Imatges de pàgina
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the milky way (all which I take to be a kind of planetary globes) than have ever yet been taken notice of, and that many of thofe prodigious numbers of telescopial stars visible there, are of the numbers of new ftars or planets, and not of fixt ftars only. This fufpicion I have for fome time had, but especially lately from my views of the new star that now begins to disappear in the Swan's neck, Which gave me occafion to inspect fome other parts of that conftellation, moft parts of which are well replenished with a numerous train of small stars, Amongst which, fometimes methought more have presented themfelves through one and the fame glass; and fometimes I have miffed fome I thought I before faw; and fometimes alfo methought I have seen them nearer too, and fometimes farther off those ftars that did conftantly present themselves. But as these things are to myself novel, and what I confess I have rather fufpicions of, than certainty, I fhall refer them to the future obfervations of myself and others, for their confirmation; efpecially, because those approximations and receffes of fome of the little stars I spoke of, fuit not with the observations of some very eminent aftronomers.

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These observations, as they will open to us a new, and admirable fcene of the heavens, (if it be as I imagine) so I earnestly recommended the enquiry into it to fuch as delight in those matters. For the doing of which, I conceive it may be fufficient, and the eafieft courfe to make the obfervations in fome one part of the milky-way, as in fome part of the Swan; as much or a little more than falleth within the compass of the telescope you make ufe of, which was the way I practifed, in that part of the heavens in which I obferved. All the stars that fall within this area, an exact map must be taken of, which will shew when any variations happen. And for taking in the larger area of the heavens, a glass of fix or eight feet is fufficient, and rather better for the purpose than longer glaffes, which take in lefs, and are more troublefome in ufing.

Having thus reprefented the ftate of the uni-. verfe according to the new fyftem of it, the ufual queftion is, what is the use of so many planets as we fee about the fun, and fo many as are imagined to be about the fixt ftars. To which the answer is, that they are worlds, or places of habitation; which is concluded from their being habitable, and well provided for habitation. This is pretty manifeft in our folar planets

planets, from their being opake bodies as our earth is; confifting in all probability of land and waters, hills, and valleys, having atmospheres about them, moons miniftering unto them, and being enlightened, warmed, and influenced by the fun, whofe yearly vifits they receive for feafons, and frequent returns for days and nights. All which particulars are fully treated of in the following book, and need not therefore to be anticipated here. Only there is one thing, which, for want of fufficient obfervations, I could not fo fully speak of as I would; and that is concerning the feas in the moon, in book v. chap. 4. whofe very existence Mr. Huygens denies, saying, Marium vero fimilitudinem illic nullam reperio, &c. i. e." In the moon I find no likeness of feas," although Kepler and moft others are of a different opinion. For those vaft plane regions, which are much darker than the mountainous parts, and are commonly taken for feas, and bear the names of oceans; in thofe very places viewed with a long telescope, I find little round cavities with fhadows falling within them; which cannot agree with the furface of the fea: as alfo thofe very large fields, when carefully viewed, do not prefent us with a fuperficies altogether equal. Wherefore these cannot be feas, but are fuch places as confift of a lefs bright matter

• Cofmotheorof. p. 114.

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than that which is in the hilly parts, but in which alfo there are fome places brighter than others." Thus the most ingenious. Mr. Huygens,, who then proceeds to fhew that there are neither rivers, clouds, air, or vapours.

But that there are feas, or great collections of water, and confequently rivers, clouds, air, and vapours in the moon, I fhall make out from fome of my own views and obfervations; many of which were made with Mr. Huygens's own long glafs before mentioned: through which, and all other long glaffes, instead of imagining the lunar fpots to be unlike feas, I have always thought them to look more like feas, than through fhort glaffes.

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It is true indeed that in thofe fpots we take to be the feas, there are fuch cavities as Mr. Huygens fpeak of, or rather mountains with fhaded cavities in them, as alfo fome parts lefs dark than others. Thus in the foutherly parts the Lunar Euxine and Mediterranean, in the Sinus Sirbonis, the Egyptian, and divers other feas, there are feveral fuch parts that appear more luminous than others, fome having the appearance of rocks and iflands, fome of large fhallows, particularly towards the fhores, and efVOL. II.

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pecially in the feas bordering on the continents, fuch as the great fouthern continent of the Lunar Ægypt and Palæftine. But this is no conclufive argument of those parts not being feas; because they may be feas having many iflands and fhallows in them. But then in other parts, and even in fome parts of these laft named, the fpots appear darker, and with but few of those eminencies or iflands, those brighter or fhallow parts. Thus the northerly Euxine and Mediterranean, the Palus Mæotis, and many other of those lunar feas; few of those parts that have the afpect of islands or fhallows are to be difcerned in them, only one here, and another there, at confiderable diftances from one another.

And in this very manner I doubt not our terraqueous globe would appear, if viewed at the moon, or at fome miles aloft. We fhould there perceive our deep oceans would be of a darker colour, like the darker fpots of the moon; and the fingle ifles of St. Helena and Ascenfion, and the more numerous ones of Ladrones, Canaries, Azores, &c. to have the fame appearance that the few scattered iflands have in the deeper lunar feas and our fhallow feas with the numerous rocks and islands difperfed about them, especial

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