This wonderful coincidence in the motions of so many bodies appeared to him so very remarkable, that he felt some hypothesis was necessary to account for it. He therefore supposed that all of them were at one time involved in the atmosphere of the sun, or formed parts of it, and had at that time a uniform motion impressed on them. As this atmosphere cooled and condensed, they were left behind, and now moved freely in space. He also employed this theory to explain why there were no conrets, or bodies moving with as eccentric orbits, within the solar system, all of these having been caught, and their motion destroyed, by the solar atmosphere. In this he has pointed out an objection fatal to his hypothesis; such comets of short periods, and never passing beyond the orbit of Uranus, though not known when his System of the World was written, have now been discovered, and hence the theory not only leaves many facts unexplained, but is in direct opposition to them. A solar atmosphere, or nebula, so dense as to impress its circular motion on the planets, would have wholly absorbed such thin vapoury bodies as the comets of Biela, Enke, or Faye. Were there no other objection to the nebular theory, the comets, undoubtedly portions of the solar system, and the most numerous class of bodies in it, are sufficient to overturn the hypothesis from its foundation.

Herschel, another great name in astronomy, arrived at a similar theory by a different path from either of the former. Finding that some of the nebule could not be resolved, he assumed that this arose not from their great distance and the imperfection of our telescopes, but from these bodies actually consisting of a thin luminous matter. This matter he conceived to be the substance of which worlds are made, not yet condensed into stars or planets. He even thought that a progress in this condensation was visible, some nebulous patches being still uniformally diffused, others beginning to condense towards the centre, whilst in a third class, condensation had proceeded so far that already one or two small spheres of light or suns appeared in the middle of the luminous mass. Here, it was said, the whole process of the formation of a system, like that of which our earth forms part, was plainly exhibited, if not in one nebula, yet in many; as all the stages in the growth of a tree may be seen at once, not in a single individual, but in the multitude forming the forest. As thus expounded, the theory is of an exceedingly popular character; it admits of much eloquence or declamation in its illustration; it deals profusely in large numbers, vast distances, and long periods of years-all things suited to impress the common imagination,-and hence it soon acquired an immense popularity, and was reproduced in various shapes and explained with various degrees of talent. The mathematical arguments for or against it, were either not listened to or not understood, and for a time the nebular theory was the fashionable philosophy of the day.

But a change soon arrived. The public grew weary of the toy, and only sought an excuse to cast it aside. Then the author of the " Vestiges" took it up, and associated it with other opinions less palatable to the mass of the people. Rightly or wrongly, it had to bear its full share of the obloquy heaped on that famous volume, and to answer for faults not its own. Unfortunately for the theory, too, Lord Rosse's magnificent telescope was just completed about the same time; and, as might have been expected from its vastly increased power, resolved many nebula formerly unresolvable. This was only what might have been looked for, and, in truth, neither impaired

nor added to the evidence of the hypothesis. As a system of cosmogony and a means of explaining certain facts in the motions of the planets, it was as good as ever; all it had lost was a few graphic illustrations well adapted for a popular lecture. Lord Rosse's discoveries seem even to have removed some of the objections which might formerly have attached to the theory, and any one really earnest in support of it, might have continued to do so on as good grounds as ever. Indeed, till the results of the new development of telescopic power are given to the world in a more authentic and complete form than has yet been done, it is premature to speculate on what changes they may produce on our hypotheses concerning the origin of the universe. The strongest objections to the nebular theory arise from other quarters, and consist of its insufficiency to explain certain phenomena, and its apparent direct opposition to others. Could these be removed, it would have little to fear from any improvements on the mere instruments of the astronomer.

Though, therefore, we reject the theory on other grounds, we think it has got hard measure dealt to it, principally from its supposed irreligious tendency. But although it has been perverted to this purpose, we do not think that this tendency necessarily attaches to it. Natural and physical causes never can account for the formation of the universe. Even the nebular theory must suppose matter brought into being by some superior power, and endowed with certain properties, and subjected to certain laws. It must suppose the plan of the universe first formed in the mind of Omniscience, and the machine

the matter and laws of the universe-adapted to work out this plan, and consequently can no more dispense with a Deity than any other theory. It has been adopted by many wise and good and pious men, and if false, may be refuted by argument; but if true, calumny cannot hurt it. We dislike exceedingly the introduction of terms of abuse and obloquy into scientific controversy. Logic, mathematics, and experience, that is, facts, are the only weapons by which the battles of science can or ought to be decided.

Miscellaneous.

MENTAL DISORDER.-We would wish to see something of that order which pervades the natural world pervade the mental world. We do not, of course, expect to be able to carry the order in mind in a parallelism, so to speak, with the order in matter-matter and mind being so very different, but we may discover both to be referable to one law. The most prominent order of mind which I can perceive is the supremacy of reason. We see in reason a sovereign sitting upon a firm throne. Taking a cursory glance at mind in disorder, we might learn something of mind in order. I pointed formerly to the phenomena of idiocy, madness, dreaming, and such like, as proofs of intellectual and physical disorder. Inebriety produces mental disorder, and passion, by whirling one into crime, produces a similar effect. These are instances of disorder, and if we can conceive one law by which these are produced, then we see order produced by that law when unbroken. There is one such law, namely the law of experience. Take a sound mind, that is an orderly mind, and take an unsound mind, a mind in which there is disorder, and you will see that soundcaused by a violation of it. Take, for example, a moment ness is produced by that law, and that unsoundness is in the mind of A which is sound. His mind is occupied with thoughts of B. A meets B, he knows it-he knows all about him. He has a sensible perception of B, and from that rise up an incalculable number of serieses of

thoughts respecting B-possibly the remembrances and incidents of half a century. Withhold, however, that power over the past, and A does not know B-he is unsound, he is mad, he is delirious. The mind of every human being is altogether held sound by the dominion which it exercises over the past. All states, therefore, in which reason is unthroned, the mind is unsound. Every man's past life has been a moral school, in which experience has been teaching him moral lessons. Passion produces an eclipse of the past, and so does intemperance. Experience, then, you perceive, is a name for the entire communion of the mind with itself. The mind acts soundly just so long as it is able to apply the test of experience. A sound mind can bring the present to bear upon the past-the past upon the present. In some men experience is a mighty power. Others, again, are only slightly disciplined by it. Those who are powerfully disciplined by it, acquire every new matter energetically -and when it is acquired, it remains firm upon the consolidated fabric of a sound mind. You may imagine to yourselves the mighty military experience of Julius Cæsar, or that of the Duke of Wellington, although only a portion of his experience is as yet known to the world. What, again, is Shakspeare's experience of human nature, when contrasted with that of the humble labourer who straggles into a coffee-room to learn "the news?" What is Raphael's experience of beauty contrasted with the multitudes of his distant imitators? or what is our own Professor Dunbar's experience of Greek when contrasted with the experience of thousands of his plodding countrymen? The experience of thousands of men is so very slight that it may be broken up with your little finger; while in the case of others it is upon an imperishable basis. I may suggest, that various speculations may be made on the relations of the natural to the moral world, in respect of the preservation of order in the one being salutary in the maintenance of order in the other."-Sketch of Lecture by Professor Wilson, contained in Alloa Advertiser.

LITERARY TASTE OF THE STUARTS.-King James I. was a great patron of the drama. He was the first of our kings who formed a company of actors; and such actors, too, as he had-Burbage, Shakspeare, Kemp, Heming, Condell, Lowen, Taylor. They were frequently summoned to play before him, and were always paid, and liberally too, for their performances. Nor did he confine his encouragement to his own servants; the queen's players (as they were called), the players of Prince Henry, and the players of the Prince Palatine, were summoned every Christmas to play before him. The usual rates of remuneration, we may add, were generally accompanied by a further sum by way of his majesty's reward. A love of literature was hereditary in the family of the Stuarts. Henry, Prince of Wales, a boy of only eighteen when he died, had Owen, the epigrammatist, Michael Drayton, and Joshua Sylvester, on his list of pensioners and annuitants. Authors presenting him with their books went away with some substantial mark of his good will. Rowland Cotgrave, the learned author of the dictionary which bears his name, received his bounty; nor was the amusing Coryatt overlooked by the young and discerning prince. King Charles I. would appear to have imbibed his love of art from his elder brother, for King James had no particular predilection that way. Nor was Charles without his brother Henry's taste for literature, or his sympathy with literary men. It would, perhaps, be difficult to name any author of eminence unprotected or unnoticed by the king. Ben Jonson was his poet-laureate, and Davenant succeeded to the laurel at Jonson's death. The plays of Shirley, Massinger, and May, were read by him in MS., and then acted at court before him. He altered passages, for he was a poet himself, and he suggested subjects. His taste was excellent. The tasteful Carew filled the office of sewer in ordinary; Quarles received a pension; Denham and Waller were about his court; Falkland, Fanshawe, and Suckling about his person. Nor were the elder poets overlooked; he quotes Chaucer in his letters, draws allusions from the drama, borrows a prayer from Sydney's Arcadia, and finds in Shakspeare a solace in his suffering.-Fraser's Magazine.

Poetry.

MORNING.

GREAT potentate of day! bright Phoebus comes,
Rejoicing from the solitudes of night;
With gold and purple diadem, cloud-wove,
And canopied with light. Dark ocean's wave
Glows like ambition's breast beneath the smile
Of majesty. Ope wide ye gates of day,
And let his glory pass. Hail! fount of being
To slumb'ring nations, of earth, sea, and sky:
Of light, and joy, and beauty: vital spark
Of earth's terraqueous frame! ethereal source
Of nature's inspiration! breath of life!
Fit emblem of that radiance that erst
O'er chaos mov'd: or of its image, stamp'd,
Some godlike spirit, of our suffering race,
Rais'd to redeem from ignorance and vice,
And wipe a nation's tears :-One chosen mind
By lofty purpose and aspirings, pure,
Lifted above the ephemeral joys of sense,
The wants and frailties, weekday hopes and fears
Of vulgar minds, to soar sublime, unscathed
By persecution's shafts, or calumny.
To reach his noontide seat of potency;
And from his lofty sphere an influence
Benign, heaven-wrought, to shed on human hearts;
And gleam truth's beacon-light to time. Like thine
His glorious mission; like thy journey up
The blue serene, when exhalations, dim,
Are turn'd to splendours in thy ray, or sent
In show'rs upon the evil and the good.

Myriads, O, day-god! hail thy magic day,
Fraught with new life, and reawaken'd joy;
And all, from herb, and leaf, and whisp'ring grass,
Mantling beneath the night-dews glistn'ing tears,
To the dark forest, varied welcome breathe.
The greenwood thrills to untaught minstrelsy-
The skylark's pœan--the fond linnet's lay.
Hill smiles on hill, responsive; vales rejoice;
The rippling stream with a fresh gladness glides.
Flowers sigh their souls in perfume, from the cup
Of rose and hyacinth, a fragrance blends
With incense of the lily's vestal urn;
Wafted by gentle breezes to the sky.
All gaze on heaven, and tell their gushing joy;
All tongues in choral symphony unite
While earth seems oné vast temple built to thee.
Do all unite? Up, sluggard, from thy couch!
Up! "lord of the creation," rise,
As priest of nature's congregation, stand
And offer up thy matin sacrifice.

No Gheber's thine, but unto Him, who broke
Creation's slumber, and the morn awoke.
Liverpool Standard.

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Edinburgh: SUTHERLAND & KNOX, 58 Princes Street; and sold by HoULSTON & STONEMAN, Paternoster Row, London; W. BLACKWOOD and J. M'LEOD, Glasgow; L. SMITH, Aberdeen; ROBERT WALKER, Dundee; JOHN ROBERTSON, Dublin; and may be had by order of every Bookseller in the United Kingdom.

Edinburgh, Saturday, May 30, 1846.