The New York herald., 1876-02-03
xEr,s rIArrEMyos. sErrKMREn 20, lsea

The letters a. and stand opposite to the middle Of tho
depressions respectively.
His observations were made with an unsilvered
twelve inch glass speculum September 20 1858, at
about SIX p NJ, before the sun had set He says-'l
had focused the telescope power 1901 than
was astounded at observing that the limb OF the moon
entirely out OF shape; that IL was In fact, irregu
cut OF the spherical mb-not the tcrminator or
course At once changed the eye piece tusing powers
OF 50 and 203I and looked to whether the nstru
ment was out OF adjustment but the cause OF this
traordnary appearance was clearly not in the tele
scope" This drawing was made from recollection
the following day. He estimates that tho largest de-
preston extended than 35 deg OF lati-
tudc, and in the centre was at least twenty-five
miles below the general level OF the moons surface.
At about eight p NJ. the 10th he the natten-
ings with eight inch silvered glass specuum; but
they much less evident than with the larger
instrument that he felt satisfied that he should
have noticed them had he not already them. On
September %, with the exception OF comparatively
faint trace, the natenings had entirely disappeared,
and during the following lunation, In October he could
only detect the slightest trace OF them So far am
aware this completes his testimony
The next witness Is Rev T. W. Webb, the author OF
the well known little volume, Celestial Objects for
Common Telescopes" " who the depressions sew
eral times in September and October 1868 He tried
them with the micrometer and the immediate pres
eace OF the wire proved beyond the possibility of
doubt that they were actually fiat; one was little
concave He considered the hattenngs very extern
sive, but makes no estimate oS the Of the de-
preston.
The next reference to the subject hnd in No OF
the same volume. W. LasreI on May 2l, 1854 observ-
ing the moon with nine inch speculuIn and power
or 1893, 'was Immediately struck with an unusually
irregular outline OF the moons limb, and was re-
minded Of rather startling dngram-that given
above-hc had seen in paper by the Rev Henry
Cooper Kew" But the depressions that be saw were
very different part OF the and very much
less in dimensions, not extending over more than
about IL deg. of latitude
After twelve years of silence the subject called
by Mr.. Marth, who asks that observations may be
made October IA and Is and November III and IL
with the special object OF verifying contradctng the
existence OF these depressions. The December num-
Der OF the Astronomical Register gives the result or
SUCH observations MT w. X Birt on November g.
and D. saw the nattenings and took measures, ind-
eating that at that time they extended from deg
norhto deg. south latitude arc OLA deg Another
observer says that for IL deg OF lunar latitude tho
limb did not oeviate from tho straight edgo OF the
bar. On the 18th OF November Rev. Mr. Key saw them
with an achromatc OF 1k inch aperture, and says
he limb in these places each OF them extending for
several hundred miles, was as straight mcrometer
web, and II similar straight surfaces had extended
round the whole moon her form would have been
very decided dodecahedron, and not a circle"
Al the time OF the original discovery the moons
libraton was deg. min. west do not take the
libraton in latitude into account because, as
Proctor has shown libratlon latitude would
not affect the apparent position OF an 90.
difference OF libration in latitude might cause
some difference in the appearance OF depression ex
tending over 10 deg or more, this would DO lost in
comparison with the difference caused by a slight
change in the libration In Longitude On November g.
1875 the lbration was deg west; on the 4th 5 deg
? min west. and on the 6th deg. min. On Rovenn
Der IL the libraton deg min. west and on the
l2th deg ives. Comparing the observations, either
tude OF the depressons he has them under
ter circumstances than other Observers His estimate
in 1863 OF an angular extent Of IS deg agrees well with
hts drawing and also with his last 1875 for
one hne of dodecahedron would be about 80 dea.
aud " we assume q typographical end, and that
"dodecagon. was intended, would still DO % deg
two or three times the extent seen by
others This estimate OF depression Of twenty.
I'VE miles corresponds with an arc Of about
20 deg IL Will be seem too that all the other observ
ers bad libraton greater than deg min and that
hr. Key, on November IL had hbration OF 3 deg
IL would SEEM therefore, that although the nattenngs
may be seen with braton from deg. 70 deg west,
the most favorable time TO them Is when the libra
tion Is deg TO deg. west On January 9, when the
hbration was deg min. west saw the latenings
without difficulty, but they certainly did not exceed
10 deg or IL deg in arc, and did not present start
ling" appearance.
The next favorable opportunity 70 see Keys nat1en,
ings viii be on February g. or within DAY or t"o o.
that time. At the time OF the occultauons OF me
Pleades the lbraton will be deg 2mn west gradually
diminishing until at Of the following gay u wh
DO the same az on September 20, 1903 Darlng INC
occuations We shall only have favorable oppor-
tunity TO verify The discovery BY direct OBSERVATION
but 10 apply the test OF occultaton and probably
more than once Several OF the principal stars OF the
PieIades will be occuIted nearly centrally and u is
likely that some them will reappear behind the hat
tenings Probably different localities In the United
states different stars will have their temperance
accelerated by the dopressons Should the weather
he favorable fote the observaticpr OF the occula.
lions of The Plc iwtss ocs&Cea a comuarls0u