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 till the earth was once red-hot or white-hot, till it was molten or a mass of fiery vapour. I have endeavoured to set forth a popular account of the nebular theory in a volume entitled "The Earth's Beginning."

The verdict of science on the whole subject cannot be expressed better than in the words of Newcomb:—

"At the present time we can only say that the nebular hypothesis is indicated by the general tendencies of the laws of nature; that it has not been proved to be inconsistent with any fact; that it is almost a necessary consequence of the only theory by which we can account for the origin and conservation of the sun's heat; but that it rests on the assumption that this conservation is to be explained by the laws of nature as we now see them in operation. Should any one be sceptical as to the sufficiency of these laws to account for the present state of things, science can furnish no evidence strong enough to overthrow his doubts until the sun shall be found growing smaller by actual measurement, or the nebulæ be actually seen to condense into stars and systems."