;66 



NA TURE 



[April 1 1, 1895 



test, since it helps us to know whether one is going right or wrong, 

 and it seemed to strengthen very much the view under con- 

 sideration. Further, not only do we find carbon both in 

 comets and nebulx but it is recognised by 

 everybody that in some stars the same substance 

 exists in enormous quantities. Here, then, we 

 are in the presence of the fact that the s'ate- 

 ment that there is an enormous chemical differ- 

 ence in structure between nebulae and stars is 

 shown spectroscopically to be unfounded, while 

 the evidence also goes to show that there is a 

 close connection between nelmlje and comets. 

 By this, of course, the argument is very much 

 strengthened all round, because, as wehaveseen, 

 nearly everybody agrees that comets most pro 

 bably consist of meteoritic stones or particles. 

 I am glad to say that among the first to 

 accept the new evidence proving that nebulje 

 are really early stages of evolution of stars 

 was Dr. Huggins himself, the otiserver whose 

 statement which I have quoted I had been 

 fighiing for years. That you see was a great 

 victory. He says now not only that these 

 bodies may represent early forms ; places them 

 in the line of evolution where 1 had placed 

 them, but he even adduces the same evidence 

 •which 1 had brought forward in several of the 

 arguments which 1 had employed. Dr. Huggins 

 made a reference to this que>tion as President 

 of the British -Association in the year 1891, and 

 if any of you read that you will see that it is 

 really an argument in favour of the views that 

 I have been insisting upon since 1S86, and his 

 agreement seems all the more important since 

 Dr. Huggins appears to have arrived at these 

 conclusions quiie independently. Not one' word is said 

 throughout the address of any arguments which I may have 

 used, or of any line of thought or observation on which I had 



course you will acknowledge that that was a very extra- 

 ordinary change of opinion, so extraordinary indeed that 

 it is clear that Dr. Huggins felt that it was of importance 



KlG 14. — Oljserv.ilion ol a 11 ■ 



founded the various statements which I had made ; ami there- 

 fore it would be charitable tosupposc thai he was unacquainted 

 with my work when that address was given to the world. Of 



NO. 1328, VOL. 51] 



Fic. 13. — The nebula near 52 Cygni, from a photograpti by Dr. Koberis. 



to himself that the change should be explained ; and he con- 

 fesses in the address, to which I refer, that the communication 

 he made to the Royal Society in 1S64 was not entirely 



founded on scientific 

 evidence, but pari ly made 

 under, to use his own 

 words, "the undue in- 

 fluence of theological 

 opinions then widely 

 prevalent." 



So afler all I had 

 lieen fighiing partly 

 an expression of a 

 iheological opinion. If 

 we had known that 

 hefoie, proliably some 

 trouble might have been 

 saved. 



It is a very important 

 thing to know that now, 

 from east to west, those 

 who dwell upon this 

 planet are all perfectly 

 convinced that nebuls 

 are e.irly forms in the 

 tvoluiion of ihe heavenly 

 bodies. The more one 

 knows of ihe history ol 

 luiman thought, espe- 

 cially during the last two 

 .enluries, the more im- 

 (Hjriant does it seem that 

 1 hat result should be ac« 

 knowleilgtd as oneof the 

 most important truths 

 rsiahlished during the 

 |irtscnt century. 



Ik' fore 1 go further, 

 let nie refer to two or 

 three lypical examples of 

 these Mrange bodies, as 

 I can do by ihe kindness 

 of Dr. Roberis, whose method of woik I described in the last 



lecture. . f u i_ 



First of all we have a representation of a form of nebuW 



