2 14 Mr. Herschel on the 



views from them, we offend again il: the verj end for which 

 only obfervations ought to be made. I will endeavour to keep 

 a proper medium ; but if I fhould deviate from that, I could 

 wilh not to fall into the latter error. 



That the milky way is a mofl: extenfive (Iratum of flars of 

 various fizes admits no longer of the lead: doubt ; and that our 

 fun is actually one of the heavenly bodies belonging to it is as 

 evident. I have now viewed and gaged thl« Ihining zone in 

 almoft every direction, and find it compofed of flars whofe 

 number, by the account of thefe gages, conftantly increafes 

 and decreafes in proportion to its apparent brightnefs to the 

 naked eye. But in order to develop the ideas of the univerfe, 

 that have been fuggefled by my late obfervations, it will be beft 

 to take the fubjecl from a point of view at a confidcrable 

 diflance both of fpace and of time. 



Theoretical view. 



Let us then fuppofe numbcrlefs ftars of various fizes, feat- 

 tered over an indefinite portion of fpace in fuch a rrianner as to 

 be almoft equally diftributed throughout the whole. The laws 

 of attra6lion, which no doubt extend to the rcmoteft regions of 

 the fixed ftars, will operate in fuch a manner as moft probably to 

 produce the following remarkable effedts. 



^'' Formation of nebiilce. 



Form I. In the firft place, ftnce we havcfuppofed the ftars 



to be of various fizes, it will frequently happen that a ftar, 



being confiderably larger than its neighbouring ones, will 



attract them more than they will be attra«fted by others that are 



-■sj.;^:.; immediately 



