DRAWN BY R. WESTALL, RA. ENGRAVED BY JOHN PYE; PUBLISHED BY JOHN SHARPE, DUKE STREET, PICCADILLY;

STURM'S REFLECTIONS.

MAY 1.

SYSTEM OF THE WORLD.

THE Sun is by far the most interesting object of the mundane system: its form is spherical, and it has been considered till very lately as a body of fire. Herschel, however, supposes the Sun to be a solid opaque body, surrounded by luminous clouds: the spots which are discovered apparently upon its surface he also supposes to proceed from breaks in this brilliant atmosphere. That the sun possesses a rotatory motion round its own axis has been ascertained by the assistance of telescopes and the variation of the spots already alluded to. It is about 95,170,000 miles distant from the Earth, and it is at least a million of times larger. It communicates its light to seven primary planets, Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Herschel; to four asteroids or minor planets, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta; and to eighteen secondary planets, viz. the Earth's, moon, Jupiter's four satellites, Saturn's seven, and six belonging to s 2

Herschel; and to a considerable number of comets. Of Mercury we know but little, because it is mostly absorbed in the Sun's rays. Venus, which is sometimes called Lucifer, the morning star, and at others Hesperus, the evening star, is the most lovely of all the planets. The Moon is fifty times smaller than our Earth, which it accompanies in its orbit round the Sun: upon its surface we can distinguish dark spots, even with the naked eye: these are supposed to be produced by water, and the bright parts are concluded to be land; for, if the Moon were composed of one and the same substance, it would reflect the rays of the Sun equally from all its parts, and we should no longer discover its present spots. A fluid body, such as water, absorbs a larger mass of light than a solid body, and reflects it back in small quantities: it is therefore natural to conclude that the dark spots of the Moon are seas, and that its luminous parts are land. Among these luminous parts, some are more brilliant than others, throwing even shadows: these must therefore consist of projections answering to our mountains: some of these mountains are single, while others appear to form long and continued chains. İn the seas of the moon we discover luminated spots, which it may be presumed are islands. In Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn spots are also discovered; and the belts of Jupiter are supposed to be seas.

Having thus glanced through the known mundane system, let us be cautious how we