MOVEMENTS IN THE STAR-DEPTHS. 6 1 



examination of the matter twenty years ago, the result 

 he obtained, while indicating the general probability 

 of the inferences before obtained, nevertheless exhibited 

 the whole problem as one needing further investigation. 1 



It will be seen presently that we cannot too atten 

 tively regard those earlier researches, if we would fully 

 estimate the importance of the results which have 

 recently been obtained. Let it be carefully noticed 

 that the earlier results flowed directly from the hypo 

 thesis respecting the stars which have so long main 

 tained their ground in our text-books of astronomy 

 If these hypotheses are sound, the results flowing from 

 them, even though only based on the general principles 

 of probability as applied to those hypotheses, might be 

 expected to be somewhat near the truth. If, on the 

 contrary, an independent and trustworthy series of 

 results should show that those earlier results are not 

 correct are indeed very far from correctness then 

 pro tanto the hypotheses which led to those earlier 

 results would be invalidated. 



Let it then be clearly understood that, according to 

 the results in question, the stars were held to be in 

 motion at rates comparable in general with the velocity 

 of our sun, this velocity being estimated at about four 

 and three-quarter miles per second. .We do not include 

 here the result that the sun is moving towards Hercules, 

 because that may be regarded as established, whatever 



1 This part of my subject is fully discussed in a paper called The 

 Sun s Journey through Space, which appeared in Fraser s Magazine for 

 September 1869, and will be found among my Essays on Astronomy. 



