THE >IOON. 12t 



planets in our system; but, notwithstanding tlils, its proximity to the 

 Eavth, its inlhience upon aerial and aqueous tides, its supposed etterts 

 upon atmospheric phenomena, its striking splendor when seen at its full 

 in a cloudless sky, all have served to give it a degree of importance to 

 which its bulk alone would never have entitled it. 



The investigations of astronomy have thrown a flood of light upon 

 the physical condition of this little globe, which may well excite aston- 

 ishment. It has been rendered probable, for example, that water does 

 not exist upon it, that it has no atmosphere, or one which is exceedingly 

 rare, that its surface is extremely diversified and irregular, that its moun- 

 tains, although absolutely less, are relatively greater than any upon the 

 surface of our globe, and that a volcanic formation is prevalent over the 

 ■whole. The appearances and magnitudes of its craters have been ascer- 

 tained, their depths and the heights of its mountains have been measured, 

 and maps of the lunar surface have been constructed more accurate in 

 their general features than those of any equal portion of the Earth's sur- 

 face. All these results admit of easy explanation when we consider the 

 great improvements that have been made in the construction of instru- 

 ments and the vast increase of power which has thus been gained. As- 

 tronomers can now not only look at the moon, but they can look into it. 



The non-existence of water or of a dense atmosphere is proved by 

 the fact that no clouds are ever visible upon it. Were there oceans, seas, 

 lakes, rivers or even portions of water mechanically or chemically uni-' 

 ted with material substances, this fluid would be subject to the gene- 

 ral law of evaporation, and, upon the supposition that the moon has a 

 gaseous atmosphere like that of the Earth, would form clouds by its un- 

 equal condensation, or, in the absence of such an atmosphere, be instant- 

 ly condensed upon the side opposite the sun in consequence of the great 

 cold there prevailing. 



But that no atmosphere exists, la fully proved by the fact that the 

 stars which approach the disk of the Moon sufier no refraction. Direct 

 telescopic observation has also failed to discover the existence of any 

 level which could be supposed to correspond to a fluid surface. The 

 consequences of this fact are higldy interesting; without water animals 

 and plants cannot exist, and consequently the surface of the Moon must 

 be destitute of vegetation, and of all other forms of organized matter: it 

 can have no inhabitants, at least none who are in any respect consti^ 

 tuted similarly to ourselves, and its surface, when compared with that 

 of our own beautiful planet, vvould aflbrd a contrast more striking than 

 is exhibited between the luxuriance and variety of the tropics and the 

 sterile uniformity of the polar regions. 



