i873-J Notices of Books. 519 



stationed at the summit of some very lofty peak, and that the view 

 shows only a very small portion of what would really be seen 

 under such circumstances in any particular direction. The por- 

 tion of the sky shown in either picture extends only a few 

 degrees from the horizon, as is manifest from the dimensions of 

 the earth's disc ; and thus it is shown that only a few degrees of 

 the horizon are included in the landscape." 



This chapter concludes with a very graphic description of what 

 an observer stationed on the summit of the lunar Apennines 

 would have seen on the evening of November 1, 1872. We 

 recommend all our readers to carefully peruse these most elo- 

 quent and beautifully descriptive passages. We may only quote 

 one or two paragraphs as examples : — " On all sides, this mighty 

 star-belt spread its out-lying bands of stars, far away on the one 

 hand towards Lyra and Bootes, where on earth we see no traces 

 of milky lustre, and on the other towards the Twins and the 

 clustering glories of Cancer — the ' dark constellation ' of the 

 Ancients, but full of telescopic splendours. Most marvellous, 

 too, appeared the great dark gap which lies between the Milky 

 Way and Taurus ; here, in the very heart of the richest region 

 of the heavens, with Orion and the Hyades and Pleiades blazing 

 on one side, and on the other the splendid stream laving the 

 feet of the Twins, — there lay a deep black gulf, which seemed 

 like an opening through our star system into starless depths 

 beyond. . . . And now, as hour passed after hour, a series of 

 changes took place in the scene, which were unlike any that are 

 known to our astronomers on earth. The stars passed, indeed, 

 athwart the heavens on a course not differing from that followed 

 by the stars which illumine our skies, but so slowly that in an 

 hour of lunar time they shifted no more than our stars do in 

 about two minutes. And, marvellous to see, the great orb of 

 earth did not partake in this motion. Hour by hour passed 

 away; the stars slowly moved on their course westwards, but 

 they left the earth still suspended as a vast orb of light high 

 above the southern horizon. She changed, indeed, in aspect. 

 The two Americas passed away towards the right, and the broad 

 Pacific was presented to view. Then Asia and Australia ap- 

 peared on the left, and as they passed onwards the East Indies 

 came centrally upon the disc. Then the whole breadth of Asia 

 could be recognised, but partly lost in the misty light of the 

 northern half, while the blue of the Indian Ocean was con- 

 spicuous in the south. And as the hours passed on, Europe and 

 Africa came into view ; and our own England, foreshortened and 

 barely visible, near the snow-covered northern region of the 

 disc." 



Here, then, we end our brief examination of a work which 

 commends itself both to the general well-informed reader and to 

 the man of Science. The really new matter is by no means in- 

 considerable, and the work constitutes, we believe, the most 



