326 The Construction of the Heavens. [July, 
brightness of objects situated in its nearer portions, there- 
fore, cannot be much exaggerated, nor that of its remoter 
much enfeebled, by their difference of distance; yet within 
this globular space we have collected upwards of 600 stars 
of the 7th, 8th, gth, and roth magnitudes, nearly 300 
nebule, and globular and other clusters of all degrees of 
vesolvability, and smaller scattered stars innumerable of 
every inferior magnitude, from the roth, to such as by 
their multitude and minuteness constitute irresolvable 
nebulosity, extending over tracts of many square degrees. 
Were there but one such object, it might be maintained 
without utter improbability that its apparent sphericity is only 
an effect of foreshortening, and that in reality a much greater 
proportional difference of distance between its nearer and 
more remote parts exists. But such an adjustment, 
improbable enough in one case, must be rejected as too 
much so for fair argument in two cases. It niust, therefore, 
be taken as a demonstrated fact, that stars of the 7th and 8th 
magnitude and irresolvable nebule may co-exist within limits of 
distance, not differing more in proportion than as nine to ten.” 
I pass to the work of the elder Struve, but shall only deal 
with that portion which relates to the distribution of the 
Stars. 
Having found reason to believe that stars of the brighter 
orders are more crowded on the Milky Way zone than else- 
where, Struve tested the matter by comparing the numbers 
of stars in different hours of right ascension in Weisse’s 
Catalogue of 31,085 stars, down to the gth magnitude, 
included between 15° north and 15° south of the equator. 
After estimating the numbers of stars which might be sup- 
posed to have escaped recognition in the different ‘‘ hours,” 
and so raising the total number of stars to 52,199 (of which 
21,114 were hypothetical), he found a marked excess of 
richness in the Milky Way “hours.” Thus, taking the four 
hours, 5, 6,7, and 8 (crossed centrally by the “Milky 
Way near Orion), and the four hours, 17, 18, 19, and 20 
(crossed centrally by the Milky Way near Aquila), he found 
an average of 3031 stars for each hour; while the average 
for the remaining sixteen hours was but 1747 stars. 
So far Struve’s procedure was legitimate enough. But 
he now extended his reasoning somewhat too daringly. 
For he first regarded all the stars in each hour division as 
gathered on the equator, though the divisions extended 
thirty degrees in declination, and having thus a fine equa- 
torial ring of 52,199 stars unequally rich in different parts, 
he conceived this ring converted into a flat disc by a radial 
