Glasgow Courier. — 1846-02-21 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

PROFESSOR NICHOL'S LECTURES ON ASTRONOMY.  On Thursday night Professor Nichol delivered his third lecture on astronomy, in the City Hall, which, as on the occasion of the two preceding lectures, was nearly filled by a respectable and attentive audience. This lecture possessed a very high degree of interest from its being devoted to the consideration of the state of the question as regards the nebulae, or the "nebular hypothesis," as it is termed, which has recently been the topic of so much discussion in scientific circles, and of interest to the public at large. After stating the question to be as to the diffusion of a nebulous matter through space altogether distinct from stars, the Professor pointed out the conditions under which the various stellar clusters have been observed, as preliminary to the inquiry whether a discriminative characteristic exists between those clusters and the nebulre. Sir William Herschel, the &at discoverer of the nebulre, supposed they were all of the nature of firmaments unresolved only because of their immense distance. He was startled from this conception by having observed what Is called a "nebulous star"—that is, a star of the eighth magnitude with a halo round it. There were various considerations which supported the inference that these were not Olsten, but single stars surrounded by a light-giving substance Of the 3000 or 4000 nebulte which had been discovered, Lord Rome's telescope had only examined 60, and nothing had been observed which tended to throw doubt upon Herschel's conclusions. Herschel's attention was thereafter led to something still more wonderful, which cotld not be accounted for on the supposition that its light is that of an accumulation of stars—namely, the strange appearance presented by the middle star of the sword of Orion, which appeared even to the naked eye on a clear night as not, properly speaking, a star, but something of an indefinite and ambiguous character. The largest telescope applied by Sir John and Sir William Herschel had failed to resolve it. Lord flosses telescope had been applied to it with great care; still it was as little resolvable as before. To his (Professor 'Nichol's) eye 011 examining it through Lord Rose's telescope, it presented the appearance of an enormous cloud In the sky. There ITU another nebula of the same kind in the constellation Andromeda. Now, these speculations were not put as of a definite or demonstrative kind, but simply as showing certain probabilities in favour of the existence of a diffused nebulous matter. If Lord Rosse's 6 feet telescope should vet resolve the nebulte of Orion or Andromeda, then the faith *of astronomers in the nebular theory would he shaken, and they would no longer be able to hold it as tenable. But nothing had yet been observed to shake Herschel's great speculation. The Professor then proceeded to point out the probabilities in favour of Herschel's views which were derived from the exiiittaitfiatef a similar light-giving substance in comets, through whose nuclei stars had been seen of the 15th and 16th magnitude. These bodies, with the exception of four or five, were complete strangers to our system ; and the probability was, that they were small portions of the nebulous matter brought within the range of the solar system by the attraction of the sun. Evidence of the existence of such matter was also to be seen in fixed stars having nebulous rims, as exemplified in the case of the sun, with the zodiacal light. Encke's comet, again, every time it revolved round the sun, contracted its orbit, which was supposed to be owing to the resistance offered by an ether diffused through space; it would, on that supposition, be ultimately absorbed in the luminary ; and its fate would be that of every phtilet revolving round the sun. The learned Professor concluded his very interesting discourse in a few brilliant general observations suggested by the impressive character of the views under discussion.  Hunting Appointments.—The Linlithgow and Stirlingshire Fox-hounds meet, on Monday 23d February, at Woodhouselee ; Tuesday, 24th at Houstoun Gate; Thursday, 26th, at Currie Toll ; Saturday, 28th, at Bell's Quarry—each day at half-past ten o'clock.  Attempted Suicide.— Yesterday a young woman named Margaret Reid, residing in Broad Close, High Street, was brought to the Police-office, in consequence of having admitted that she had taken laudanum with a view to destroy herself. The stomach pump was applied, and we believe she is now doing well.  Early Lambing.—Aa an instance of the mildnessof the season, a correspondent states that he observed on Wednesday last, in a field beside Dumbuck, nearly a dozen of lambs frisking about in flue healthy condition. They are of the half Cheviot breed, the property of Col. Geils of Dumbuck.  Fatal Accident int the Great Western Railway—Bristul Taesday.—An inquest was held at Box to-day upon thebody of a man who was killed, early yesterday morning, on the Great Western Railway. While the night mail train was passing near Box, the tire of one of the wheels of a truck, in which were several workmen engaged on the line, suddenly broke, throwing the men on the ground. One poor fellow was killed on the instaut. Several 001PrA who were injured are in a fair way of recovery. No blame is attached to any party. A verdict of accidental death wm, returned.  South Nottnaphanishire.- -Lord Liorolo.---From the canvass taken by the Protectionist party, it is affirmed that Mr. HiWard, the candidate of that intereA, will defeat Lord Lincoln by a majority of 490,v0te6.