adopted must give us degrading views of creative power and wisdom. "That mysterious WORD," says a distinguished writer, "which formed the Laplander and the Negro, the condor and the whale, the mosquito and the elephant, for the several portions of one and a small globe, is surely not to be limited to the fashioning of creatures of our constitution or conception. The inhabitants of every world will be formed of the material suited to that world. And also for that world, the bountiful Creator, in his infinite power and resources, never fails to accommodate his productions to the circumstances and conditions of their existence."* We reply: If we reason at all on the subject, it must be from the known to the unknown: if the laws of light and gravitation are the same in other parts of the universe as on the earth, it would be unphilosophical to assume that the laws of life are different. We do not presume to deny that the Creator MAY have peopled all the planets of the system-nay, even all the comets, the zodiacal light, and the inter-planetary spaces-with beings accommodated "to the circumstances and conditions of their existence;" the question is, What is the probability that he has done so?

But if the planets are not inhabited, for what purpose were they created? This inquiry we must confess our inability to answer. The counsels of the Divine Mind when "He prepared the heavens, and set a compass upon the face of the depth," it is not man's to comprehend. What presumption, then, to affirm, as has been so often done, that those heavenly bodies were created in vain, unless they were formed to be inhabited! We may here remark, however, that some of those members of our system, whose physical constitution seems at present incompatible with animal organization, may, for aught we know, be in the process of preparation for future inhabitants.

The fixed stars, as we have already stated, are generally supposed to be suns, surrounded by planetary systems similar to our own. The habitability of the stars themselves need not then be discussed. In regard to the planets by which they are encompassed, we know absolutely nothing. None of them has ever been detected by the most powerful telescope, and indeed

*Smyth's Cycle of Celestial Objects, vol. i. 92.

their very existence is a matter of pure speculation. Granting, however, that each star is actually attended by a retinue of planets, have we any data by which, in particular cases, we may judge of their habitability? Among the most interesting and important discoveries of the telescope is the well-known fact that many of the stars which to the naked eye, or with glasses of but moderate magnifying power, appear single, in reality consist of two, three, or even more stars, forming binary, ternary, and multiple systems. The number of these double stars hitherto observed is not less than six thousand.* Some of these doubtless are merely optically double, but in a majority of cases there can be no doubt of a true physical connection. "According to a table published in 1849, 650 are known in which a change of relative position can be incontestably proved," and the number is being annually augmented. In each binary system the two members revolve round each other, or rather each revolves round their common centre of gravity. "In reference to systems like these," says Sir David Brewster, "the argument in favor of their being surrounded with inhabited planets, is stronger than in the case of single systems. We have in this case a decided visible movement of one of the stars round the other; we have, also, elliptical orbits described by the same law of force which guides our own earth and the other planets in the solar system; and though, upon the same principles which led us to agree with Sir William Herschel in thinking that our own sun may be inhabited, we may believe the two suns of binary systems to be inhabited, yet it is more reasonable and consistent with analogy to believe that each of them is accompanied, as Sir John Herschel remarks, "with its train of planets and their satellites, closely shrouded from our view by the splendor of their respective suns, and crowded into a space bearing hardly a greater proportion to the enormous interval which separates them, than the distances of the satellites of our planets from their primaries bear to their distances from the sun himself. A less distinctly characterized subordination would be incompatible with the stability of their systems, and with the planetary nature of their orbits. Unless closely † Ib. 280.

* Humboldt's Cosmos, vol. iii. 279.

nestled under the protecting wing of their immediate superior, the sweep of their other sun, in its perihelion passage round their own, might carry them off, or whirl them into orbits utterly incompatible with the conditions necessary for the existence of their inhabitants.'"*

The elements of the orbits of a number of these double stars have been determined; of these, however, the distances of only two from our own system are known; those of Alpha Centauri, and 61 Cygni. The annual parallax of the former is one second, and the apparent semi-axis of its orbit, twelve seconds. Hence the mean distance-from each other—of the two components of Alpha Centauri is twelve times the radius of the earth's orbit, or considerably greater than Saturn's distance from the Sun. But as the orbit is very eccentric, the distance of the members when the smaller one is in perihelion is certainly less than the radius of Saturn's orbit. The intrinsic splendor of this double star, it may here be proper to remark, has been estimated at more than twice that of our sun. us now suppose these associated suns each surrounded by a train of planets, the distance of the most remote bearing the same ratio to the interval between the two stars, as the distance of the eighth satellite of Saturn from the primary, bears to the distance of the primary from the sun. What then is the result? The outermost planet of the system cannot be more than two million miles from its central sun, and the amount of its light and heat must be two thousand times greater than that received by the earth.

Let

The parallax of 61 Cygni is one third of a second, and the mean apparent distance of the two component stars is fifteen seconds. The semi-axis of the orbit is therefore forty-five times that of the earth. Even in this case the most remote planet of either system must be much nearer to its central sun than Mercury is to the sun of our own system. The apparent semi-axes of the orbits of the greater number of binary stars whose periods have been determined, are much less-some of them scarcely exceeding one second. Unless then, their distances from us be vastly greater than that of 61 Cygni, there is but little probability that they are centres of habitable systems.

* More Worlds than One, p. 168.

The theory of the Solar System proposed by Professor Whewell, in the tenth chapter of his essay-his speculations in regard to the nature of the fixed stars and the constitution of the nebula-the religious aspect of the question-Sir David Brewster's Bible argument in favor of the doctrine of a plurality of worlds-all are points of interest which we had intended to consider, but which we find our present limits will not permit us to discuss. We have endeavored to weigh without prejudice the evidence afforded by recent investigations in regard to the physical constitution of the heavenly bodies, and-whatever the future progress of astronomy may indicate-we have no hesitation in saying, that the general tendency of telescopic discoveries during the last three quarters of a century, has been decidedly adverse to the theory, that the planets and stars are the abodes of sentient and rational existence.

ARTICLE III.

[From the manuscripts of the late Rev. Dr. HILL.]

REV. NASH LE GRAND.

The grandfather of the Reverend Nash Le Grand was one of the Huguenots who fled from the relentless persecution which followed the Revocation of the Edict of Nantz, and settled upon James River, a short distance above Richmond. The name Le Grand sufficiently indicates a French origin. His father, Peter Le Grand, removed to Prince Edward County, and became possessed of a farm within two miles of Hampden Sydney College, where he lived and died. His mother was sister to Col. John Nash, of Templeton, in Prince Edward; she had been nurtured in ease and affluence, was one of the most accomplished ladies of her day, associated with the first circle of society, and became one of the most pious and exemplary Christians to be found. But she, though brought up in affluence, was destined to pass through many and severe trials; all which

she bore with great patience and submission to the will of God. Her husband, Peter Le Grand, was a poor provider for his increasing family, and became very stern and rough in his common conduct toward those who were subject to his authority.

This induced Col. John Nash, whose daughter Dr. John B. Smith had married, to adopt Nash Le Grand, the eldest son of his sister, and who was named after his uncle. He took him into his family and defrayed all the expenses of his education.

In the year 1776, when the writer of these sketches entered college as a student, and became first acquainted with Nash Le Grand, he was living and prosecuting his further studies in college as a resident graduate. He was a remarkably handsome youth, and capable of being very polite and agreeable in his deportment to others, when he chose to be so; but he had a degree of hauteur and sternness about him, which made him unpopular among the students, except the few which he selected as his associates. His frame was tall and spare, yet well proportioned, and he was very graceful and easy in his movements and manners. With a fine open countenance, dark brown hair, a high forehead, a soft expressive eye, and a melodious and well modulated voice, in company that pleased him he displayed conversational powers seldom surpassed, including sallies of wit and amusing anecdote.

His mental capacity was not of the first order for close and clear reasoning or deep research, but every way sufficient to grasp common subjects, and exhibit them in a forcible point of light.

But with all these personal qualifications, he was vicious in his habits, profane in his language, and much given to frolicksome pranks and mischiefs, which the other students, and the fowls and pigs of the steward of college, could testify. This good steward was heard to say, when Mr. Le Grand professed conversion, "I am in hopes now I may have hogs which can walk upon four legs."

When the revival had fairly commenced, and prayer meetings were appointed in College and the neighborhood, as is contained more at large in Dr. Smith's memoir, in the spring of 1787, Mr. Le Grand kept himself at as great a distance from