New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-07
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
AN ARTISTS NOTION OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.
TO tAe EdttOr OF Fhe Tribune.
SIR: In the report of Prof. Proctor's lecture
rhlishnd I'm rnur issue OF IAN 20 find the folio wing


TO he EdttOr OF fhe Tribune.
SIR: In the report of Prof ProctOr's lecture
published in your OF Jan TO- find the folio wing
hit at myself:
Here an IDEAL picture Of be You all notice The peculiar
slope Of thfm Again Of Weaherng You
never mountains except where is In the picture
200 are SUPPOSED 70 % ooas e Pn ,ing :, tsn fom
Plato YOu will so see little vors Of the msnnaon here aue
received religions instruction from The earth Tor you
perceive there is a church there. lLaaghteT.I
1t appears from this that the lecturer exhibited upon
the screen before his audience pictures photographed
from Illustrations OF lunar scenery published IN Apple
tons Journal No. lO7 which were furnished by me with
the article they accompanied OF the pictures thus
sgnated ideal, is a kind Of landscape map in
which effort s made 10 exhibit the entire range OF
the lunar Apennines. which is over 800 miles long
magnitude which could be expressed without soften
ing the outlines. viewed they must be at corre-
spondinsy great distance but Mr. Proctor not an
artist naturally fails 20 appreciate the necessities or
art designates them snow covered" notwlth-
standing that he follows Immediately with view OF
the cnke face OF the taken from near the
base aud which the sharp markings OF their structure
arc carefully shown. In the plain at the base OF this
cliff 1 have introduced the appearance OF village,
having In n very high church steeple. In order 10
show what the ght OF the elf would be by comparison
with the tallest Ordinary structures OF our world.
Magnitudes of unfamiliar objects only be shown by
comparison with those with which We are familiar
The lecturer had just presented to his audience, az
true representation Of the lunar ring mountain Copper
nicus, picture drawn, az he tells u, by Mt James
Hamilton OF Philadelphia, which is SIMPLY copy from
the picture OF the Of the volcano Of Joruo in
Mexico may be by comparing both representa-
lions. good OF the latter may be seen in Maurys
Physical Geography and OF the former in the Journal Of
the Franklin Institute for the 1868 70 be found IN
any OF public Libraries The artist was even i'm
prudent enough reproduce the top Of dark mountain
grha IN hafr
the observer and the cone.
In views OF the lunar scenery reproduced from Mr..
ProctOrs book and lecture with the report Of the latter
In your paper he gives US in the foreground ring
mountain with a great cone-ke structure projecting
upward from the center Now the center mountains OF
ring basins invariably lower tnan the rings or ram
part walls" less than Oneffth Of their hight;
but this representation De correct ana assuming the
ring mountain about 20 be Of the ordinary night three
miles, then Mr. Proctor has found center mountain Of
100 miles high The lecturer also SHOWS MS audi-
ence Of the Lunar Apenntne takenas he informs
tbpu-oue from Aristarchusa and one from Plato. Now
rtsarchus IL distant from the Apennines 800 miles, and
plato $780, Eight hundred miles upon the moon equal
"a 1900 upon the earth In angular distance, or IN other
words the Apennines are as ar below the horizon OF
Aristarchus as London is below that Of New-IOrk-
neary-and they are as much below the horizon OF PatO
as 81 IN Francisco II below that OF New-I0rk.
Mr. ProctOrs lecture states his theory Of the manner
in which the ring mountains OF the moon we're formed
That body whlie IN piastlc state "as ooDaueu Hltn
meteors each OF which made hole corresponding
10 its size, heayng up with the blow ring mountain all
round IT, which must have instantly hardened else,
in It's plastic condition, 10 would have settled back into
10
however ne forgotten TO account for though they
pust have flung at the same time either through
hole ID center OF each meteor, or Dy rush OF the
uastc matter from the circumference 10 the center
when the meteOrs went down into the inside. Those up
heaved craggy masses must have instantly hardened,
too before they had time TO fall back Into the same hud
mass OF which they were part can fancy no
narael 90 could imagine the jets spOuted
nv whale CONCEALED and remain stationary, after
r6e whale had passed erecting similar monuments OF
n. travels eyervwhe his native ocean To maze
a ting mountain OF 40 miles in diameter, required
uateorc globe OF corresponding dimensions IL would
reoure only about 432 OF sucn meteOrs 70 make bulk
large Az the noon But where We 10 find room Tor
The millions meteOrs OF all sizes below this which
must have fallen IL each ring mountain represents the
IAN OF a meteor, they literally cover the surface Of
the mOOni
sceuery and presented them 10 his audience with rd
cule may, perhaps be permitted without me charge OF
egotsm 10 emerge for a moment from my ODscurlty 10
explain my claims 20 knowledge OF our satellite.
am a landscape painter, therefore, when turn my
teescope upon the know what landscape forms
her sceiiery will assume and not likely To fall into
the soc works that subject, OF
representing forms Of the shadows cast by the noun
tans for those OF the mountains themselves. Those
peaked crags reproduced IN your paper from Mr. Proc
tors book and lecture as truly portraits or lunar
scenery as the outlines OF heightened shadow cast
bv the setting portraits Of the OBJECT.
have pro iuccd model or the moon, upon Wnlch
every Minis DOiut cOnscenOusly located. II cost
wears and thousands OF dollars Tor which, ana
sceutitc offerings 10 mention here,
have achieved and the profound Indifference OF
nv countrymen But when at length am assalled De
fore An audience md charged with inaeeuracy
nv a man for want OF artistic training never can
comprehend tie subject as do becomes quite dit-
fereut matter. NhAs' ID boiLA
ksso York, Feb. 2, 1874