C 246 ] 
•other within the diftance z from the given ftar; and 
the complement of this to unity, will be the proba- 
bility, that it would not be fo : let us now fuppofe 
— to reprefent this laft quantity, and, becaufe the fame 
d 
event may as well happen in refpedt to any one ftar, 
as any other, multiplying this quantity into itfelf n 
times, according to the number of the ftars, we fhall 
have 31 ] 
d 1 
reprefenting the probability, 
that no where, 
in the whole heavens, would be found any two ftars, 
one within the diftance and the other within the 
didance 2; from the fame ftar. 
If now we compute, according to the principles 
above laid down, what the probability is, that no two 
ftars, in the whole heavens, fhould have been within 
fo fmall a diftance from each other, as the two ftars 
/3 Capricorni, to which 1 (hall fuppofe about 230 ftars 
only to be equal in brightnefs, we (hall find it to be 
about 80 to 1. 
For an example, where more than two ftars are 
concerned, we may take the fix brighteft of the 
Pleiades, and, fuppofing the whole number of thofe 
ftars, which are equal in fplendor to the fainteft of 
vhele, to be about 1500, we fhall find the odds to be 
near 300000 to 1, that no fix ftars, out of that 
number, fc-attered at random, in the whole heavens, 
would be within fo fmall a diftance from each other, 
as the Pleiades are \ 
a The computations of thefe probabilities are as follow. 
The diftance between the two ltars (3 Capricorni is fomething 
lefs than 3' * ; according to tne rule above laid down, therefore, 
if we fuppofe 230 ftars equal to thefe in brightnefs, tne proba- 
