New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-25

around it q ring. The main body would shrink
from the ring, and che ring itself would break
up at its deusest points. and thus form other
spheres with n period OF revolution identt-
cal with that OF the main body The same
process may form other bodies until the great
ceuterls so reduced auo solid that it is impossible
to throw of more. Well then, as the original
ring is broken up it is nebulous, ave each section
may throw OH smaller parts which will form
Moons Now, this Is inst the condition that our
system might have fulfilled. But there is not
one chance III hundreds OF thousands OF millions
that such could have been the work Of chance.
W { cannot doubt tbat IL was the work OF original
design for mighty purposes This uebular the,
ory was apparently upset by LORD Roses great
telescope, when the bulae OF Orion was resol7-
ed. But al American Astronomer krkwood,
who has been ten years Investigating the matter,
has established the theory with almost mathemat
ical certainty. krkwood found that all the motions
OF all the planets bore singular relation. Pro
tessor NJ. went on 10 show that between the
Earth and Mars, there must be polnt OF no at
traction place where matter would not be at.
tracted by either body The distance between
these points is the diameter OF a planets sphere OF
attraction. The explanation OF the laws otmotIOn
here made were too mathemicaltO, US to attempt
to report We can only give the idea that is well
established that Mars and Venus have no tnliu-
ence upon the rotation OF the Earth upon its axis.
But Kirkwood proves that the rotation IS depend.
ing upon the quantity OF matter in Mars and venus
Mr. NJ proceeded to reconcile this apparent para
dox. We understood that he traced the origin
OF the motion OF all the planets to the period when
they were all in contact in Il state OF nebuIe IN
rings and that then the influence OF each upon the
others was established to remain forever. He
would not say that kirkwood established the
truth OF the nebular theory by this discovery,
but he had established the certain fact OF the
uniform creation OF all planets and systems
Now let us look at the first chapter OF Gene
sis, an account peculiar in itself; different from
what other nations wrote, and what we our
selves would write . In the beginning God
created the heavens aud the earth But when
was this beginning 1t was the matter that was
created, for in the next read and the
earth was without form but all bodies have
form, therefore this was to mean 1t had no de-
finite FORM Further we read "it was void
But the spirit of God moved upon the waters
throughout the universe Of matter. Then be
gan motion, attraction, aviviIyng. God said
!" Let there be light Why was there light
Because the condensation OF matter is always
followed by luminous appearance Here
ends the first day, but what was the length OF
this day If we question the rocky records OF
our globe we find that it dates back myrlads of
ages The term day must be defined as a vast, III
definite period, Then came the second day the
waters were separated condensation proceeds,
and denser and half separated bodies are tormedi
and then the dry land appeared-that is, the pla.
nets became distinctly defined and grass and
herbs and animals then grew in the third period
of creation And God said, let there be light in
the armament of heaven, to divide the day from
the night; and let them be for signs and Tor sea
sons and for days and for years How strange
that the Sun was created on the third day, II we
interpret literally Whence came day and
night Some adopt the theory OF an independent
luminous body. But when the earth was first
forming no sun could have illumined its dense
and material atmosphere But when the atmos-
phere had been purified by the condensation OF
the grosser matter, on the fourth day the
Sun and Moon became visible, and shone
out in all their spcndor, for signs and Tor
seasons, and for days and for years. Proi M re-
marked that he might be thought presumptuous
but he felt that this ought to be and he trusted
that he should live long enough to say to his hear
ers that he knew it to be true. In case the as
Economical assertions in the Bible were not all
proved perhaps it might not compromise the char
acter of the writers. 1t is hardly possible that
all the writers of that book could have contormed
strictly to sciences of which they We're in the
main ignorant unless they were guided by direct
inspiration. The Professor closed his admirable
and eloquent lecture by proposing, in his next
discourse, to 60 more deeply and mlnutcly into
the subjects of astronomical nature mentioned in
the Holy Scriptures. Our report is necessarily
stract philosophical reasonings Of the leaFned
speaker, The lecture was a rare treat and was
admiringy appreciated by the audience.