NEBULAE THEORY OPPOSED. 219 



devotion to the one grand object of putting it down, as indi- 

 cated in these and similar denunciatory expressions, may, in 

 some instances, have caused them to unconsciously magnify 

 the seeming evidences against the theory it propounded, and 

 as unconsciously to underrate any real evidence which may 

 exist in its favor. Candor requires, therefore, that we should 

 look at the merits of this, as well as of all controversies of a 

 similar nature, aside from all mere denunciation such as novel 

 theories, true or false, are ever apt to provoke and in the 

 light of the plain facts and arguments which bear upon the 

 case, by whichsoever party these may be urged. 



The nebular hypothesis of cosmical creations urged by the 

 author of the " Vestiges," as the initial portion of the univer- 

 sal system of creation supposed by him to be unfolded by 

 law, was objected to mainly on the ground that the Earl of 

 Rosse's telescope had succeeded in resolving into stars certain 

 nebula which were before considered irresolvable, and in con- 

 siderably changing the apparent form and outlines of others, 

 which had previously appeared such as to countenance the idea 

 of agglomerating and rotating masses. In view of such 

 " unequivocal facts," one principal reviewer regards it as a 

 " most unwarrantable assumption to suppose that there are in 

 the heavenly spaces any masses of matter different from solid 

 bodies composing planetary systems." To this our author 

 replies that the resolution of a great quantity of previously 

 unresolved nebulae, by Lord Rosse's telescope, " was, of course, 

 to be expected, and it is a fact, though in itself interesting, of 

 no consequence to the nebular hypothesis." There are still 

 many nebula which even the stupendous powers of Lord 

 Rosse's instrument do not sensibly affect, and which probably 

 no increase of optical power ever to be attained by human 

 science or art, would be adequate to resolve. But the present 



