On the Sun and Fixed Stars. 229 
good the wafle occafioned by thofe decompofitions. But it 
may be urged, that the cafe with the decompofition of the 
elatiic fluids in the folar atmofphere would be very different, 
fince light is emitted, and does not return to the fun, as clouds 
do to the earth when they defcend in fhowers of rain. To 
which I anfwer, that, in the decompofition of phofphoric 
fluids, every other ingredient but light may alfo return to the 
body of the fun. And that the emiffion of light muft watie 
the fun, is not a difficulty that can be oppofed to our hypo- 
thefis: for, as it is an evident fact that the fun does emit 
light, the fame objection, if it could be one, would equally 
militate again every other affignable way to account for the 
phenomenon. 
There are, moreover, confiderations that may leffen the 
preflure of this alledged difficulty. We know the exceeding 
fubtilty of light to be {uch, that in ages of time its emanation 
from the fun cannot very fenfibly leflen the fize of this great 
body. To this may be added, that, very poflibly, there may 
alfo be ways of reftoration to compenfate for what is loft by 
the emiffion of light, though the manner in which this can 
be brought about fhould not appear to us. Many of the ope- 
rations of Nature are carried on in her great laboratory which 
we cannot comprehend, but now and then we fee fome of 
the tools with which fhe is at work. We need not wonder 
that their conftruétion fhould be fo fingular as to induce us 
to confefs our ignorance of the method of employing them, 
but we may reft affured that they are not a mere /u/us na- 
ture. allude to the great number of {mail telefcopic co- 
mets that have been obferved, and to the far greater number 
fiill that are probably much too fmall for being noticed by 
our moft diligent fearchers after them. Thofe fix, for inflance, 
which my fitter has difcovered, I can from examination af- 
firm, had not the Jeat appearance of any folid nucleus, and 
feemed to be mere collections of vapours condenfed about a 
centre. Five more, that I have alfo obferved, were nearly of 
the fame nature. ‘This throws a myftery over their deftina- 
tion, which feems to place them in the allegorical view of 
tools, probably defigned for fome falutary purpofes to be 
wrought by thern; and, whether the reftoration of what is 
loft 
