The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-03-04
The Moon.


From the Report Of Professor MitchelPs
lecture, given in the N. Y. Tribune, we ex-
tract n few interesting remarks on the APP
pearances ofthe Moon .. ........I
"Though huve presented you demonstra-
ton tonight you will pardon mo if occupy
n little more than my nllott ed time in giving
you some account of the Telescope Appear
ance ofthe Moons surface. Those who for the
il slime behold the Moons surince thro' pow
erful instrument, will always be disappointed
in its appearance. There are mighty noun
talns on its surface; there are deep bleak cav
tiles, some perhaps fifteen, twenty, forty, and
even sixty miles in diameter, and sinking hes
low the surface seven and eight thousand
feet Out ofthese, mighty rocks arise two
thousand feet above the level of the valley,
casting their deep black shadows upon the
plains below. All these things are very iue;
aud yet, OH looking at them through the tele-
scope for the first time, one is invariably dis
appointed. You cannot see mountains as
you see them in the Highlands ofNow York
You cannot see the gray rocks projecting so
beautifully as you behold them on some
earthly mountain height Remember, after
your telescope has carried you out as far as
you can reach, there is yet whole hundred
miles 10 he overcome So, in spite of all you
can do, and with all the aid you can bring,
you are hundred miles from the object.
But, do we know nothing of the Moon p
Are we so far off that we can tell nothing of
the characteristics gifts surface ? answer:
we know that towering mountains lift their
lofty heads, deep caverns yawn, and there
are vast circular elevations resembling tho
usual productions of volcanic action. And
now do we determine these things? by
the lights and shadows which show Them
elves 10 the eye we measure the height Of
these mountains, by remarking the relative
position of the Sun and the Earth. We mark
the eXiremities of their long, deep shadows,
and find that the Sun slowly rises, the shad-
ows 10y degrees recede towards The base of
the mountains; and when noon day arrives
they entirely disappear. Then as the Sun
begins to decline on the other side, the same
dark shadows arc cast in the opposite direcv
tons. We watch the movements till we as
certain with perfect cerinin,y the character Of
the object which casts The shadow, and we
measure IT'S height. These are reliable facts.
But the question next comes: How is it
possible to measure the depths of those doop
cavities? II appears ms if immense lakes
had once filled them, and by some extraordi-
nary means the water had been evGporated,
leaving the interior dry, hard and STERILE
We find these depths in like manner Us we
the height of mountains. When
the Sun rs first rising il casts it's light into
these cavities Of the Moon we see shadowa
cast by the slnward sides, and the limits OF
the cavities are defined with degree of ac-
curacy surprising anything upon the surface
Of the Earth. For the shadows are not here
so black us upon yonder ord. They are nit
igated and dispersed through the influence
four atmosphere. But on the Moon there
is no atmosphere, at least not such u one IA
will compare at all with ours. The Moons
If indeed il hive one, can he no
llenser than the extremely rarfied air left in
the most perfect vacuum yet produced in an
exhausted receiver; 1t cannot sustain ami.
NAL life--it cannot support clouds nor can IL q
sustain combustion. And, for the reason
that the Moon has no gradual fading away OF
the light as the gun sinks deeper below tho
horz0n-no soft, mild and lovely twilight,
such as sheds holy serenity over our favor.
ed globe--but instantaneous and appalling
darkness follows the setting Ofthe Sun, dreaP
as the night of Death; and broken not by
the rosy fingered morn" slowly ray'ng
from faint sireaks ofIight to the fiilIness OF
the day-spring--but startled from the very
depth ofblnckness by the tightening flash Of
the Suns meridian glory.
The Piiisburg Mercury tells the following
good one;
Somewhere in the West, sable knight
of the laiherand brush was performing the
operation of shaving hoosier will a very
dull razor,
Stop' said the hoosier, that won't do,'