Year: 1871

In the case of the planet Mars, and in the case
of the planet Mars alone, our astronomers have
really established the existence of a similarity of
physical conditions, which gives us the strong
est possible grounds for inerring that even such
creatures as we now are could somehow make
shift to live there, though, of course, not with
out certain amount of preliminary discomfort
while we were trying to acclimize ourselves
Mr.. Proctors graphic account of these similar-
ties, and his descriptive chart of the planets
continents and waters, suggest to us to discuss
one or two of the known differences of condi-
ton in their relation to the probable results
upon the history and civilization of the Martial
lists.


First, let us briefly say that the Martialiss
have world less in area than one of our hemis-
pheres to explore that, in spite of this, it has
not very much less land than the earth, much
less proportion of its surface being occupied
with water than our globe; that its seas are of
the type of the Baltic and Mediterranean
the most part narrow, struggling, inland seas
that the greatest seas are in the neighborhood of
the cold south pole of Mars, which has a climate
far severer than the north pole; that there is a
world of perpetual snow at each Martial pole,
which can be seen to diminish as the Summer
returns to each hemisphere, and to increase
again as Winter comes back and in spite of
the preponderence of land, vast deal of rain
falls on Mars, especially in Winter, clouds often





our astronomers, and tren suddenly dispensing,
and leaving the continents clear again--a clear
ing up which usually happens about the hour of
noon in Mars, just as our weather so often
changes ms the sun passes the meridian that
the Martial year is nearly twice as long ms ours ;
and that the force of gravity on Mars Is much
less than half what it is with us, so that, as Mr..
Proctor expresses it, "a Daniel Lambert on Mars
would be able to leap easily to u hight of FIVE or
six feet, and he could run faster than the best of
our terrestrial athletes"


The general result, then, of the teescopc OBJ
servations of Mars, and the deduced calculations
may said to be


With certainty, that the weight Of objects of
the same mass in Mars is much less than half
what it is here, and that consequently there
would be a far greater range of activity for crea-
lures of the same size that falls would be less
dangerous, that the strain on walls, or columns
or any other supports, would be mnch less !;
and that consequently, roofs, arches and struct-
ures of that kind might be easily set up on
much larger scale by creatures of equal skill as
ourselves but, on the other hand, that friction
which is more or less proportional to PRESSURE
and, therefore, in the case of piles of stones
etc, the weight would be far less than on the
surface of the earth so that any violent lateral
disturbances, such as hurricanes, would exert
still greater effect than our earth in destroy
ing such structures, since there would be less
solidity, and therefore, less frictona resistance
to overcome in overturning them. Again, the
vastly diminished weight of given masses would
give very great advantage to all kinds of en-
gines of draught. Carriages, carts and railways
would attain vastly greater speed than on our
earth, and the sledging on the snow fields Of
Mars might be rs swift as the wind All these
differences are matters of certainty so far as they
go.-LOndon Spectator.