The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1835-09-09

From the Supplement 10 the EdiaJ,rgk journal
of Science
NEW LUNAR DISCOVERIES.
Continued.
/ The nights of the llth and 18th being cloudy
were uuiavorab,e to observation but on those of
I, the 18th and ih farther animal discoveries were
made of the most exciting interest TO every human
being We give them in the graphic language of
our accomplished correspondent.
The astonishing and beautiful discoveries which
we had made during our first nights observation,
and the brilliant promise which they cave Of e iu-
ture rendered every moonlight hour roo precious to
reconcile to the deprivation occasloncd 10y these
two cloudy evenings; and they were not borne with
strictly philosophical patience, Notwithstanding our
attention closely occupied in experimenting the
erection of additional props and braces TO the twen-
y four feet lens, which we found had somewhat Vi
brated in n high wind that arose the morning of
the llth. The night of the 18th Jan'y was one
of pearly purity and loyllness. The moon ascend
ed the frmament in gorgeous splendor, and the
stars retiring around her, left her the unryaIled
queen of the hemisphere. This being the last night
but one, in the present month, during which we
should have an opportunity of inspecting her wcs-
tern limb account of bration in longitude which
would thence Immediately cnsuc, Dr. iierschcl in
formed us that he should direct our researches to
the parts numbered , /, 20 and 20 in BIunt's map
catalogue by the names of Endymion, Cleomedes
Longrenus, and and Patayius. To the careful in
spection of these and the regions between them and
the extreme western rim, he proposed TO devote the
whole of this highly favorable night. Taking then
our twenty-five mile breadth of her surface under
the field view, and reducing it to slow movement,
we soon found the first very sngularly shaped OBJ
ect of our inquiry. 1t is highly mountainous dis
tric the loftier chains of which approach each 9TH
| slender nointS aud nrp united Inv of
hills of great length and elevation thus presenting
| a figure similar to that of long skcn of thread,
bows of which have been gradually spread open from
their connecting knot. The third oval looks also
like n sken, and lies if carelcssy dropped from
natures hand in connection with the other but
that which might fanciiully be supposed as having
formed the second bow of this second sken Is cut
open and lies in scattered threads of smaller hills
whichever vast extent of level tcrritory.--Thc
} ground plan of these mountains is so remarkable
that 1t has been accurately represented IN almost
cry linear map OF the that has been drawn
and in Blunt's which is the best, agrees exactly
\ with my description. Within the grasp, rs 1t were
1t of the broken bow Of hills last mentioned, stands ~
oval shaped mountain enclosing valley Of an i'm
mense area, and having, It's western ridge, vol
cano IN state of terrific eruption. To the north
east of this, the broken, or what Mr. Holmes
/, called the yagabond mountains" the largest and
last of which is marked +. in the catalogue, aud
fancifu!ly denominated the Mare Mortum more
commonly the " Lake of DEATH" Induced by Gu
rlosty to divine the of so sombrc title ratl-
or than by any more philosophical motive, here
FIRST applied our hydro-oxygen magnifcrs to the To-
cal image OF lhc great cns--Our twenty-five miles
portion of ths glca, mountain circus, had compre-
hChdcd the whole Of It's AREA and Of course the two
cohIca' hills winch rise within it about five miles
from each other; but although this breadth of view
had heretofore generally presented its objects il
seen within terrestrial distance of two aud "A half
mules, we were, in this distance, unable to discern
these central hills with any such degree of distinct
I ness There did not appear to be any mist or smoke
around them, as IN the case Of the volcano which
we had lcit in the southwest, and aud yet they were
comparatively indstinct upon the canvass. On sli-
ulng m lie gas light lens the mystery was mmc-
dIaciy solved
There old cratcrs Of extinct volcanoes, from
winch still issued heated though transparent cx-
halatlon, that kept them in apparently oscatory
or trembling motion, most unfavorabIe to examine
ton The craters Of both of these bills as nearly
as we could Judge from Under this obstruction were
about fifteen alhom deep, devoid Of any appearance
OF fire, and ofncarly yelIowish wo color through
out The diameter of each was about nine dame
ters OF our painted circle, nearly $50 feet and
the width of the rim surrounding them about 1000
ieet,-yet Notwithstanding their narrow mouths,
these two chlmneys of the subtcnanean deep had
IeHdenuy hIed the Whole area oi the valley IN winch
they stood with the lava and ashes with which 1t was
encountered, and even added to the height, if not
indeed caused the exisance of the oval chain Of
mountains which surrounded il. Those mountains
as subsequently measured from the level of some
large lakes around them, averaged the height of
$500 feet and DIR. Herschel conjecturcd from this,
aud the vast extent Of their abatmcnts, which ran
for many miles into the country around them, that
these volcanoes must have been in full activity for
million Of years Lieutenant D-unmond however,
rather supposed that the whole of this oval val
ley was but the exhausted crater Of vast yolca-
no, which in expiring has left only these two rnbe-
cilc representatives of its power. believe Doctor
IIerschel himself afterwards adopted this probable
theory which Is indeed. confirmed by the unlyersal