

ADDENDA TO VOLUME I. 



Nebular Theory of the Universe, page 41. — The following remarks 

 by one of the most eminent philosophers of our times, are appended, 

 with the view of showing, that although the nebular theory cannot be 

 regarded as having any pretensions to be considered as a philoso- 

 phical theory supported by direct observations, yet as suggestive 

 of the effects of a law by which it seems propable the sidereal 

 Universe is governed, it is deserving the highest consideration : — 

 "Should the powers of an instrument such as Lord Rosse's telescope, 

 succeed in demonstrating the starry nature of the regular elliptic 

 nebulae which have hitherto resisted such decomposition, the idea of 

 a nebulous matter, in the nature of a shining fluid, or condensible 

 gas, must, of course, cease to rest on any support derived from actual 

 observations in the sidereal heavens, whatever countenance it may 

 still receive in the minds of cosmogonists from the tails and atmo- 

 spheres of comets, and the zodiacal light in our own system. But 

 though all idea of its ever being given to mortal eye, to view aught that 

 can be regarded as an outstanding portion of primeval chaos, be dissi- 

 pated, it will by no means have been even then demonstrated that 

 among those stars so confusedly scattered, no aggregating powers are 

 in action, tending to draw them into groups, and insulate them from 

 neighbouring clusters; and, speaking from my own impression, I 

 should say, that in the structure of the Magellanic Clouds, it is really 

 difficult not to believe we see distinct evidences of the exercise of 

 such a power. — Much has been said of late of the nebulous hypothesis 

 as a mode of representing the origin of our own planetary system. 

 An idea of Laplace, of which it is impossible to deny the ingenuity, 

 of the successive abandonment of planetary rings, collecting them- 

 selves into planets by a revolving mass gradually shrinking in dimen- 

 sions by the loss of heat, and finally concentrating itself into a sun, 



