VESTIGES OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF CREATION




THE BODIES OF SPACE, THEIR ARRANGEMENTS AND FORMATION.



It is familiar knowledge that the earth which we inhabit is a globe
of somewhat less than 8000 miles in diameter, being one of a series
of eleven which revolve at different distances around the sun, and
some of which have satellites in like manner revolving around them.
The sun, planets, and satellites, with the less intelligible orbs
termed comets, are comprehensively called the solar system, and if we
take as the uttermost bounds of this system the orbit of Uranus
(though the comets actually have a wider range), we shall find that
it occupies a portion of space not less than three thousand six
hundred millions of miles in extent. The mind fails to form an exact
notion of a portion of space so immense; but some faint idea of it
may be obtained from the fact, that, if the swiftest race-horse ever
known had begun to traverse it, at full speed, at the time of the
birth of Moses, he would only as yet have accomplished half his
journey.

It has long been concluded amongst astronomers, that the stars,
though they only appear to our eyes as brilliant points, are all to
be considered as suns, representing so many solar systems, each
bearing a general resemblance to our own. The stars have a
brilliancy and apparent magnitude which we may safely presume to be