472 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CDAP. 



Interrogating Nature, we find these ratios contradicted 

 by appeal to her facts, and we pronounce accordingly 

 on the hypothesis. It may, perhajlh, be urged that the 

 scattering of the stars is unfait accompli, and that their 

 actual distribution being just as possible as any other, 

 can have no d priori improbability. In reply to this 

 we point to our target, and ask whether the same reasoning 

 does not apply equally to that case ? When we reason 

 on the result of a trial which in the nature of things 

 cannot be repeated, we must agree to place ourselves in 

 idea at an epoch antecedent to it. On the inspection 

 of a given state of numbers we are called on to hold up 

 our hands on the affirmative or negative side of the ques- 

 tion, Bias or no bias ? In this case who can hesitate ? ' 



On receipt of this letter, and on reading the above ex- 

 tract, Forbes seems at once to have set about rewriting 

 for the Philosophical Magazine his British Association 

 paper ; and for that purpose to have impressed into his 

 service as many of his scientific friends as possible. 

 Several of them furnished him with numerous letters 

 on various, aspects of the question mathematical and 

 metaphysical same of them adding remarks not very 

 complimentary to his critic. From these,' which are all 

 extremely interesting and characteristic, we make as 

 many extracts as our space, and the nature of their 

 contents, will permit. We choose, in preference, those 

 which bear most directly on the nature and extent of 

 Forbes' own knowledge of such subjects. 



From PROF. KELLAND. 



1 September 5th, 1850. 



' I will do my best to answer two of your questions. 

 ' 1st. Is not 



! _ pfa-1) . .. (p n+I) 



P n 



approximately represented by 



and why not ? P 



