238 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



and so on, always in an increasing ratio ; the experiments in each 

 case being carried on for six days. 



Here, then, we have a self-adjusting phenomenon, one of those 

 admirable contrivances in the balance of forces, which an attentive 

 study of nature reveals to us in every direction. If, other conditions 

 being equal, any temporary cause render the amount of saline matter 

 in the sea above its normal value, evaporation goes on the more and 

 more slowly; and, on the other hand, if this value be depreciated 

 by the addition of fresh water in undue excess, the evaporating 

 power is the more and more increased — thus aiding time, in either 

 instance, to restore the balance. In conclusion, the author pointed 

 out that the consideration of this principle might shed some further 

 light on the geographical distribution of fresh and salt water lakes 

 on the present surface of the globe. 



. ON AN APPEARANCE SEEN IN THE MOON. 

 BY ROBERT HART, ESQ. 

 (Letter to the Astronomer Royal.) 



" On the night of the 27th December, 1854, between 6 and 7 p.m., 

 the moon was very bright. I had brought my 10-inch reflector to 

 bear upon the moon ; on the shaded side of the disc I observed a 

 white spot, where I have marked it on the sketch. As it was of the 

 colour of the light of the moon, and not like starlight, I thought it 

 part of the moon ; but as it disappeared in less than a minute after 

 I first observed it, I concluded it was a star eclipsed by the moon*. 

 I now turned my attention to the light part of the disc, and my eye 

 was at once attracted by an appearance I had never seen before on 

 the surface of the moon, although I have observed her often during 

 these last forty years. She was 8 d 4 h old at the time, and just on 

 the edge of the light, where I have marked on the sketch, there were 

 two luminous spots, one on either side of a small ridge, which ridge 

 was in the light, and of the same colour as the moon ; but these spots 

 were of a yellow flame colour, while all the rest of the enlightened 

 part was of a snowy white, and the mountain-tops that were coming 

 into the light, and just on the shadow side of these spots, were of the 

 same colour as the moon. The lights of these spots weie like the 

 light of the setting sun reflected from a window a mile or two off. I 

 observed it for five hours. I thought them rather less bright than 

 as first seen, but very little less ; so bright were they, when the 

 instrument was the least thing out of focus, they showed rays 

 around them as a star would do. 



" As I live about two miles out of Glasgow, I had no scientific 

 friend with me at the time, but I called the attention of three gentle- 

 men, my neighbour*, and my own household, and they all described 

 the appearance as I saw it myself, and have given above. 



" I would have followed it longer had I been able, but the wind 

 was very cold, 20 0- 5, and I had no shelter, as I take my telescope 



* This was, no doubt, the occultation of /x Piscium, which, according to 

 the Nautical Almanac, was in conjunction with the moon at 6 h 54 ra 10 s , on 

 the evening of December 27, 1854. 



