WITS ON VOLCANOES IN THE MOON 59 



ample traces of volcanic fires that once lighted her 

 surface, but they are all long gone out, and have left 

 nothing behind for us but insoluble problems and 

 mysterious wonders a world of craters, lava, preci- 

 pices, and cinders. That astronomers were mistaken 

 was no discredit to them. They stumbled in the race 

 for knowledge. That was all. If the reports of 

 moving masses, still said to be seen in the moon, be 

 confirmed, there may not have been much of a stumble 

 after all. 



While the observatories of Europe took a serious 

 view of these volcanoes and lava rivers in the moon, 

 the wits of London, and the King's equerries at 

 Windsor, were making fun of the whole thing, and 

 turning the batteries of ridicule on William Herschel. 

 Tea in the room of the wardrobe ladies at Windsor 

 Castle, especially with Mr. Bryant, the antiquary and 

 author in the company, " was extremely pleasant." 

 It was always antiquities or odd accidents with him : 

 " This night, Dr. Herschel and his newly discovered 

 volcanoes in the moon came in for their share." Next 

 evening three equerry colonels were at table. The 

 volcanoes again came into the eyes or lips of some of 

 the party. " I don't give up to Dr. Herschel at all," 

 cried Colonel Manners ; " he is all system, and so they 

 are all ; and if they can but make out their systems 

 they don't care a pin for anything else. As to 

 Herschel, I liked him well enough till he came to his 

 volcanoes in the moon, and then I gave him up : I 

 saw he was just like the rest. How should he know 

 anything of the matter ? There's no such thing as 

 pretending to measure at such a distance as that." 

 The company sat silent while this outburst of lava, 



