514 REPORT—1868. 
ceived. . They will, it is expected, be tried soon at several bores in the 
neighbourhood of Glasgow, one of which is 174 fathoms deep, and at about 
half that depth passes through 18 fathoms of greenstone. 
Several small hardy maximum thermometers, suited for rough work, are 
being constructed by Casella, and are to be had from him by any of the 
Members of Committee, or by parties recommended by them. 
Members of Committee are earnestly requested to cooperate energetically in 
the work. The arrangements now made for the supply of suitable thermo- 
meters will allow useful results to be easily obtained in great abundance, 
from every variety of situation where available bores exist, at small expense, 
and without much expenditure of time. 
Changes of the Moon’s Surface. By Baron Von Mivier. 
[A Communication ordered to be printed in extenso. | 
Tue earliest idea of the heavenly bodies was that they were simply accesso- 
ries of the earth, and existing only on her account. The course of astrono- 
mical discovery compelled these notions to give place to another view, that 
these heavenly bodies were independent spheres; from this naturally sprang 
a desire to learn more of these distant worlds. This desire can be accom- 
plished in part by means of the sight which the telescope gives of the sur- 
face of the heavenly bodies; and our own satellite in particular presents 
such a “ wealth of objects” that the most diligent efforts of the observer of 
the present day will fall far short of the representation of them all; and 
much, very much, must remain for his successors to accomplish. But though 
Riccioli more than 200 years ago attached to his ‘ Grimaldi’s Almanack’ of 
the Moon the superscription ‘ Nec homines vivere, nec plants erescere pos- 
sunt,’ and all subsequent observers must agree with him, yet there were not 
a few who sought to maintain a contrary opinion. In short, inhabitants of 
the moon have been sought for—Selenites, as Helvetius first called them. 
Gruithuysen hoped to see them when they might happen to be passing in a 
great mass through some mountain defile (wood-roads was his own word) ; 
and if they themselves could not be perceived, he was reluctant to abandon 
the hope that at least their buildings and similar works might be observed. 
But it is superfluous to dwell on a subject which rests upon such chimerical 
notions. ‘he changes which we meet with in the moon have been brought 
about by natural power far greater and more marked than all the artificial 
works we have been able to execute, and these changes are still working ; 
and since it cannot be doubted that with our present instruments it would be 
possible to perceive from the moon events such as some yolcanic eruptions, 
and the raising of a new island out of the depths of the sea, so may we 
take a hint to discover, if possible, such events in the moon, and to explain 
analogously anything seen or supposed to be seen there. First, let us con- 
sider the volcanoes of which Sir W. Herschel speaks. That renowned inquirer 
expresses himself with all possible caution; he plainly states that he makes 
use of the word only because there must be some term of designation, and 
that he aimed at nothing less than a definite explanation. Notwithstanding 
this caution, however, many authors have spoken of burning volcanoes in the 
moon as an undoubted fact, and with a reference to Herschel’s remarks. Her- 
schel was the only one at that time who possessed such resources, and it had 
long been usual to receive all his observations without the proof which no 
