VESTIGES 



OF THE 



Natural History of Creation, 



THE BODIES (3F SPACE. 



THEIR ARPvANGEMENTS AND FORMATION. 



It is familiar knowledge that the earth which we inhabit 

 is a globe of somewhat less than 8000 miles in diameter, 

 Ijeing one of a series of eleven which revolve at different dis- 

 tances around the sun, and some of which have satellites 

 in like manner revolving around them. The sun, planets, 

 and the satellites, with the less intelligible orbs termed 

 comets, are comprehensively called the solar system, and 

 if we take as the uttermost bounds of this system the 

 orbit of Uranus (though the comets actually have a wider 

 range), we shall iind that it occupies a portion of space 

 not less than three thousand six hundred millions of miles 

 in diameter. The mind fails to form an exact notion of 

 a portion of space so immense ; but some faint idea of it 

 may be obtained from the fact, that, if the swiftest race- 

 horse ever known had begun to traverse it, at full speed, 



