It is not probable that the Almighty, who always acts with Infinite Wisdom, and does nothing in vain, should create so many glorious suns, fit for so many important purposes, and place them at such distances from each other without proper objects near enough to be benefitted by their influences. Whoever imagines that they were created only to give a faint glimmering light to the inhabitants of this globe, must have a very superficial knowledge of Astronomy, and a mean opinion of the Divine Wisdom; since by an infinitely less exertion of creating power, the Deity could have given our earth much more light by one single additional Moon. Instead of our Sun, and our world only in the Universe, (as the unskilful in Astronomy may imagine ;) that science discovers to us, such an inconceivable number of Suns, Systems, and Worlds, dispersed through boundless space, that if our Sun, with all the planets, Moons, and Comets, belonging to the whole Solar System, were at once annihilated, they would no more be missed by an eye that could take in the whole compass of Creation, than a grain of sand from the Sea shore; the space they possess, being comparatively so small, that their loss would scarcely make a sensible blank in the Universe. Although Herschel, the outermost of our planets, revolves about the Sun, in an orbit of three thousand six hundred millions of miles in diameter, and some of our Comets make excursions more than ten thousand millions of miles beyond his orbit, and yet at that amazing distance, they are incomparably nearer the Sun, than to any of the fixed stars, as is evident from their keeping clear of the attractive power of all the stars, and returning periodically by virtue of the Sun's attraction. From what we know of our own System, it may be reasonably concluded that all the rest are with equal wisdom contrived, situated and provided with accommodations for the existence of intelligent inhabitants. Let us therefore take a survey of the System to which we belong, the only one accessible to us, and from thence we shall be better able to judge of the nature and end of other systems of the Universe. Although there are almost an infinite variety in the parts of Creation, which we have opportunities of examining; yet there is a general analogy running through, and connecting all the parts into one scheme, one design of disseminating comfort and happiness to the whole Creation. To an attentive observer, it will appear highly probable, that the planets of our System, together with their attendants, called Satellites or Moons, are much of the same nature with our earth, and destined for similar purposes; for they are all solid opaque globes, capable of supporting animals and vegetables; some are larger, some less, and one nearly the size of our earth. They all circulate round the Sun, as the earth does, in a shorter or longer time, according to their respective distances from him, and have, (where it would not be inconvenient,) regular returns of Summer and Winter, Spring and Autumn. They have warmer and colder climates, as the various productions of our earth require, and of such as afford a possibility of discovering it, we observe a regular motion round their axes, like that of our earth, causing an alternate return of day and night, which is necessary for labour, rest, and vegetation, and that all parts of their surfaces may be exposed to the rays ays of the Sun. Such of the planets as are farthest from the Sun, and therefore enjoy least of his light, have that deficiency made up by several Moons, which constantly accompany and revolve about them, as our Moon revolves around the earth. The planet Saturn has over and above, a broad ring, encompassing it, which nowhere touches his body; and which, like a broad zone in the Heavens, reflects the same light very copiously on that planet; if remote planets have the Sun's light fainter by day than we, they have an addition to it, morning and evening, by one or more of their Moons, and a greater quantity of light in the night time. On the surface of the Moon, (because it is nearer to-us than any other of the celestial bodies,) we discover a nearer resemblance of our earth, for, by the assistance of telescopes we observe the Moon to be full of high mountains, large valleys, and deep cavities. These similarities leave us no room to doubt, but that all planets, Moons, and Systems, are designed to be commodious habitations for creatures endowed with capacities of knowing, and adoring their beneficent Creator. Since the fixed stars are prodigious spheres shining by their own native light like our Sun, at inconceivable distances from each other, as well as from us, it is reasonable to conclude that they are made for similar purposes, each to bestow light, heat, and vegetation on a certain number of inhabited planets, kept by gravitation within the sphere of its activity. When we therefore contemplate on those ample and amazing structures, erected in endless magnificence over all the ethereal plains, when we look upon them as so many repositories of light, or fruitful abodes of life, when we consider that in all probability there are orbs vastly more remote than those which appear to our unaided sight, orbs whose effulgence, though travelling ever since the Creation, has not yet arrived upon our coast- means. What an august, what an amazing conception does this give of the works of the Omnipotent Creator; who made use of no preparatory measures, or long circuit of He spake, and ten thousand times ten thousand Suns, multiplied without end, hanging pendulous in the great vault of Heaven, at immense distances from each other, attended by ten thousand times ten thousand worlds, all in rapid motion, yet calm, regular, and harmonious, invariably keeping the paths prescribed, rolled from his creating hand. But when we contemplate on the power, wisdom, goodness, and magnificence of the Great Creator; let us use the language of the immortal Dr. Young, in his appeal to the starry Heavens: -"Say proud arch, Built with Divine ambition, in disdain Of limit built; built in the taste of Heaven, Not so that thought alone thy state impairs, INTERROGATIONS FOR SECTION FIRST. What is ASTRONOMY? It is a mixed Mathematical Science, teaching the knowledge of the celestial bodies, their magnitudes, motions, distances, periods, eclipses, and order. What are its uses? What conviction does a knowledge of this branch of science give to the understanding? What cheering sentiment is formed from a knowledge of this science? What is the diameter of the earth? How many miles is the diameter of the earth's orbit? How is it known that the stars are at immense dis tances from us? How is it known that they are at immense distances from each other? What instruments have been invented to aid the sight of man? Who supposed there were stars, whose light had not yet reached the earth since their first creation? Who confirmed the idea? Why cannot the same rays be reflected back from the stars to our eyes? With what light do the stars shine? How could the Deity have given us greater light in the night time, than by the whole starry host? How is it known that the Comets belong to the Solar System? From what parity of reasoning, is it believed that the stars are so many suns, and have worlds revolving about them? How are those planets supplied with light, which are farthest from the sun? 2 SECTION SECOND. OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. THE Solar system consists of the Sun, with all the Planets and Comets that move around him as their centre. (See Frontispiece.) Those which are near the Sun, not only finish their circuits sooner, but likewise move with greater rapidity in their respective orbits, than those which are more remote. Their motions are all performed from West to East, in Elliptical orbits. Their names, distances, magnitudes, and periodical revolutions, are as follows: The sun is placed near the common centre, or rather in the lower focus of the orbits of all the planets and comets, and turns round on his axis once in 25 days, 14 hours, and 8 minutes; as has been proved, from the motion of the spots, seen on his surface. His diameter is computed at 883,246 miles, and by the various attractions of the convolving planets, he is agitated by a small motion round the centre of gravity of the system. His mean apparent diameter as seen from the earth, is 32 minutes and one second. His solidity, and indeed that of every other planet, may be found by multiplying the cube of their diameters by ,5236. All the planets as seen by a spectator, placed on the sun, move the same way, and according to the order of the signs, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, &c. which represent the great ecliptic. But, to a spectator placed on any one of the planets, the others sometimes appear to go backward, sometimes forward, and at others statonary; not moving in proper circles, nor elliptical orbits, but in looped curves, which never return into themselves. Let S be the sun, (Plate 5th, fig. 1,) E the earth, M |