INTRODUCTION. 15 



in space than there are human inhabitants upon the 

 globe!* 



I have referred to the new life, a life within a life 

 may I be allowed to call it a holy of holies ? which the 

 discoveries of the telescope and of the microscope have 

 afforded me during what I consider the best part of my 

 long life ; and now, having nearly reached its close, with 

 what deep and heartfelt thankfulness can I look back 

 and recall the many splendid opportunities I have had 

 and tried to use for the good of others in setting forth the 

 glory of God in the exhibition of His works, saying to 

 my younger friends, what I would say still, " Go and do 

 thou likewise " ! 



" Teaching, we learn ;" and if we will but use the little 

 we begin with for the good of others, we shall find assuredly 

 that that little will gradually increase. 



How have I revelled when bringing out my telescope 

 to show my friends that wonderful belt of light which 

 surrounds the glorious planet Saturn, which is ten times 

 further from the sun than the earth is, and ten times 

 the earth's diameter; or, turning the instrument on to 

 Jupiter, revealed that world of light, the largest in our 

 solar system, whose solid contents are no less than 1428 

 times that of our earth, and whose path round the sun 

 requires upwards of fourteen of our years for it to journey, 

 that is, that our earth makes 11 f revolutions round 

 the sun in the time that Jupiter takes to complete one 

 such revolution ! And when Jupiter's four moons, with 

 its zones and belts, opening and closing, through which 

 the body of the planet may be seen as may the sun 

 through its spots what exclamations of delight were 

 expressed ! 



Then, having the microscope in readiness, directing 

 * The population of the globe is generally estimated to be 1400 millions. 



