New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-28

BIZ PROF. oLMsTED OF YALE COLLEGE
Structure Of the Upive,

delivered at the Tabernacle last evening
by Prof Olmsted, before a numerous and very atten.
tive audience Previous TO entering upon the subject
OF his lecture Prof Omsted intmated that though the
present short would terminate with that lee.
ture, there were arrangements being made by the
same gentlemen who managed the getting up of the
Franklin course, to the delivery of more ex-
tended course Of Scientific lectures The lecturer then
breny sdverted to inquiries mn1e since the last
lecture In regard to the constitution Of the SUM- the
cause OF Solar heat and the sadness Of the ocean,
and then preceded to cay that if we took survey of
The harbor Of New York, on a Sunday morning, we
would see 1t sprinkled with a variety of sails;
some of ships, some of bars, some of boats
Inc boats, ESQ viewing the bay,) that are
near us, would appear TO move very swiftly
whilst those more distant would go along more
slowly, and some far of which we knew to be In
motion from all their sails being set would appear
scarcely to move at all. This was precisely what the
astronomer saw when he surveyed the heavens with
thelarge telescopes. They discovered motion among
them and considering their immense distance we need
not be surprised that their motions appeared slow It
was very interesting inquiry to US if our sun were
quiescent, or in motion. Was 1t and its attendant
planets fixed In station, or it constantly ira.
versng the fields of etheri The opinion Of asrono-
1ners was in favor Of the latter supposon for the
reason that observation of the heavens showed TO US
stars heretofore distant, opening up US, and
those were becoming more remote as in the
case Of walking an extensive prairie between two
woods, or oak openings. The idea Of the motion
of the sun and his attendant planets through
space was first promulgated by Sir William
Herschale, who supposed that and system was
every year advancing in space toward the constellation
Hercules as to the rate at which we advanced, it
t-usl
one hundred and fifty millions of miles year The
question might occur to the minds Of many whether
our system moving around center or pursuing
rectangular course in space. The new hypothesis
maintained that there central sunthat there was
star congeres of stars that constituted not only
center for and system but of all the starry host
OF the heavens distinguished astronomer at Dorpat
in Russia, Niadar) advanced this idea and has xed
that central point in the Peiades-the seven stars
He held that the star Acione in the Pleiades was TO
be regarded as the center Of solar system. The
evidence in support of the idea this that the stare
In that portion Of the heavens had common motion
Impressed upon them The motion that the planetary
bodies had around the sun, 1t supposed governed
the motions OF the stars around Acione. But, TO be
cure all the evidence this subject was not Of the
farne nature as that resulting from survey Of the
planetary system, and which was brought to support
palmer propositions in the science All this was mere
y matter Of conjecture Wehave so far but got as IL
were, on the track OF the game and yet may hunt
down the quarry with much Three orders Of
bodies composed the unverse-planets, suns and nebu
l@. The fret two he'd been disposed Of in former dis
courses, and now should ascend to the highest or.
der Of bodies-to the regions beyond what was con.
ceived by thoee who had opportunity to OBJ.
serve the armament through the large telescopes The
hat aH bfa of
called nebule the meaning of which was a little
cloud In fact they presented that appearance to the
naked eye. They had, in some instances, very much
of comeary appearance and had often been mistaken
for those wanderers of the skies. They were reso
rable before stated into brilliant consultations OF
stars In some cases, in the swordhande of Pcrseus
But few of the nebule were seen by the naked eye,
yet the telescope reached to sight something like
four thousand nebule The lecturer here drew atten-
lion to several well executed diagrams representing
the various appearances of the nebue through
The large telescopes. Some Of the nebule crcu-
lar In form, spiral like dumb bell, some
eliptca. and some irregular, having de6nabe
shape, and apparently without any regular organiza-
lion Then again, many of these nebul@, when subjected
10 the most powerful telescopes resolved into
forms very different from those mentioned and many
heretofore supposed nebue had been resolved into
sare In illustration of this position the lecturer
briefly drew attention to the nebul@ seen in Hercules
and subsequently resolved into most brilliant gather
ing Of stars Some Iobule still deed the power OF the
largest telescopes but part OF the great nebae IN
Orion had been resolved by the Rose and Cambridge
telescopes. 1t generally considered reasonable TO
anticipate that when the powers of the telescope shall
have been enlarged this nebule will prove to be, II
were all island in the universe
As to the question whether all the nebule would be
yet resolved 1t difficult to say any thing certain
seeing that, in resolving one nebule other new
new nebule were discovered, Unreasonable OF
course beyond present telescopes indeed out of four
thousand nebue now known to exist not more than
four hundred had been resolved into stars. That
looked unpromsing, though could not cay what
might be the result. The milky way" recommended
itself to our attention because astronomers followed
Hersche in the opinion that belonged to that
nebvla, SO that were to transplant ourselves TO
any other of the nebule, would behold armament
a thousand times more glorious than our own Inc
lecturer then proceeded in very fehcitous terms 10
escan upon the beautiful mechanism displayed IN not
only our solar system but throughout the entire uni
verse He considered the same uniformity OF govern
,nent and action which marked the movements OF
the planetary bodies extended TO all the bodies OF Tue
starry hosts After dwelling with much effect upon
that branch of the lecture the speaker then addressed
himself to the nebuar hypothesis, observing oy way
OF preiace-or the information OF the youth presens-
That II was the nature of heat expand and OF cold to
contract II was also TO be remembered that If body
revolving round center be drawn near to it, 1t "ul
Increase in the rspidity Of its motion In proper
ton AZ IL nears the center. The motion, hows'-
er, would be to run out from the center The lee
,urer here exhibited globulsr glass phiai suspend
ed hom string, and in which some mercury was
contained by giving the phial violent spin'
the mercury sscsndod up the sides OF the vessel SO
Tia, it formed perfect circle about the center COR
what was analogous to the equato) OF the vessel par
taking of the motion OF the phial. This by way OIL
iu.iraion Of the action OF centrifugal force LaF1sce
(cbseryed Prof o. who ths suthor OF the Neouar