130 . ORIGIN OF COMETS. 



This, however, does not in any respect destroy the corre- 

 spondence of the principles which both involve. 



After the sun and planets were thus formed by agglomer- 

 ations and condensations of the originally diffused mass of 

 chaotic materials, there would naturally still remain in dif- 

 fusion through the general sphere of the system, a quantity 

 of mundane matter, so great as to be liable, under the further 

 action of the law of condensation, to ultimately assume forms 

 more or less distinctly visible. This consideration hints at 

 the origin and character of those erratic, and in some cases 

 apparently almost lawless bodies, called comets. These are 

 mere excrescences upon, the system incidents of previous 

 developments ; and their anomalas of constitution and motions 

 are probably the results of their borderings upon the extreme 

 confines of the forces and laws provided for the government 

 of the system. Aside from some illustrations of cosmical 

 laws which they afford, they probably subserve no purpose 

 which is much more important than that of the amusement 

 of astronomers. 



This idea of residual nebular matter also accounts for that 

 singular nebulous and oblately spheroidal envelope of the sun, 

 which is called the " Zodiacal Light." Probably neither the for- 

 mation of this nor of the comets, was specifically contemplated 

 in the original plan of the Creator, but the development of 

 each was incidental to the uniform operations of established 

 laws. 



As originated our own solar system, so we may suppose 

 originated all other solar systems in space, with differences in 

 the forms of the operations and results of identical principles, 

 according to differences in material conditions and local 

 circumstances. 



