64 



THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 



resting and a variegated aspect ; being diversified 

 with mountains, valleys, rocks, and plains, in 

 every variety of form and position. Some of 

 these mountains form long and elevated ridges, 

 resembling the chains of the Alps and the Andes ; 

 while others, of a conical form, rise to a great 

 height, from the middle of level plains, some 

 what resembling the Peak of Teneriffe. But the 

 most singular feature of the moon, is, those cir 

 cular ridges and cavities which diversify every 

 portion of her surface. A range of mountains of 

 a circular form, rising three or four miles above 

 the level of the adjacent districts, surrounds, like 

 a mighty rampart, an extensive plain ; and, in 

 the middle of this plain or cavity, an insulated 

 conical hill rises to a considerable elevation. 

 Several hundreds of these circular plains, most of 

 which are considerably below the level of the sur 

 rounding country, may be perceived, with a good 

 telescope, on every region of the lunar surface. 

 They are of all dimensions, from two or three 

 miles to forty miles in diameter ; and, if they be 

 adorned with verdure, they must present to the 

 view of a spectator, placed among them, a more 

 variegated, romantic, and sublime scenery than 

 is to be found on the surface of our globe. An 

 idea of some of these scenes may be acquired by 

 conceiving a plain of about a hundred miles in 

 circumference, encircled with a range of moun 

 tains, of various forms, three miles in perpendicu 

 lar height, and having a mountain near the cen 

 tre, whose top reaches a mile and a half above 

 the level of the plain. From the top of this cen 

 tral mountain, the whole plain, with all its variety 

 of objects, would be distinctly visible; and the 

 view would appear to be bounded on all sides by 

 a lofty amphitheatre of mountains, in every di 

 versity of shape, rearing their summits to the 

 sky. From the summit of the circular ridge, the 

 conical hill in the centre, the opposite circular 

 range, the plain below, and some of the adjacent 

 plains, which encompass the exterior ridge of the 

 mountains, would form another variety of view ; 

 and a third variety would be obtained from the 

 various aspects of the central mountain, and the 

 surrounding scenery, as viewed from the plains 

 below. 



The lunar mountains are of all sizes, from a 

 furlong to five miles in perpendicular elevation. 

 Certain luminous spots, which have been occa 

 sionally seen on the dark side of the moon, seom 

 to demonstrate that fire exists in this planet. Dr. 

 Herschel and several other astronomers suppose, 

 that they are volcanoes in a state of eruption. It 

 would be a more pleasing idea, and perhaps as 

 nearly corresponding to fact, to suppose, that 

 these phenomena are owing to some occasional 

 splendid illuminations, produced by the lunar in 

 habitants, during their long nights. Such a scene 

 as the burning of Moscow, the conflagration of an 

 extensive forest, or the splendid illumination of 

 a large city with gas-lights, might present simi 



lar appearances to a spectator in the moon. Tr* 

 bright spots of the moon are the irwnuitair.ous 

 regions ; the dark spots are the plains, or nioro 

 level parts of her surface. There may probably 

 be rivers or small lakes on this planet ; but there 

 are no seas or large collection of water. It ap 

 pears highly probable, from the observations of 

 Schroeter, that the moon is encompassed with 

 an atmosphere ; but no clouds, rain, nor snow 

 seem to exist in it. The illuminati))*; power o 

 the light derived from the moon, according to the 

 experiments made by Professor Leslie, is about 

 the one hundred and fifty thousandth part of the 

 illuminating power of the sun. According to 

 the experiments of M. Boguer, it is only as 1 to 

 300,000. 



The Moon always presents the same face to 

 us ; which proves, that she revolves round her 

 axis in the same time that she revolves round the 

 earth. As this orb derives its light from the 

 sun, and reflects a portion of it upon the earth, 

 so the earth performs the same office to the moon. 

 A spectator on the lunar surface would behold 

 the earth, like a luminous orb, suspended in the 

 vault of heaven, presenting a surface about 13 

 times larger than the moon does to us, and ap 

 pearing sometimes gibbous, sometimes horned, 

 and at other times with a round full face. The 

 light which the earth reflects upon the dark side 

 of the moon may be distinctly perceived by a 

 common telescope, from three to six or eight 

 days after the change. The lunar surface con 

 tains about 15 millions of square miles, and is, 

 therefore, capable of containing a population 

 equal to that of our globe, allowing only about 

 53 inhabitants to every square mile. That this 

 planet is inhabited by sensitive and intelligent 

 beings, there is every reason to conclude, from a 

 consideration of the sublime scenery with which 

 its surface is adorned, and of the general benefi 

 cence of the Creator, who appears to have left no 

 large portion of his material creation without 

 animated existences ; and it is highly probable, 

 that direct proofs of the moon s being inhabited 

 may hereafter be obtained, when all the varie 

 ties on her surface shall have been more minute 

 ly explored.* 



The planet Mars. Next to the earth and 

 moon, the planet Mars performs his revolu 

 tion round the sun, in one year and ten months, 

 to the distance of 145 millions of miles. His 

 diameter is about 4,200 miles, and he is distin 

 guished from all the other planets, by his ruddy 

 appearance, which is owing to a dense atmos 

 phere with which he is environed. With a good 

 telescope, his surface appears diversified by a 

 variety of spots ; by the motion of which it is 

 found, that he turns round his axis in 24 hours 

 and 40 minutes. The inclination of his axis to 

 the plane of his orbit being about 28 42 , the 



* See Appendix, No. m. 



