an autobiography-第66部分

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ur　atmosphere　it　would　have　caused　an　elastic　pressure　fifty　times　that　of　our　present　atmosphere；　and　if　we　add　the　carbonic　acid　that　must　have　been　absorbed　in　vegetation　in　order　to　form　our　coal…beds　we　should　probably　have　to　double　that　pressure。　　Animal　life；　of　which　we　had　abundant　traces　in　these　'measures；'　could　not　have　existed　under　such　conditions；　we　are　almost　forced　to　the　conclusion　that　the　carbonic　acid　must　have　been　derived　from　an　external　source。〃　　。。。＇

Soon　after　my　paper　was　read；　Lord　Murray　of　Henderland；　an　old　friend；　then　a　Judge　on　the　Scottish　Bench；　wrote　to　me　as　follows：　〃I　shall　be　much　obliged　to　you　for　a　copy；　if　you　have　a　spare　one；　of　your　printed　note　on　Light。　　It　is　expressed　with　great　clearness　and　brevity。　　If　you　wish　to　have　a　quotation　for　it；　you　may　have　recourse　to　the　blind　Milton；　who　has　expressed　your　views　in　his　address　to　Light：　

　〃'Hail；　holy　Light！　offspring　of　heaven　first…born　　Or　of　the　Eternal　co…eternal　beam　　May　I　express　thee　unblamed？　since　God　is　light；　　And　never　but　in　unapproached　light　　Dwelt　from　eternitydwelt　then　in　thee；　　Bright　effluence　of　bright　essence　increate！〃'

About　the　same　time　Sir　Thomas　Mitchell；　Surveyor　General　of　Australia；　communicated　his　notions　on　the　subject。　　〃My　dear　Sir；〃　he　wrote；　〃Your　kind　and　valuable　communications　are　as　welcome　to　me　as　the　sun's　light；　and　I　now　thank　you　most　gratefully　for　the　last；　with　its　two　enclosures。　　These；　and　especially　your　views　as　to　the　source　of　light；　afford　me　new　scope　for　satisfactory　thinkinga　sort　of　treasure　one　can　always　carry　about；　and；　unlike　other　treasures；　is　most　valuable　in　the　solitude　of　a　desert。　　The　beauty　of　your　theory　as　to　the　nature　of　the　source　of　light　is；　that　it　rather　supports　all　preconceived　notions　respecting　the　soul；　heaven；　and　an　immortal　state。〃

I　still　continued　the　study　of　astronomy。　　The　sun；　moon；　and　planets　yielded　to　me　an　inexhaustible　source　of　delight。　　I　gazed　at　them　with　increasing　wonder　and　awe。　　Among　the　glorious　objects　which　the　telescope　reveals；　the　most　impressive　is　that　of　the　starry　heavens　in　a　clear　dark　night。　　When　I　directed　my　20…inch　reflecting　telescope　almost　at　random　to　any　part　of　the　firmament；　especially　to　any　portion　of　the　Milky　Way；　the　sight　of　myriads　of　stars　brought　into　view　within　the　field　of　the　eye…piece　was　overpoweringly　sublime。

When　it　is　considered　that　every　one　of　these　stars　which　so　bewilderingly　crowd　the　field　of　vision　is；　according　to　rational　probability；　and；　I　might　even　say；　absolute　certainty；　are　Suns　as　vast　in　magnitude　as　that　which　gives　light　to　our　globe；　and　yet　situated　so　inconceivably　deep　in　the　abyss　of　space　as　to　appear　minute　points　of　light　even　to　the　most　powerful　telescope；　it　will　be　felt　what　a　sublime　subject　appears　before　us。　　Turn　the　telescope　to　any　part　of　the　heavens；　it　is　the　same。

Let　us　suppose　ourselves　perched　upon　the　farthest　star　which　we　are　enabled　to　see　by　the　aid　of　the　most　powerful　telescope。　　There；　too；　we　should　see　countless　myriads　of　Suns；　rolling　along　in　their　appointed　orbits；　and　thus　on　and　on　throughout　eternity。　　What　an　idea　of　the　limitless　extent　of　Creative　Powerfilling　up　infinite　space　with　the　evidences　of　His　Almighty　Presence！　　The　human　mind　feels　its　utter　impotency　in　endeavouring　to　grasp　such　a　subject。

I　also　turned　my　attention　to　the　microscope。　　In　1851　I　examined；　by　the　aid　of　this　instrument；　the　infusoria　in　the　Bridgewater　Canal。　I　found　twenty…seven　of　them；　of　the　most　varied　form；　colour；　and　movements。　　This　was　almost　as　remarkable　a　revelation　as　the　mighty　phenomena　of　the　heavens。　　I　found　these　living　things　moving　about　in　the　minutest　drop　of　water。　　The　sight　of　the　wonderful　range　of　creative　powerfrom　the　myriads　of　suns　revealed　by　the　telescope；　to　the　myriads　of　moving　organisms　revealed　by　the　microscopefilled　me　with　unutterably　devout　wonder　and　awe。

Moreover；　it　seemed　to　me　to　confer　a　glory　even　upon　the　instruments　of　human　skill；　which　elevated　man　to　the　Unseen　and　the　Divine。　When　we　examine　the　most　minute　organisms；　we　find　clear　evidence　in　their　voluntary　powers　of　motion　that　these　creatures　possess　a　will；　and　that　such　Will　must　be　conveyed　by　a　nervous　system　of　an　infinitesimally　minute　description。　　When　we　follow　out　such　a　train　of　thought；　and　contrast　the　myriads　of　suns　and　planets　at　one　extreme；　with　the　myriads　of　minute　organised　atoms　at　the　other；　we　cannot　but　feel　inexpressible　wonder　at　the　transcendent　range　of　Creative　Power。

Shortly　after；　I　sent　to　the　Royal　Astronomical　Society　a　paper　on　another　equally　wonderful　subject；　〃The　Rotatory　Movements　of　the　Celestial　Bodies。　　As　the　paper　is　not　very　long；　and　as　I　endeavoured　to　illustrate　my　ideas　in　a　familiar　manner；　I　may　here　give　it　entire：

〃What　first　set　me　thinking　on　this　subject　was　the　endeavour　to　get　at　the　reason　of　why　water　in　a　basin　acquires　a　rotatory　motion　when　a　portion　of　it　is　allowed　to　escape　through　a　hole　in　the　bottom。　Every　well…trained　philosophical　judgment　is　accustomed　to　observe　illustrations　of　the　most　sublime　phenomena　of　creation　in　the　most　minute　and　familiar　operations　of　the　Creator's　laws；　one　of　the　most　characteristic　features　of　which　consists　in　the　absolute　and　wonderful　integrity　maintained　in　their　action　whatsoever　be　the　range　as　to　magnitude　or　distance　of　the　objects　on　which　they　operate。

〃For　instance；　the　minute　particles　of　dew　which　whiten　the　grass…blade　in　early　morn　are　moulded　into　spheres　by　the　identical　law　which　gives　to　the　mighty　sun　its　globular　form！

〃Let　us　pass　from　the　rotation　of　water　in　a　basin　to　the　consideration　of　the　particles　of　a　nebulous　mass　just　summoned　into　existence　by　the　fiat　of　the　Creatorthe　law　of　gravitation　coexisting。　　〃The　first　moment　of　the　existence　of　such　a　nebulous　mass　would　be　inaugurated　by　the　election　of　a　centre　of　gravity；　and；　instantly　after；　every　particle　throughout　the　entire　mass　of　such　nebulae　would　tend　to　and　converge　towards　that　centre　of　gravity。

〃Now　let　us　consider　what　would　be　the　result　of　this。　　It　appears　to　me　that　the　inevitable　consequence　of　the　convergence　of　the　particles　towards　the　centre　of　gravity　of　such　a　nebulous　mass　would　not　only　result　in　the　formation　of　nucleus；　but　by　reason　of　the　physical　impossibility　that　all　the　converging　particles　should　arrive　at　the　focus　of　convergence　in　directions　perfectly　radial　and　diametrically　opposite　to　each　other；　however　slight　the　degree　of　deviation　from　the　absolute　diametrically　opposite　direction　in　which　the　converging　particles　coalesce　at　the　focus　of　attraction；　a　twisting　action　would　result；　and　Rotation　ensue；　which；　once　engendered；　be　its　intensity　ever　so　slight；　from　that　instant　forward　the　nucleus　would　continue　to　revolve；　and　all　the　particles　which　its　attraction　would　subsequently　cause　to　coalesce　with　it；　would　do　so　in　directions　tangential　to　its　surface；　and　not　diametrically　towards　its　centre。

〃In　due　course　of　time　the　entire　of　the　remaining　nebulous　mass　would　become　affected　with　rotation　from　the　more　rapidly　moving　centre；　and　would　assume　what　appears　to　me　to　be　their　inherent　normal　condition；　namely；　spirality；　as　the　prevailing　character　of　their　structure；　and　as　that　is　actually　the　aspect　which　may　be　said　to　characterise　the　majority　of　those　marvellous　nebulae；　as　revealed　to　us　by　Lord　Rosse's　magnificent　telescope；　I　am　strongly　impressed　with　the　conviction　that　such　reasons　as　I　have　assigned　have　been　the　cause　of　their　spiral　aspect　and　arrangement。

〃And　by　following　up　the　same　train　of　reasoning；　it　appears　to　me　that　we　may　catch　a　glimpse　of　the　primeval　cause　of　the　rotation　of　every　body　throughout　the　regions　of　space；　whether　they　be　nebulae；　stars；　double　stars；　or　planetary　systems。

〃The　primary　cause　of　rotation　which　I　have　endeavoured　to　describe　in　the　preceding　remarks　is　essentially　cosmical；　and　is　the　direct　and　immediate　offspring　of　the　action　of　gravitation　on　matter　in　a　diffused；　nebulous；　and；　as　such；　highly　mobile　condition。

〃It　will　be　obvious　that　in　the　case　of　a　nebulous　mass；　whose　matter　is　unequally　distributed；　that　in　such　a　case　several　sub…centres　of　gravity　would　be　elected；　that　is　to　say；　each　patch　of　nebulous　matter　would　have　its　own　centre　of　gravity；　but　these　in　their　turn　subordinate　to　that　of　the　common　centre　of　gravity　of　the　whole　system；　about　which　all　such　outlaying　parts　would　revolve。　Each　of　the　portions　above　alluded　to　would　either　be　attracted　by　the　superior　mass；　and　pass　in　towards　it　as　a　wisp　of　nebulous　matter；　or　else　establish　perfect　individual　and　distinct　rotation　within　itself；　and　finally　revolve　about　the　great　common　centre　of　gravity　of　the　whole。

〃Bearing　this　in　mind；　and　referring　to　some　of　the　figures　of　the　marvellous　spiral　nebulae　which　Lord　Rosse's　telescope　has　revealed　to　us；　I　shall　now　bring　these　suggestions　to　a　conclusion。　I　have　avoided　expanding　them　to　the　extent　I　feel　the　subject　to　be　worthy　and　capable　of；　but　I　trust　such　as　I　have　offered　will　be　sufficient　to　convey　a　pretty　clear　idea　of　my　views　on　this　sublime　subject；　which　I　trust　may　receive　the　careful　consideration　its　nature　entitles　it　to。　　Let　any　one　carefully　reflect　on　the　reason　why　water　assumes　a　rotatory　motion　when　a　portion　of　it　is　permitted　to　escape　from　an　aperture　in　the　bottom　of　the　circular　vessel　containing　it；　if　they　will　do　so　in　the　right　spirit；　I　am　fain　to　think　they　will　arrive　at　the　same　conclusion　as　the　contemplation　of　this　familiar　phenomenon　has　brought　me　to。

〃　BRIDGEWATER　FOUNDARY；　June　7；　1855。〃

I　was　present　at　a　meeting　of　the　Geological　Society　at　Manchester　in　1853；　in　the　discussions　of　which　I　took　part。

I　was　much　impressed　by　an　address　of　the　Rev。　Dr。　Vaughan　（then　Principal　of　the　Independent　College　at　Manchester）；　which　is　as　interesting　now　as　it　was　then。　　After　referring　to　the　influence　which　geological　changes　had　produced　upon　the　condition　of　nations；　and　the　moral　results　which　oceans；　mountains；　islands；　and　continents　have　had　upon　the　social　history　of　man；　he　went　on　to　say：　　〃Is　not