54 SCIKtfCE OF THE COSMOS. 



with such a graphic sketch of the universe (such a 

 true map of the world) as was traced by the bold hand of 

 the elder Herschel. If, notwithstanding the smallness of 

 our planet, the telluric portion of the present work occupies 

 the largest space, and is treated with the greatest fulness, 

 this arises only from the unequal amount of our knowledge 

 of that which is within and that which is beyond our reach. 

 The subordination of the celestial to the terrestrial portion is 

 met with, however, in the great geographical work of Bernard 

 Varenius ( 25 ), written in the middle of the seventeenth century, 

 who distinguishes, with great acuteness, between general and 

 special geography ; subdividing the first into an absolute, or 

 properly terrestrial portion (when treating of the surface of 

 the earth in its different zones), and a relative or planetary one, 

 when considering the solar and lunar relations of our planet. 

 It is a permanent glory to Varenius, that his " General and 

 Comparative Geography" was found capable of fixing, in a 

 high degree, the attention of Newton. In the imperfect 

 state, in the time of Varenius, of the auxiliary branches of 

 knowledge from which his resources had to be drawn, it was 

 not possible that the execution of the work should corre- 

 spond to the greatness of the undertaking. It was reserved 

 to our own time to see comparative geography, in its most 

 extended sense, and even embracing its influence on the 

 history of man, treated in a masterly manner by my own 

 countryman, Carl Bitter ( 26 ). 



The enumeration of the more important results of the astro- 

 nomical and physical sciences, which in the Cosmos radiate 

 towards a common centre, may justify, in some degree, the 

 title which I have ventured to affix to this work, written in 

 the late evening of my life. I might add, that the title is 



