182 Transactions.— Miscellaneous, 
this paper, attempt to demonstrate that, with the known distribution of 
motions of the stars, collisions are inevitable, and that nearly all these 
must be partial. Secondly, I shall show that there are a large number of 
influences which will tend to modify and to give variety to the phenomena 
of partial impact. But that, nevertheless, there are several well-marked 
peculiarities associated with all such cases of collision which render them 
perfectly characteristic. Lastly, I shall refer to some of the variety of 
cosmical phenomena which these peculiarities may give rise to. 
For some time an idea was common that the whole of the visible Uni- 
verse was a stable system, and that all the stars in the heavens, including 
our own, were rotating around a certain definite place in the heavens. 
This opinion was shared in by nearly all who took part in the discussion on 
my first paper. Doubtless there is considerable community of motion in 
some parts of the heavens, and it is not improbable, looking at Proctor’s 
stellar motion chart, that, taking the whole galaxy, there may be a ten- 
dency to motion, more in one direction in the galactic ring than in the 
opposite; yet it is certain that the stars of the galaxy are far from being a 
really stable system in which all the motions are exactly recurrent in defi- 
nite periods. I will give the opinions of a few astronomers on this point. 
Newcombe says :—‘* We may first assert, with a high degree of proba- 
bility, that the stars do not forma stable system.” * * * * But the most 
conclusive proof that the stars do not revolve around definite attracting 
centres is found in the variety and irregularity of their proper motion.” 
“ The motion of each individual star is generally 80 entirely dif- 
ferent from that of its f s as seemingly to preclude all reasonable 
probability that these bodies are revolving in definite orbits around great 
centres of attraction." * * * « And thus it (each star) may keep,up a 
continuous dance, under the influence of ever-varying forces, as long as the 
Universe shall exist under its present form." Again, Herschel says of 
Madler's suggestion, that the stars revolve around the Pleiades :— That 
the situation is in itself utterly improbable, lying as it does no less than 26 
degrees out of the plane of the galactic circle, out of which plane it is almost 
inconceivable that any general circulation can take place." 
tor unfavourably reviews this hypothesis in several of his works. 
In one place, after a full discussion, he says:—‘‘ These and other con- 
siderations have led all the most eminent of our modern astronomers to 
look upon Madler’s hypothesis as one which in the present state of our 
knowledge we have no right to look upon with favour." 
Newcombe says of Madler’s hypothesis :—* But not the slightest weight 
has ever been given to it by astronomers, who have always seen it to be an 
entirely baseless speculation.” 
