82 EEPORT— 1891. 



and would form nebulous caps. This configuration corre- 

 sponds almost exactly with the form of the visible universe, 

 which may thus be the result of the slow impact of two pre- 

 viously-existing universes, the impact obviously occupying a 

 pei'iod comparable with thousands of millions of years. 



22. If our universe be proved from its form and character 

 to have been formed of two previously-existing universes, then 

 the entire cosmos may be made up of an infinity of universes. 



23. Space is dusty both with wandering dark bodies and also 

 with countless myriads of molecules of light gas. It is pro- 

 bably due to the meteoric dust of space that we see no distant 

 universes other than the Magellanic Clouds. 



24. If this be the case, radiation must all be caught by the 

 dust of space, and this dust must be gradually increasing in 

 temperature. 



25. Bodies not in orbits occupy but a short time at high 

 velocity. They occupy longer and longer periods as the velocity 

 is reduced. Thence hydrogen gas independent of matter will 

 generally be moving slowly. But slowly-moving gas is cold : 

 hence hydrogen gas may be at a lower temperature than any 

 other matter in space. 



26. Whenever by their mutual motion hydrogen gas meets 

 cosmic dust the hydrogen will acquire its temperature : that is, 

 it will increase its molecular velocity. It will thus have a new 

 start of motion that will tend to carry it further away from 

 matter. 



27. Moving matter not in orbits will tend to move slowest 

 where there is least matter — that is, where potential gravita- 

 tion is highest — because in these places it has done most work 

 against gravitation. "Where bodies moving indiscriminately 

 move slowest they obviously tend to aggregate : in other 

 words, the hydrogen of space tends to accumulate in the 

 sparsest portions of space. 



28. Thus radiant energy falls upon the dust of space, and 

 this heat gives motion to hydrogen, and this hydrogen tends 

 to use this energy to pass to positions of high potential, thus 

 converting low-temperature heat into potential energy of gravi- 

 tation. 



29. This action will tend to go on until attraction is equal 

 in different parts of space ; but then we have in one part of 

 space bodies in mass, in another diffused hydrogen. 



30. Free bodies moving indiscriminately will tend to pass 

 through a group of masses similar to our universe, as 1,840 

 Groombridge is passing through it now. But they will tend to 

 be entrapped in a mass of hydrogen. Thus the place that was 

 most void of matter now commences to have more than the 

 regular distribution of matter. A new universe has begun to 

 form. 



