relating to the Construction of the Heavens. 331 
examination of the nebulous system which has been displayed 
in this paper. The end I have had in view, by arranging my 
observations in the order in which they have been placed 
has been to shew, that the above mentioned extremes may be 
connected by such nearly allied intermediate steps, as will 
make it highly probable that every succeeding state of the 
nebulous matter is the result of the action of gravitation upon 
it while in a foregoing one, and by such steps the successive 
condensation of it has been brought up to the planetary con- 
dition. From this the transit to the stellar form, it has been 
shown, requires but a very small additional compression of 
the nebulous matter, and several instances have been given 
which connect the planetary to the stellar appearance. 
The faint stellar nebulae have also been well connected 
with all sorts of faint nebulae of a larger size ; and in a number 
of the smaller sort, their approach to the starry appearance 
is so advanced, that in my observations of many of them it 
became doubtful whether they were not stars already. 
It must have been noticed, that I have confined myself in 
every one of the preceding articles to a few remarks upon the 
appearance of the nebulous matter in the state in which my 
observations represented it; they seemed to be the natural 
result of the observations under consideration, and were not 
given with a view to establish a systematic opinion, such as 
will admit of complete demonstration. The observations 
themselves are arranged so conveniently that any astronomer, 
chemist, or philosopher, after having considered my critical 
remarks, may form what judgment appears most probable to 
him. At all events, the subject is of such a nature as cannot 
fail to attract the notice of every inquisitive mind to a contem- 
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