were thrilled with astonishment to perceive four successive flocks of
large winged creatures, wholly unlike any kind of birds, descend with a
slow even motion from the cliffs on the western side, and alight upon
the plain. They were first noticed by Dr. Herschel, who exclaimed,
'Now, gentlemen, my theories against your proofs, which you have often
found a pretty even bet, we have here something worth looking at: I
was confident that if ever we found beings in human shape, it would be
in this longitude, and that they would be provided by their Creator
with some extraordinary powers of locomotion: first exchange for my
number D.' This lens being soon introduced, gave us a fine half-mile
distance, and we counted three parties of these creatures, of twelve,
nine, and fifteen in each, walking erect towards a small wood near
the base of the eastern precipices. Certainly they _were_ like human
beings, for their wings had now disappeared, and their attitude in
walking was both erect and dignified. Having observed them at this
distance for some minutes, we introduced lens H _z_ which brought
them to the apparent proximity of eighty yards; the highest clear
magnitude we possessed until the latter end of March, when we effected
an improvement in the gas-burners. About half of the first party had
passed beyond our canvass; but of all the others we had a perfectly
distinct and deliberate view. They averaged four feet in height, were
covered, except on the face, with short and glossy copper-colored hair,
and had wings composed of a thin membrane, without hair, lying snugly
upon their backs, from the top of the shoulders to the calves of the
legs. The face, which was of a yellowish flesh color, was a slight
improvement upon that of the large orang outang, being more open and
intelligent in its expression, and having a much greater expansion
of forehead. The mouth, however, was very prominent, though somewhat
relieved by a thick beard upon the lower jaw, and by lips far more
human than those of any species of the simia genus. In general symmetry
of body and limbs they were infinitely superior to the orang outang;
so much so, that, but for their long wings, Lieut. Drummond said they
would look as well on a parade ground as some of the old cockney
militia! The hair on the head was a darker color than that of the body,
closely curled, but apparently not woolly, and arranged in two curious
semicircles over the temples of the forehead. Their feet could only
be seen as they were alternately lifted in walking; but, from what we
could see of them in so transient a view, they appeared thin, and very
protuberant at the heel.
"Whilst passing across the canvass, and whenever we afterwards saw
them, these creatures were evidently engaged in conversation; their
gesticulation, more particularly the varied action of their hands
and arms, appeared impassioned and emphatic. We hence inferred that
they were rational beings, and although not perhaps of so high an
order as others which we discovered the next month on the shores of
the Bay of Rainbows, that they were capable of producing works of art
and contrivance. The next view we obtained of them was still more
favorable. It was on the borders of a little lake, or expanded stream,
which we then for the first time perceived running down the valley to a
large lake, and having on its eastern margin a small wood.
"Some of these creatures had crossed this water and were lying like
spread eagles on the skirts of the wood. We could then perceive that
they possessed wings of great expansion, and were similar in structure
to those of the bat, being a semi-transparent membrane expanded in
curvilineal divisions by means of straight radii, united at the back
by the dorsal integuments. But what astonished us very much was the
circumstance of this membrane being continued, from the shoulders to
the legs, united all the way down, though gradually decreasing in
width. The wings seemed completely under the command of volition, for
those of the creatures whom we saw bathing in the water, spread them
instantly to their full width, waved them as ducks do theirs to shake
off the water, and then as instantly closed them again in a compact
form. Our further observation of the habits of these creatures, who
were of both sexes, led to results so very remarkable, that I prefer
they should first be laid before the public in Dr. Herschel's own work,
where I have reason to know they are fully and faithfully stated,
however incredulously they may be received.-- * * * * * The three
families then almost simultaneously spread their wings, and were lost
in the dark confines of the canvass before we had time to breathe from
our paralyzing astonishment. We scientifically denominated them the
Vespertilio-homo, or man-bat; and they are doubtless innocent and happy
creatures, notwithstanding that some of their amusements would but ill
comport with our terrestrial notions of decorum. The valley itself we
called the Ruby Colosseum, in compliment to its stupendous southern
boundary, the six mile sweep of precipices two thousand feet high.
And the night, or rather morning, being far advanced, we postponed
our tour to Petavius (No. 20), until another opportunity." We have,
of course, faithfully obeyed Dr. Grant's private injunction to omit
those highly curious passages in his correspondence which he wished
us to suppress, although we do not perceive the force of the reason
assigned for it. It is true, the omitted paragraphs contain facts which
would be wholly incredible to readers who do not carefully examine the
principles and capacity of the instrument with which these marvellous
discoveries have been made; but so will nearly all of those which he
has kindly permitted us to publish; and it was for this reason that
we considered the explicit description which we have given of the
telescope so important a preliminary. From these, however, and other
prohibited passages, which will be published by Dr. Herschel, with the
certificates of the civil and military authorities of the colony, and
of several Episcopal, Wesleyan, and other ministers, who, in the month
of March last, were permitted, under stipulation of temporary secrecy,
to visit the observatory, and become eye-witnesses of the wonders which
they were requested to attest, we are confident his forthcoming volumes
will be at once the most sublime in science, and the most intense in
general interest, that ever issued from the press.
The night of the 14th displayed the moon in her mean libration, or
full; but the somewhat humid state of the atmosphere being for several
hours less favorable to a minute inspection than to a general survey
of her surface, they were chiefly devoted to the latter purpose. But
shortly after midnight the last veil of mist was dissipated, and
the sky being as lucid as on the former evenings, the attention of
the astronomers was arrested by the remarkable outlines of the spot
marked Tycho, No. 18, in Blunt's lunar chart; and in this region they
added treasures to human knowledge which angels might well desire to
win. Many parts of the following extract will remain forever in the
chronicles of time:--
"The surface of the moon, when viewed in her mean libration, even with
telescopes of very limited power, exhibits three oceans of vast breadth
and circumference, independently of seven large collections of water,
which may be denominated seas. Of inferior waters, discoverable by the
higher classes of instruments, and usually called lakes, the number
is so great that no attempt has yet been made to count them. Indeed,
such a task would be almost equal to that of enumerating the annular
mountains which are found upon every part of her surface, whether
composed of land or water. The largest of the three oceans occupies a
considerable portion of the hemisphere between the line of her northern
axis and that of her eastern equator, and even extends many degrees
south of the latter. Throughout its eastern boundary, it so closely
approaches that of the lunar sphere, as to leave in many places
merely a fringe of illuminated mountains, which are here, therefore,
strongly contra-distinguished from the dark and shadowy aspect of the
great deep. But peninsulas, promontories, capes, and islands, and a
thousand other terrestrial figures, for which we can find no names in
the poverty of _our_ geographical nomenclature, are found expanding,
sallying forth, or glowing in insular independence, through all the
'billowy boundlessness' of this magnificent ocean. One of the most
remarkable of these is a promontory, without a name, I believe, in
the lunar charts, which starts from an island district denominated
Copernicus by the old astronomers, and abounding, as we eventually
discovered, with great natural curiosities. This promontory is indeed
most singular. Its northern extremity is shaped much like an imperial
crown, having a swelling bow, divided and tied down in its centre by a
band of hills which is united with its forehead band or base. The two
open spaces formed by this division are two lakes, each eighty miles
wide; and at the foot of these, divided from them by the band of hills
last mentioned, is another lake, larger than the two put together, and
nearly perfectly square. This one is followed, after another hilly
division, by a lake of an irregular form; and this one yet again, by
two narrow ones, divided longitudinally, which are attenuated northward
to the main land. Thus this skeleton promontory of mountain ridges runs
396 miles into the ocean, with six capacious lakes, enclosed within
its stony ribs. Blunt's excellent lunar chart gives this great work
of nature with wonderful fidelity, and I think you might accompany
my description with an engraving from it, much to your reader's
satisfaction. (See plate 4.)
"Next to this, the most remarkable formation in this ocean is a
strikingly brilliant annular mountain of immense altitude and
circumference, standing 330 miles E.S.E., commonly known as Aristarchus
(No. 12), and marked in the chart as a large mountain, with a great
cavity in its centre. That cavity is now, as it was probably wont to be
in ancient ages, a volcanic crater, awfully rivalling our Mounts Etna
and Vesuvius in the most terrible epochs of their reign. Unfavorable as
the state of the atmosphere was to close examination, we could easily
mark its illumination of the water over a circuit of sixty miles. If
we had before retained any doubt of the power of lunar volcanoes to
throw fragments of their craters so far beyond the moon's attraction
that they would necessarily gravitate to this earth, and thus account
for the multitude of massive aerolites which have fallen and been found
upon our surface, the view which we had of Aristarchus would have set
our scepticism forever at rest. This mountain, however, though standing
300 miles in the ocean, is not absolutely insular, for it is connected
with the main land by four chains of mountains, which branch from it as
a common centre.
"The next great ocean is situated on the western side of the meridian
line, divided nearly in the midst by the line of the equator, and
is about 900 miles in north and south extent. It is marked C in the
catalogue, and was fancifully called the Mare Tranquillitatis. It is
rather two large seas than one ocean, for it is narrowed just under the
equator by a strait not more than 100 miles wide. Only three annular
islands of a large size, and quite detached from its shores, are to be
found within it; though several sublime volcanoes exist on its northern
boundary; one of the most stupendous of which is within 120 miles of
the Mare Nectaris before mentioned. Immediately contiguous to this
second great ocean, and separated from it only by a concatenation of
dislocated continents and islands, is the third, marked D, and known
as the Mare Serenitatis. It is nearly square, being about 330 miles
in length and width. But it has one most extraordinary peculiarity,
which is a perfectly straight ridge of hills, certainly not more than
five miles wide, which starts in a direct line from its southern to
its northern shore, dividing it exactly in the midst. This singular
ridge is perfectly _sui generis_, being altogether unlike any mountain
chain either on this earth or on the moon itself. It is so very keen,
that its great concentration of the solar light renders it visible to
small telescopes; but its character is so strikingly peculiar, that
we could not resist the temptation to depart from our predetermined
adherence to a general survey, and examine it particularly. Our lens G
_x_ brought it within the small distance of 800 yards, and its whole
width of four or five miles snugly within that of our canvass. Nothing
that we had hitherto seen more highly excited our astonishment. Believe
it or believe it not, it was one entire crystallization!--its edge,
throughout its whole length of 340 miles, is an acute angle of solid
quartz crystal, brilliant as a piece of Derbyshire spar just brought
from a mine, and containing scarcely a fracture or a chasm from end to
end! What a prodigious influence must our thirteen times larger globe
have exercised upon this satellite, when an embryo in the womb of time,
the passive subject of chemical affinity! We found that wonder and
astonishment, as excited by objects in this distant world, were but
modes and attributes of ignorance, which should give place to elevated
expectations, and to reverential confidence in the illimitable power of
the Creator.
"The dark expanse of waters to the south of the first great ocean
has often been considered a fourth; but we found it to be merely a
sea of the first class, entirely surrounded by land, and much more
encumbered with promontories and islands than it has been exhibited
in any lunar chart. One of its promontories runs from the vicinity
of Pitatus (No. 19), in a slightly curved and very narrow line, to
Bullialdus (No. 22), which is merely a circular head to it, 264 miles
from its starting place. This is another mountainous ring, a marine
volcano, nearly burnt out, and slumbering upon its cinders. But
Pitatus, standing upon a bold cape of the southern shore, is apparently
exulting in the might and majesty of its fires. The atmosphere being
now quite free from vapor, we introduced the magnifiers to examine
a large bright circle of hills which sweep close beside the western
abutments of this flaming mountain. The hills were either of snow-white
marble or semi-transparent crystal, we could not distinguish which,
and they bounded another of those lovely green valleys, which,
however monotonous in my descriptions, are of paradisaical beauty and
fertility, and like primitive Eden in the bliss of their inhabitants.
Dr. Herschel here again predicated another of his sagacious theories.
He said the proximity of the flaming mountain, Bullialdus, must be so
great a local convenience to dwellers in this valley during the long
periodical absence of solar light, as to render it a place of populous
resort for the inhabitants of all the adjacent regions, more especially
as its bulwark of hills afforded an infallible security against any
volcanic eruption that could occur. We therefore applied our full power
to explore it, and rich indeed was our reward.
"The very first object in this valley that appeared upon our canvass
was a magnificent work of art. It was a temple--a fane of devotion, or
of science, which, when consecrated to the Creator, _is_ devotion of
the loftiest order; for it exhibits his attributes purely free from
the masquerade, attire, and blasphemous caricature of controversial
creeds, and has the seal and signature of his own hand to sanction
its aspirations. It was an equitriangular temple, built of polished
sapphire, or of some resplendent blue stone, which, like it displayed
a myriad points of golden light twinkling and scintillating in the
sunbeams. Our canvass, though fifty feet in diameter, was too limited
to receive more than a sixth part of it at one view, and the first
part that appeared was near the centre of one of its sides, being
three square columns, six feet in diameter at its base, and gently
tapering to a height of seventy feet. The intercolumniations were each
twelve feet. We instantly reduced our magnitude, so as to embrace the
whole structure in one view, and then indeed it was most beautiful.
The roof was composed of some yellow metal, and divided into three
compartments, which were not triangular planes inclining to the centre,
but subdivided, curbed, and separated, so as to present a mass of
violently agitated flames rising from a common source of conflagration
and terminating in wildly waving points. This design was too manifest,
and too skilfully executed to be mistaken for a single moment. Through
a few openings in these metallic flames we perceived a large sphere of
a darker kind of metal nearly of a clouded copper color, which they
enclosed and seemingly raged around, as if hieroglyphically consuming
it. This was the roof; but upon each of the three corners there was
a small sphere of apparently the same metal as the large centre one,
and these rested upon a kind of cornice, quite new in any order of
architecture with which we are acquainted, but nevertheless exceedingly
graceful and impressive. It was like a half-opened scroll, swelling
off boldly from the roof, and hanging far over the walls in several
convolutions. It was of the same metal as the flames, and on each side
of the building it was open at both ends. The columns, six on each
side, were simply plain shafts, without capitals or pedestals, or any
description of ornament; nor was any perceived in other parts of the
edifice. It was open on each side, and seemed to contain neither seats,
altars, nor offerings; but it was a light and airy structure, nearly a
hundred feet high from its white glistening floor to its glowing roof,
and it stood upon a round green eminence on the eastern side of the
valley. We afterwards, however, discovered two others, which were in
every respect fac-similes of this one; but in neither did we perceive
any visitants besides flocks of wild doves which alighted upon its
lustrous pinnacles. Had the devotees of these temples gone the way of
all living, or were the latter merely historical monuments? What did
the ingenious builders mean by the globe surrounded by flames? Did
they by this record any past calamity of _their_ world, or predict any
future one of _ours_? I by no means despair of ultimately solving not
only these but a thousand other questions which present themselves
respecting the objects in this planet; for not the millionth part of
her surface has yet been explored, and we have been more desirous of
collecting the greatest possible number of new facts, than of indulging
in speculative theories, however seductive to the imagination.
"But we had not far to seek for inhabitants of this 'Vale of the
Triads.' Immediately on the outer border of the wood which surrounded,
at the distance of half a mile, the eminence on which the first of
these temples stood, we saw several detached assemblies of beings
whom we instantly recognized to be of the same species as our winged
friends of the Ruby Colosseum near the lake Langrenus. Having adjusted
the instrument for a minute examination, we found that nearly all the
individuals in these groups were of a larger stature than the former
specimens, less dark in color, and in _every respect_ an improved
variety of the race. They were chiefly engaged in eating a large yellow
fruit like a gourd, sections of which they divided with their fingers,
and ate with rather uncouth voracity, throwing away the rind. A smaller
red fruit, shaped like a cucumber, which we had often seen pendant from
trees having a broad dark leaf, was also lying in heaps in the centre
of several of the festive groups; but the only use they appeared to
make of it was sucking its juice, after rolling it between the palms of
their hands and nibbling off an end. They seemed eminently happy, and
even polite, for we saw, in many instances, individuals sitting nearest
these piles of fruit, select the largest and brightest specimens,
and throw them archwise across the circle to some opposite friend or
associate who had extracted the nutriment from those scattered around
him, and which were frequently not a few. While thus engaged in their
rural banquets, or in social converse, they were always seated with
their knees flat upon the turf, and their feet brought evenly together
in the form of a triangle. And for some mysterious reason or other
this figure seemed to be an especial favorite among them; for we found
that every group or social circle arranged itself in this shape before
it dispersed, which was generally done at the signal of an individual
who stepped into the centre and brought his hands over his head in an
acute angle. At this signal each member of the company extended his
arms forward so as to form an acute horizontal angle with the extremity
of the fingers. But this was not the only proof we had that they were
creatures of order and subordination. * * * * We had no opportunity of
seeing them actually engaged in any work of industry or art; and so far
as we could judge, they spent their happy hours in collecting various
fruits in the woods, in eating, flying, bathing, and loitering about
upon the summits of precipices. * * * * But although evidently the
highest order of animals in this rich valley, they were not its only
occupants. Most of the other animals which we had discovered elsewhere,
in very distant regions, were collected here; and also at least eight
or nine new species of quadrupeds. The most attractive of these was
a tall white stag with lofty spreading antlers, black as ebony. We
several times saw this elegant creature trot up to the seated parties
of the semi-human beings I have described, and browse the herbage
close beside them, without the least manifestation of fear on its part
or notice on theirs. The universal state of amity among all classes
of lunar creatures, and the apparent absence of every carnivorous
or ferocious species, gave us the most refined pleasure, and doubly
endeared to us this lovely nocturnal companion of our larger, but less
favored world. Ever again when I 'eye the blue vault and bless the
_useful_ light,' shall I recall the scenes of beauty, grandeur, and
felicity, I have beheld upon her surface, not 'as _through_ a glass
darkly, but face to face;' and never shall I think of that line of our
thrice noble poet,
----'Meek Diana's crest
Sails through the azure air, an island of the blest,'
without exulting in my knowledge of its truth."
With the careful inspection of this instructive valley, and a
scientific classification of its animal, vegetable, and mineral
productions, the astronomers closed their labors for the night;
labors rather mental than physical, and oppressive, from the extreme
excitement which they naturally induced. A singular circumstance
occurred the next day, which threw the telescope quite out of use for
nearly a week, by which time the moon could be no longer observed
that month. The great lens, which was usually lowered during the day,
and placed horizontally, had, it is true, been lowered as usual,
but had been inconsiderately left in a perpendicular position.
Accordingly, shortly after sunrise the next morning, Dr. Herschel and
his assistants, Dr. Grant and Messrs. Drummond and Home, who slept in
a bungalow erected a short distance from the observatory circle, were
awakened by the loud shouts of some Dutch farmers and domesticated
Hottentots (who were passing with their oxen to agricultural labor),
that the "big house" was on fire! Dr. Herschel leaped out of bed from
his brief slumbers, and, sure enough, saw his observatory enveloped in
a cloud of smoke.
Luckily it had been thickly covered, within and without, with a coat
of Roman plaster, or it would inevitably have been destroyed with
all its invaluable contents; but, as it was, a hole fifteen feet
in circumference had been burnt completely through the "reflecting
chamber," which was attached to the side of the observatory nearest
the lens, through the canvass field on which had been exhibited so many
wonders that will ever live in the history of mankind, and through
the outer wall. So fierce was the concentration of the solar rays
through the gigantic lens, that a clump of trees standing in a line
with them was set on fire, and the plaster of the observatory walls,
all round the orifice, was vitrified to blue glass. The lens being
almost immediately turned, and a brook of water being within a few
hundred yards, the fire was soon extinguished, but the damage already
done was not inconsiderable. The microscope lenses had fortunately
been removed for the purpose of being cleaned, but several of the
metallic reflectors were so fused as to be rendered useless. Masons and
carpenters were procured from Cape Town with all possible dispatch, and
in about a week the whole apparatus was again prepared for operation.