Geology of the Moon. 291 



these bodies are inhabited would be decidedly increased. But if, on the 

 other hand, there is found in other bodies a total absence of points essential 

 to the existence of the inhabitants of the earth, or an immense difference 

 in this respect, whether in quantity or quality, we should then be forced to 

 exclude the possibility of the existence of living beings analogous to our- 

 selves. The exposition which has been made of the physical circumstances, 

 both general and particular, which exist in the moon, sufficiently prove that 

 she must be regarded as in these latter circumstances. Nothing is more 

 clear than this, that we must admit at least as wide a difference among the 

 inhabitants of celestial bodies as between the celestial bodies themselves, 

 and no two of them, as far as our positive information enables us to judge, 

 are precisely similar to each other. At the same time we admit, that it would 

 be possible to draw some few isolated consequences from our observations 

 respecting any inhabitants there might be in the moon. Thus, for ex- 

 ample, their organs of vision would require to support a much stronger 

 light, and infinitely greater contrasts than ours. But we aflfii-m, in a 

 word, that we shall never succeed in forming a complete estimate of the 

 corporeal constitution of beings living upon tliis celestial body from merely 

 isolated considerations ; and, in our opinion, such researches can never be 

 principal objects of any future observations. 



Although in this and the preceding number of the Journal 

 we have been able to supply only a very incomplete idea of the 

 selenographic labours of Messrs Baer and Madler, we beh'eve 

 we have said enough to demonstrate their extent and import- 

 ance, and to enable any one to appreciate the service they have 

 rendered to astronomy by the publication of their chart, and 

 by their description of the moon. Previous to their investiga- 

 tions, we were ignorant of the precise position of nearly all the 

 notable points of our satellite. A general chart of its visible 

 portion had never been traced with the required accuracy ; and 

 no one had ever supplied a topography, at once faithful and de- 

 tailed, framed only from careful observations, and free from the 

 illusions and preconceptions of ^stems. We may say that 

 their work is a fundamental one for the object to which it re- 

 lates, and that it has considerably increased the extent of our 

 positive information, by giving it a more precise, and, at the 

 same time, a more methodical and useful direction than had 

 previously been thought of, and it must serve as the starting 

 point for all future researches upon the same subject. Our au- 

 thors are far, indeed, from thinking that nothing else remains 

 to be done. In their preface, in speaking of their determina- 

 tion of the different parts of the moon, they remark, " How- 



