Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-12-24
sntsresting & gnstrnftire fafts
Interesting Planetary Diseoveries-The
Planet Mars-A World Unlike Ours.

Planet mars-A World Unlike Ours.
From the Boston Journal.
The planet Mars is the only object in
the whole heavens which is known to
exhibit features similar to those of our
earth, ard the accumulated explorations
and discoveries of astronomers during
the last two hundred years have result
ed in the construction of a globe repre-
senting the characteristics of this planet
as astronomers believe them to exist
At a recent meeting ofthe Astronomical
Society of England, globe of Mars was
exhibited on which lands and seas were
depicted as upon an ordinary terrestriei
globe. By far the largest part of these
lands and seas were laid down as well
known entities, respecting which no
more doubt is felt among astronomers
than is felt by geOgraphers concerning
the oceans and continents of our own
globe. An interesting description OF
this globe appears in "Fraser's Maya
zine.n TO the lands and seas developed
in the planet are applied the names OF
those astronomers whose researches have
added to our knowledge on the subject.
Each pole of Mars, it seems, is capped
with ice, which varies in extent, accord
ing to the progress of the seasons
Around each cap is a polar sea, the
northern sea being termed the Schroter
Sea; the southern, Phillips Sea. The
equatorial regions of Mars are mainly
occupied by extensive continents, four
in number, and named Dawes Conti-
nent, Nader Continent, Seechi Conti-
nent, Herschel /. .lSir W. Continent.
Between Dawes and Herschel Conti-
nents flows sea shaped like an hour
glass, called Kaiser Sea, the large south
ern ocean out of which it flows being
denominated Dawes Ocean. Between
Madler and Dawes Continents flows
Dawes Strait, connecting large south
ern ocean and a northern sea, named
after Tycho. Hersehel Continent is
separated from Secchi Continent by
Higgins Inlet. flowing from a large
southern sea termed Maraldi Sea. In
| like manner Bessel Inlet, flowing out Ot
Airey Sea Ia northern sea, separates the
| Malder and Secchi Continents. Dawes
Ocean separates into four large seas, and
! large tracts of land lie between them,
| but whether they are islands or not is
uncertain. In Delarne Ocean there is a
small island which presents so bright
and glittering an aspect as to suggest
the probability ofits being usually snow
covered. These seas, separated by lands
of doubtful extent, reach from Delarne
Ocean to the South Pole.
One of the most singular features oi
Mars is the prevalence of long winding
inlets and bottle necked seas. These
features are wholly distinct from any
| thing on our earth. For example, Hig-
gins Inlet is long-forked stream ex-
| tending for about three thousand miles.
Bessel Inlet is nearly as long, and Mas.
myth Inlet is still more remarkable in
its form. On our earth the oceans are
| three times as extensive as the cOnti-
nents. On Mars very different arrange
ment prevails. In the first place there
is little disparity between the extent ol
oceans and continents, and then these
are mixed up in complex manner. A
traveller By either land or water could
visit almost every quarter of the planet
without leaving the element in which
he began his journeyings. If he chooses
to go by water he could journey for up
wards of thirty thousand miles, always
in sight of land, generally with land in
view on both sides, in such intricate
labyrinthe fashion are the land and sea-
of Mars intertwined. .r.