Delaware journal., 1828-11-14

Of the nearest planets it is but dull speck in the
armament. Under this conviction the astronomer
must feel his own comparative insignihcance anu
amidst the sublimty and grandeur OF the material
universe, the proudest spirit must be abased, ana
fitted for the reception of those nOber truths which
can be impressed only by humble and soft heart
He, indeed, who has rightly interpreted the hand
writing Of God in the heavens must be we'll prepar-
ed to appreciate it in the record Of his revealed
will.
Though the study ofastronomy thus possesses Pc
culiar claims upon attention, the history OF the
science,-of the steps by which it successfully at
tained its present state Of perfection, is in another
point of view, Of nearly equal interest. Commen-
cling in the earliest ages, and carried with but III
tie interruption to our own day, it forms the mos
continuous history Of the progress OF human reason
it exhibits to US the finest picture OF the mind strue
Cling against its own prejudces and errors, and H.
nally surmountng the physical or moral barrier
which appeared to have set limit to its efforts anu
it displays to us in the most instructive form the Ia
bors and the trumphs of men who, BY the universal
suffrages of ages, have been regared as the orna
ments Of their species, and as the lights Of the c-
vilized world.
1t is scarcely possible, we think, to pursue the
preceding details concerning the history and present
advanced state of astronomy, brlef and imperfect as
they are, without looking forward with the most NJ
interest to the future progress OF the science
Even within our ows system much remains to DE IN
vestgated. The nature of the sun, and the constl-
tuition OF its surface Ill relation to the more or less
copious discharge Of light and heat; the physical
condition of the moon, which may yet exhibit among
her mountains the works of living agency, the theo-
ry of the four new planetary Fragments which held
out to physical astronomy some OF its msst perpex-
Ing problems the forms, the rotations, and the den
sites OF most of the secondary panets-are all SUD
iects fraught with the deepest interest to astrono-
ners. The comets, too, those illusory bodies OF
which we scarcely know whence they come, or whe
ther they go, have now been brought within the
grasp of regular observation. The discovery OF
two comets within short periods, one OF three and
one third years revolving within the orbit OF Jupiter
and the other within period of five years. revolving
within the orbit of Saturn, enables US to observe
them period after period, and to study their motions
| as we'll as their physical constitution. But no"
shall we describe the future prospects OF sderea
| astronomy In our own nebua we may trace tht
motion of the solar system round some distant cen
tire we may discover the causes which produce INT
phenomena of variable stars ; aud we may witness
the extension ofthe law ofgravity to the movements
of binary, and even of more complicated, systems
Among the nebuIa beyond our own. discoveries still
more extraordinary await us. May we not see ever
the operations of those powerful agents by whci
whole systems are formed and of those still more
tremendous forces by which other systems are deS
troyed ? In the changes of particular nebula. AM
in the condensation of The nebuous matter into luci
f centres, and even into central stars, we reeogn'z
the first of these agents and IN the sudden disap
pearance of the most brilliant stars, we have som
indication of the second. Thus may we study, ii
these distant regions, the active operations of crea
tive power aud thus. in relation to the past and tn
future in our globe, we may be permitted TO wltnes
the types of these great events which are nccessarl
y excluded from the short span of our existence
s Quarterly Review.