New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-01-27

Herrchel sad fhsf ne CREST mass c slhrs tnsolGn
out the heavens were pretty equally distributed.
Now, since bis time il mas been asceFtsioet that
this IS not tue. IL has been found that all around
rs lar frUn the stars being pretty equally scat
tered they quite the contrary thin. - q N
desert. Herschel was. therefore wrong 10 his
opinion OF the scattered condition Of the oros
around rs There was another thing in which be
was erroneous Yoa will observe that when book.
ing ali around IN the shy be could never have sup
posed that he was entitled 10 Draw the conc aslon
with respect 70 the depths OF the orbs in any trec
ton unless he knew had reason o. believe, that
his telescope enabled him % 60 70 tne end or az
least nearly % the end n system in that drec
ton. Suppose, again. ihst vas here counting the
number OF persons that see IN any dlrccton-un-
less uas sure that bad arrived ~ the end the
room. il IS plain that ms counting would be o, no
yalue - far as certainty Is concerned. This vas
also another OF Herscheis views. the innccuracyo
which has been fully proved. he found an Ne
ind now, that not the largest telescope has ever
been able 70 pierce 10 the extremity Of our ysien
Perhaps the best inference we can draw Is the to-
loving: We are not speaking OF the Solar y stem,
but OF that vast system OF orbs that You see on
clear night beaming Scross the heavens W ca
then the question as 10 what our system IS IS
probably better explained by our looking At exter'
nal objects than It can be by viewing the aspect
af what lies quite within ia. For instance, this i
one immense cluster lying perfectly apart from our
System.
The lecturer here pointed TO a chart on which
was represented a brilliant cluster OF stars com
posed Of three rings. within the other the mosi
brilliant being in the center
We lind this when the power Of the telescopes
fully applied. to present appearance ike that On
the chart How far this cluster is removed iromus
IL il utterly impossible 10 tell It's appearance how
ever is not very unlike what tina, O. oar system
might be- If il were viewed from this distance II We
consider for n moment this statement, Il will not
aupear improbable The myy-way is great
ring extending in two ranges through our heavens.
so that il may be that our system IL al immense
risg similar u this cluster Ii this ides IS realized
another Immediately suggests Itself and which
Herschel also early recognized. VAST as our mr.
mament may be has il boundaries or does Il stretch
away into nfinitudel Are those awful spaces that
surround " on every side void empty, or are they
ter anted by worlds and systems similar To our
Ownl No wonder that ml1d Ike herscheu
should have rushed to the conclusion tnat the space
around our system was a vault ia whose capaciOus
bosom my riads OF mighty clusters like our own
universe are placed. Ii Il be true that THIS great
scheme OF ours is simply that which herscheil mrs,
supposed it, but still a great. separate, distinct
scheme whose nature Is. perhaps, more tnan any
thing else represented by these singular Nebulac,
what must We think with regard to It Surely it
is that not1 outstanding its immense diffusion IT'S
vast confines the great space through which MS
different portions range, there must lie AROUND IL
on every side, vast untenanted spaces, and II TINS
he 10 may it not be that amid all that space also
there are floating great schemes Of being like ours
schemes say Of different shape, of different char
acter but lying 10 these vast regions OF space Ike
! ours schemes quite as magnificent as that vast
! system 10 which we ourselves belong. II thisis so
what conception in regard 70 the material
universe must prens itself upon our notice
| Il seems to me the conception must be just Like
! that which a dwcller upon an island IN the great
Southern Ocean. who had never passed beyond tie
f,i,.. n "a y
experience if 70 him were brought information that
| what he considered his world was but dminutye
island. and that around him in this Ocean lay scat
tered lsrge groups Of islands and vas, continents -
Such is the information with respect to the Stellar
| Universe that has been conveyed To US by the pow
/ ers o! our great telescopes. Applause
| The great inquiry 10 this What - the character
! Of these immense groups; what their form what
! the Of the shapes Ia which We ma tnem
collected and " hat the destiny through which they
ere doomed 10 pass Now in the FIRST place We ind
that these groups for the most part approaching
10 circular-I should hardly use the word crculs r
bat spherical Now that this Is not altogether true
| that we do not find them altogether spherical may
! possibly be represented 10 you by merely LOOKING
| AZ one mass of these elements. The lecturer here
exhibited another diagram representing nebn-
| lous group Of nearly circular form This mas
/ Is something like what b. Tar the greatest mum
| Der OF these different groups sre, but when oar
| qreatest telescopes are brought 10 bear to upon
! hem we find that those which which were thought
I 70 be spherical are not so they approach nearer
1 10 q globe Here il one which looked oval. bgt
| Lord Ross telescope brought is into circle 90
Lord Ross called It the crab nebuia because II e.
sembles a crab.
Now there occurs q very remarkable circum
stance IN reference to these comparatively sweep
| ing circular masses Of nebus We md they are
not entirely circular but the reverse, aud that 81
around them, on every side. there are volumes ol
1
rushing toward q CREST central mass IN consequent
| OF the action of some great pOver-the power ol
| eravitation We find them approaching 70 spheres
| and around their spheres we find these volumes
apparently tending toward center which nili'
! mately may become the great central region.
| II this ia true-if the idea is correct that
great masses such az this for instance, are NJ the
| mean time merely IN n condition OF cbnnge-tbai
all these orbs are now forming their volumes win
view T. become ultimately Incorporated with It
| how stupendous the idea 1t takes our thoughts
I from the mere transtOres OF Earth aud places
them on the august things Of Etefnity-it realizes,
AS closely as the material Universe can do u Man
| the awful unchengeaberess Oi that Being VINO mas
| created these things whose steps MI Eterhity.-
| Passing from these remarkable spherical masses
on toward the irregular ones we hnd tnat s!tnOu.n
| Wa cannot al all understand them rs unites, yet
| there are clear and distinct manifestations OF
changes passing along them so great that we are
! obliged b look upon these changes as cOntainn.
the secret OF the remarkably caprcious iorms 'hese
orbs have Suppose, for instance, we LOOK upon
this circular mass pointing to diagram 50 lar
away that light cannot come 20 as from II IN
less than sixty thousand 10000 years. II we
look az this, II will be seen that Il IS almost I'M
possible to reconcile its curious tom with Any
| shape.
Now. although we lad it inexpcstle when We
lock at il az unit, yet when We exsmlne its ahef
I eut parts we will see that there may have been
! that there are proceeding there great process :
which will ultimately have such an elect upOn tnai
singular mass Of orbs as 10 turn II into dlneren'
| position from what il now occupies There s
something very remarkable in the iorms OF tuefe
| nebuis The audience may have looked WIN
some attention ~ the Milky Way. II 50 they WI
have seen that il Is not al all like regular az
.inct belt of briliascy. from which we could inier
I that there is a regular succession ol great oro'
.tretcbing out behind 10. Instead VI being req ~
/ ar belt IL seems ike succession Of groups Or
masses of stars precisely like what We See repre-
.ented Ia the diagram. les appearance 10 80 very
! remarkable that Sir VIM. Herschel said when 20
ir,t SAL H. that it wss breaking up, and tha 1os
intervals Of space lying between the Dngni
/ parts are ike the wrinkles OF age he sac
that after lapse cf ages tbs vast osl, "oS Il