Suppose, then, an inhabitant of the moon, who has not properly considered such analogical reasonings as might in duce him to surmise that our earth is in habited, were to give it as his opinion, that the use of that great body, which he sees in his neighbourhood, is to carry about his little globe, in order that it may be properly exposed to the light of the sun, so as to enjoy an agreeable and use ful variety of illumination, as well as to give it light by reflection, when direct light cannot be had, should we not con demn his ignorance and want of reflec tion ? The earth, it is true, performs those offices which have been named for the inhabitants of the moon, but we know that it also affords magnificent dwelling places to numberless intelligent beings. From experience, therefore, we affirm, that the performance of the most saluta ry offices to inferior planets is not incon sistent with the dignity of superior pur poses; and in consequence of such ana. logical reasonings, assisted by telescopic views which plainly favour the same opi nion, we do not hesitate to admit that the sun is richly stored with inhabitants.
This way of considering the sun isof the utmost importance in its consequences. That stars are suns can hardly admit of doubt. Their immense distance would effectually exclude them from our view, if their light were not of the solar kind. Besides, the analogy may be traced much further; the sun turns on its axis; so does the star Algol ; so do the stars called $ Lyre, fr Cephei, is Antinoi, o Ceti, and many more, most probably alL Now from what other cause can we, with so much probability, account for their periodical changes ? Again, our sun's spots are changeable; so are the spots on the star o Ceti. But if stars are suns, and suns are inhabitable, we see at once what an extensive field for animation opens to our view.
It is true, that analogy may induce us to conclude, that since stars appear to be suns, and suns, according to the common opinion, are bodies that serve to enligh ten, warm, and sustain a system of pla nets, we may have an idea of numberless globes that serve for the habitation of living creatures. But if these suns them
selves are primary planets, we may see some thousands of them with the naked eyes, and millions with the help of teles copes ; and, at the same time, the same analogical reasoning still remains in full force with regard to the planets which these suns may support. See Philoso phical Transactions, and Young's Natural Philosophy.
We shall conclude this article with some particulars respecting the sun, by Sir Isaac Newton. 1. That the density of the sun's heat, which is proportional to his light, is 7 times as great in Mer cury as with us, and that water there would be all carried off in the shape of steam ; for he found, by experiments with the thermometer, that a heat seven times greater than that of the sun's beams in summer will serve to make water boil. 2. That the quantity of matter in the sun is to that in Jupiter nearly as 1100 to 1, and that the distance of that planet from the sun is in the same ratio to the sun's semidiameter; consequently, that the centre of gravity of the sun and Jupiter is nearly in the superficies of the sun. 3. That the quantity of matter in the sun is to that in Saturn as 2360 to 1, and that the distance of Saturn from the sun is in a ratio but little less than that of the sun's semidiameter. And hence the common centre of gravity of Saturn and the sun is a little within the sun. 4. By the same method of calculation it will be found, that the common centre of gravity of all the planets cannot be more than the length of the solar diameter distant from the centre of the sun. 5. The sun's dia meter is equal to 100 diameters of the earth, and therefore its magnitude must exceed that of the earth one million of times. 6. If 360 degrees (the whdle ecliptic) be divided by the quantity of the solar year, it will give 59' 8", which therefore is the medium quantity of the sun's apparent daily motion ; hence his hoary motion is equal to 2' 27". By this method the tables of the sun's mean mo tion are constructed as found in astrono mical books.