LECTURES. 41 
In reviewing the moon and planets we find that the moon is merely 
a vast extinct volcanoe, without air or water. 
‘Mercury is too close to the sun to be seen with advantage. 
Venus when most favourably placed appears to us like the new 
moon. 
Jupiter is merely a mass of clouds, and is white hot. 
Saturn is like Jupiter still in its infancy. 
The other two, Uranus and Neptune, are smaller, cold and sunless. 
We find the enquiry profitable only in the case of Mars. 
This year, in August especially, much has been written about Mars 
and his probable inhabitants. Something must be found to fill the 
newspapers, the great sea serpent is often used for that purpose. 
But Mars drove him out in August, for Mars was nearer to the 
earth then than he had been since 1877. When Mars and the earth 
are on the same side of the sun and ina straight line, we have what 
is called an opposition of Mars, 
In 1877, the opposition occured on September 5th, this year on 
August 4th. The best would fall on August 26th. . The former 
year was famous for the discovery that Mars had minute moons which 
circle round in 7 hours and 30 hours respectively. 
An American was the lucky finder but he was not the first. The 
Laputans were before him. We learn this from ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’ 
The inhabitants of the Flying Island of Laputa were great astronomers. 
They told Gulliver that they had discovered two moons of Mars, and 
that one revolved round him in 1c hours and the other in 30. Such 
a curiously exact guess is probably unique in literature. 
The surface of Mars is well seen in the telescope. A map of Mars 
has been made by Proctor from a study of a large number of photo- 
graphs. The white caps at the Poles and the dark and light parts 
have been divided into ice, sea and land. ‘The names given to the 
different parts are those of men who have devoted their lives to the 
study of the Heavens. 
Astronomers tell us that the width of Mars’ globe is only 4,200 
miles, so that its size is but the 17th part of the earth. But it would 
take nearly 10 globes as heavy as Mars to equal the weight of the earth. 
Therefore a man of 12 stone on the earth would weigh but 5, if removed) 
to Mars. A football match removed from Cheltenham to Mars wouid 
be an astonishing sight. We should see the half-backs jumping ove 
the scrimmage. Collaring low would be a vain cry when the ma 
running with the ball could, if he chose leap nearly over the cross-bar 
