aperture of a funnel. It thus becomes certain that when we arrive at
the stage of a nebulous star, we have a rotation on an axis
commenced.

Now, mechanical philosophy informs us that, the instant a mass begins
to rotate, there is generated a tendency to fling off its outer
portions--in other words, the law of centrifugal force begins to
operate. There are, then, two forces acting in opposition to each
other, the one attracting TO, the other throwing FROM, the centre.
While these remain exactly counterpoised, the mass necessarily
continues entire; but the least excess of the centrifugal over the
attractive force would be attended with the effect of separating the
mass and its outer parts. These outer parts would, then, be left as
a ring round the central body, which ring would continue to revolve
with the velocity possessed by the central mass at the moment of
separation, but not necessarily participating in any changes
afterwards undergone by that body. This is a process which might be
repeated as soon as a new excess arose in the centrifugal over the
attractive forces working in the parent mass. It might, indeed,
continue to be repeated, until the mass attained the ultimate limits
of the condensation which its constitution imposed upon it. From
what cause might arise the periodical occurrence of an excess of the
centrifugal force? If we suppose the agglomeration of a nebulous
mass to be a process attended by refrigeration or cooling, which many
facts render likely, we can easily understand why the outer parts,
hardening under this process, might, by virtue of the greater
solidity thence acquired, begin to present some resistance to the
attractive force. As the solidification proceeded, this resistance
would become greater, though there would still be a tendency to
adhere. Meanwhile, the condensation of the central mass would be