20 THE PROGRESS AND SPIRIT OF 



of the zodiacal light, and the numberless meteorites tra- 

 versing the sky, afford presumption of such material media 

 everywhere existing within our own solar system; but the 

 argument we have just stated carries us far beyond this 

 limit, to the most remote parts of that sidereal and nebular 

 space from which light reaches the eye of man. We might 

 bring the phenomena of heat into evidence on the same 

 point ; though less strikingly and conclusively than those of 

 gravitation and light, of which we have just spoken. 



In coming finally to those several sciences which deal 

 with Matter in its more recognised forms, we must once again 

 repeat that our object is simply that of indicating the spirit 

 and scope of modern science, as illustrated by its new objects 

 and methods, and by the high attainments at which it has 

 arrived. Volumes would be needed to give even an ap- 

 proximate idea of the particular discoveries, whether from 

 experiment or observation, which have conduced to these 

 results. In the hasty view we are taking, we can but notice 

 such as are most striking in character. Nor are we called 

 upon to do this methodically ; since, as already mentioned, 

 one of the most eminent successes of our time is that of 

 having brought all the branches of physical science into closer 

 connection and subordination to more general laws ; and in 

 illustrating these new connections, examples crowd upon us 

 from sources seemingly the most remote. 



Humboldt, in his Cosmos, has rightly given to Astronomy 

 ' the science of the universe without ' - the first place in his 

 picture of physical knowledge. So much has lately been 

 written on this science the highest glory, it may well be 

 deemed, of the human intellect that we need only allude 

 to a few of its more recent attainments ; not surpassing 

 indeed those discoveries which we owe to the genius of a 

 prior time, yet so extending the doctrine of universal gravi- 



