The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-11-02

An exchange has translated an article from
the Cosmos, in which Stanlslas MeuRier. gives
some curious speculations with regard to the pre-.
| sent physical condition of the moon.
His theory Is, and he has the support OF emil
| nent astronomers like Beer, Moedler and Arago,
| that the moon Is 8 dead star. He draws this In
| ference from singular appearance upon the sur
face which Is called grooves" Dy the physicists.
These grooves have parallel sides nearly mile IN
width, and from ten to one hundred and twenty
five miles In length. There are already ninety Of
them, and 1t issupposed that more are In process
| Of formation. Reasoning from analogy, we must
believe THAT at some period In the distant past,
the moon had an atmosphere and water, and
also thas on account Of her inferior size, she had
cooled much more quickly than the earth: The
water penetrating the crust has been absorbed as
the decrease OF internal heat increased the thick
ness Of the crust, until long before the cooling
process had reached the centre, the water had dis
appeared. The rocks then solidifying, as the heat
sembiing the appearance Of basalt, and produced
the grooves into which the atmosphere Settled.
Hence comes the chaotic appearance OF the moon,
with Its immense mountains, volcanoes and era
ters. Some astronomers have detected an ap-
pearance OF action In some Of the volcanoes; but
the general opinion is that every vestige OF phys
cal life has long since departed from the surface
of our satellite.
our distant neghbor, the moon; but we cannot
shut our eyes to the startling fact that tile earth
Is undergoing similar process OF TRANSFORMATION.
Biologists place close resemblance between the
circles fn the moon and the circles OF granite and
porphyry upon the earth. They have also discoV-
cred evidences OF fine stratitlcation among the
lunar mountains; while volcanic formations bear
a dIscernlble analogy to those OF Tenerille and
Pama According to tne new % tneory, tne ioli9w 3Se
earth's surface; for she, like her subordinate IS
gradually cooling 1t Is estimated that one-hftieth
Of the original ocean has been already absorbed,
and that when the crust OF the earth has become
one hundred miles in thickness, every drop OF
water win disappear 1t ls also estimated that the
earth would easily absorb Iffty oceans like those
which now cover large portion OF the surface.
All the water OF present on che earth constitutes
one twenty. .four.thousandth part OF its weight,
and once absorbed would become insensiole to
chemical analysis The water being ABSORBED, tne
earth will crack open like the moon, and form
similar grooves into which the atmosphere WIN
settle. Long before this era all Life will have
ceased. Whether there Is any truth IN the theory
or not we have no immediate cause OF alarm; lot
tho process will not advance enough to give the
tlme. According to the experiments OF Bichof,
It win take nine millions OF years for the earth to
cool down fifteen degrees. This loss is almost I'm
perceptlbe, rs the internal heat adds only thir-
teth OF degree to the temperature OF the surface
If this process Is true OF the earth and the
moon, the same cause must produce the same
effects In the other planets and satellites OF the
system. Even the grelt sun himself must be sub
jected 10 the laws which rule his subordlnates.
Therefore, the time must come In the distant
ages OF the hereafter, when sun, planets and
moon losing every vcstlge OF heat, VIII nave aD-
sorbed every drop Of water IN their thickensd
crusts, and will have imprisoned every particle
OF atmosphere in their huge assures The solar
system, now so grandly beautiful, VIII then Dc
but an assembage OF dead worlds, without ray
OF light, without wave OF heat, without drop
Of water, without breath of air. foatlng around
in theimmensity OF space, bound together by the
law Of grayitation In the embrace OF death.