of the Sun and Fixed Stars. 227 - 
as to admit of an eafy, chemical combination with its rays, 
their emiffion would be much impeded. 
Another well known fa& is, that the folar focus of the 
iargett lens, thrown into the air, will. occafion no fenfible 
heat in the place where it has been kept for a confiderable 
- time, although its power of exciting combuftion, when proper 
bodies are Expoftd, fhould be fufficient to fufe the moft re- 
fractory fubftances *. 
Tt will not be Sieh ne to mention other objéétions, as I 
ean think of none that may be made but what a proper con- 
fideration of the foregoing obfervations will eafily remove ; 
fuch as may be urged from the diffimilarity between the lu- 
minous atmofphere of the fun and that of our globe will be 
touched upon hereafter, when I confider the objections that 
may be affiened againit the moon’s being an inhabitable fa- 
tellite. 
‘I thall now endeavour, by analogical reafonings, to fupport 
the ideas I have fuggefted concerning the conftruétion and 
purpofes of the fun; in order to which it will be neceffary 
to begin with fuch arguments as the nature of the cafe will 
admit, to fhew that our moon is probably inhabited. This 
fatellite is of all the heavenly bodies the neareft, and therefore 
moft within the reach of our telefcopes : accordingly we find, 
by repeated infpection, that we can with perfect enuifene 
give the following account of it :— 
It is a fecondary planet, of a confiderable fize; the furface 
of which is div erfified, like that of the earth, by mountains 
and vallies, Its fituation with refpeé to the fun is much 
like that of the earth, and, by a rotation on its axis, it enjoys 
an agreeable variety of feafons, and of day and night. To 
the moon our globe will appear to be a very capital fatellite, 
undergoing the fame regular changes of illuminations as the 
moon does to the earth. The fun, the planets, and the ftarry 
conftellations of the heavens, will rife and fet there as they 
do here ; and heavy bodies will fall on the moon as they do 
* The fubjeét of light and heat has been very ably difcuffed by Mr. 
De Luc, in his excellent work, Idées fur la Météorologie, Tome I. part 2, 
chap. 2. fection 2, De la Nature de-Feu; and Tome II. part 3. chap. 6, 
faétion 2. Des Rapports de la Lumiere avec la Chaleure dans ? Atmofpbere. 
" Ge2 on 
