Litchfield enquirer., 1847-03-04

arate ring at a distance where the bal
ance or equilibrium of the forces would
be REARED. s!he ring continues in mo-
ton its velocity increases whenever any
Of its parts become detached, which they
do, and ultimately form distinct planets
like those which revolve round the sun of
our fifnament.
Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Ju.
bitter, Saturn and Uranus, are now single
globes, broken off from revolving rings.
And our sun too is formed from the dim
nebuIae we have spoken of-erder grows
within him by the effect of law, and he
Eliminates and sustains the worlds which
gradually spring into being. (some have
uneasy feelings at the idea of a process
by. which progress is substituted for ere
alton, law for providence-let them know
their fears are groundless. Law is not q
substantive or independent power - is
never separted from connection with an
arranger, first cause, an unoriginated,
unuphcld ordcr) ss..
You will have perceived thatthe nebu-
lac hypothesis is the true key TO the mys-
terry ofthe origin and destiny of things
In the heavens, as every where else, all
things are in state of change and pro-
gress, and if they dissolve, it is only that
they may be renewed under other new
forms. .
have thus, my dear Ahhued, given
as concisely as possible an outline Of the
marvellous discoveries that have regents
ly been made by the labor of astrono-
mers. am sure you will agree with me
that no one can hear of them without
having his thoughts enlarged and eleva-
ted by the grandeur of the subject. There
may be some plausibili,y in imagining
that the substan ces which compose ihe
earth are made and fashioned by the
sole agency of chemical combination, for
we see the operations of Nature going on
before us-but it requires an effort of the
mind to conceive q system Of things be-
yond our vision--that we can have
knowledge Of only by means of one OF
The senscs--a mass of matter whose i'm,
mense distance forbids an approach, and
even if we were within reach Of, would
elude our grasp-all slowly and by an
invisible power moulding itselfinto forms
and bearing on it the germs Of life. Yet
here the undsrsta nding is brought to yield
its correction by the force of evidence
Neither mincralogy, chemistry nor geol>
ogy, wonderful as they are, nor all the
operations of physical science put togeth-
err, have the effect TO produce ideas SO
exalted Of OmnIpotence as these discove-
ries Of astronomy. Nothing in early
wisdom can tend more TO raise our tho'ts
TO O Great FRS. Cause, a Mighty Ar
ranger, u Wonderful Power, the Author
of law and order, the Original or, Uphol-
der and Mover. .l-..
While I write these lines, intelligence
comes to me of other and more wonders
full discoveries being made by O newly
Invented telescope of most extraordinary
magnifying power. II goes farther than
any other yet made in sounding the depth
of ether and the extensive fields of sides
real matter out of which worlds and
systems of worlds are forming and to be
formed. The discoveries made by this
telescope do no, destroy the hypothesis
of the gradual condensation of nebulous
matter into suns and planets, but leaves
farther research to reduce to a greater
degree Of certainty the mode by which
this is accomplished. Much ofihc nebu-
lous matter formerly discovered, and
which was supposed to be the substance
from which worlds are formed by rotary
motion, are by this improved telescope
proved TO be distinct stars. Yet while by
power of this instrument, that which was
callen nebulous matter is found 10 be
composed of distinct parts or stars, by
the same power new nehulae arc discov>
cred. which arc subjected 10 the same
process Of Arrangement! And so far
from inyaidating entirely the rotary
system of matter,as some persons suppose,
this instrument aids in strengthening The
belief that in siric,ness there is no one
fixed star 10 the heavens: all the starry
systems are in motion.
In the solar system are seen fragments
Of planets. asteroids as they are called,
occupying the place ola larger body /;
and in the. direction of their annual and
diurnaI motion is recognized the result
Of grand creative movement by which
the sun with its revolving atmosphere has
east off, as il were by successive throes
the various bodies, of the same system
subsequently contracted into planets and
a sun. 41
Those ueyv d;scnveries Give ine reused