318 The Construction of the Heavens. (July, 
remarkably large as well as pretty closely scattered small 
stars that may have drawn together the rest.” 
Again, let the reader carefully study the following extracét 
from the paper of 1785, and he will find that whereas it is 
perplexing in the extreme if the sidereal system be regarded 
as a mere cloven stratum of stars, pretty uniformly dis- 
tributed, it becomes perfectly clear (and wonderfully striking) 
when we remember that Herschel considered the milky way 
to be compound in structure and branching in figure :— 
‘‘ Tf it were possible to distinguish between the parts of an 
indefinitely extended whole, the nebula we inhabit might be 
said to be one that has fewer marks of profound antiquity 
upon it than the rest. To explain this idea, perhaps, more 
clearly, we should recollect that the condensation of clusters 
of stars has been ascribed to a gradual approach; and who- 
ever reflects upon the numbers of ages that must have 
passed before some of the clusters could be so far condensed 
as we find them at present, will not wonder if I ascribe a 
certain air of youth and vigour to many very regularly scat- 
tered regions of our sidereal stratum.” 
Yet more strikingly opposed to the common conceptions 
of Herschel’s earlier theory, is the following passage from 
the paper of 1785 :—-‘‘ Our system after numbers of ages 
may very possibly become divided so as to give rise to a 
stratum of two or three hundred nebule ; for it would not 
be difficult to point to so many beginning or gathering 
clusters init. This view of the subject throws a consider- 
able light upon the appearance of that remarkable collection 
of many hundreds of nebulz which are to be seen in what I 
have called the nebulous stratum of Coma Berenices. It 
appears from the extended and branching figure of our 
nebula, that there is room for the decomposed small nebule 
of a large, reduced, former great one to approach nearer to 
us in the sides than in other parts. Nay, possibly, there 
might originally be another large joining branch, which in 
time became separated by the condensation of the stars; 
and this may be the reason of the little remaining breadth 
of our system in that very place; for the nebulz of the 
stratum of Coma are brightest and most crowded just oppo- 
site our situation, or in the pole of our system. As soon 
as this idea was suggested,” he adds, ‘‘ I tried the opposite 
pole, where accordingly I have met with a great number 
of nebulz, though under a much more scattered form.” 
It will be quite obvious, I think, that Herschel enter- 
tained at this time ideas altogether different from those 
usually ascribed to him. In particular, it is to be noticed 
