230 On the ™ ature and Confiruction 
afcribed to the fame caufe. But if ftars are funs, and fans 
are inhabitable, we fee at once what an extenfive field for 
animation opens itfelf to our view. 
It is true that analogy may induce us to conclude, that, 
fince {lars appear te be funs, and funs, according to the 
common opinion, are bodies that ferve to enlighten, warm, 
and fuftain a fyftem of planets, we may have an idea of num- 
berlefs globes that ferve for the habitation of living creatures. 
But if thefe {uns themfelves are primary planets, we may 
fee fome thoufands of them with our own eyes, and millions 
by the help of telefcopes, when at the fame time the fame 
analogical reafoning ftill remains in full force with regard td 
the planets which thefe funs may fupport. 
In this place I may, however, take notice, that, from other 
confiderations, the idea of funs or ftars being merely the fup- 
porters of fyftems of planets, is not abfolutely to be admitted 
as a general one. Among the great number of very com- 
preffed ‘clufters of ftars I have given in my catalogues, there 
are fome which open a different view df the heavens to us. 
The ftars in them are fo very clofe together, that, notwith- 
ftanding the great diftance at which we may fuppofe the 
clufter itfelf to be, it will hardly be poffible to affign any 
fufficient mutual diftance to the ftars compofing the ciufter, 
to leave room for crowding in thofe planets, for whofe fup- 
port thefe ftars have been, or might be, fuppofed to exift. It 
fhould feem, therefore, highly probable that they exift for 
themfelves ; and are, in fact, only very capital, Zuczd, primary 
planets, eomnabted together in one great fyflem of mutual 
fupport. 
‘As in this argument I do not indeed upon conjectures; 
but have actual obfervations in view, I {hall mention an in- 
ftance in the clufters No. 26, 28, and 35, VI. clafs, of my 
catalogue of nebule, and clufters of ftars. (See Phil. Tranf. 
Vol. LXXIX. Part II. p. 251.) The ftars in them are fo 
crowded that I cannot conjecture them to be at a greater 
apparent diftance from each other than five feconds, even 
after a proper allowance for fuch ftars, as, on a fuppofition of 
a globular form of the clufter, will interfere with one another, 
has been made. Now, if we would leave as much room be: 
tween 
ee ee ee eel eee 
a 
le i a la a a ttn ti ti et i 
