiused throughout its mass, yet the composition of 

 the nebulous material must have differed at different points ; otherwise, during 

 the act of agglomeration, each system must have collected and condensed equal 

 proportions of similar materials from the mass around." 



" If we may so say (they continue), there seems to be some analogy 

 between this irregular distribution of the elements in different centres in space, 

 and the manner in which the components of the earth's crust are distributed. 

 Upon the earth there are certain very generally diffused elements, such as 

 oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, silicon, iron, aluminium, and calcium, which occur 

 in all parts ; whilst there are others which, like silver, tin, lead, and other 

 metals, are accumulated at particular points only. Whatever may have been 

 the physical causes which may have produced this separation, we see abundant 

 evidence of the advantage of this distribution in their application to the purposes 

 of »iiin —smallness in relative amount being compensated for by the accumula- 

 tion of the material indenser deposits, which allow of their comparatively easy 

 extraction to supply the wants of mankind. If this arrangement be admitted 

 as designed in the case of the earth, is it going beyond the limits of fair 

 deduction to suppose that, were we acquainted with the economy of those 

 distant globes, an equally obvious purpose might be assigned for the differences 

 in composition which they exhibit ?' 



Hence there seems to be no little proof, they go on tosay, that, " An unity 

 of operation extends through the universe, as far as light enables us to have 

 cognizance of material objects. For we may infer that the stars, while differing 

 in the kinds of matter of which they consist, are all constructed upon the same 

 plan as our sun, and are composed of matter identical, at least in part, with 

 the materials of our system.'' 



" On the whole (they conclude), we believe that spectrum observations 

 on the stars contribute something towards an experimental basis on which 

 a conclusion, hitherto but a pure speculation, may rest, viz. that at least the 

 brighter stars are, like our sun, upholding and energizing centres of systems 

 of worlds, adapted to be the abodes of living beings .'" 



