gathered again to its fathers, before man appeared upon the earth. That slight physical changes, such as the downfall of mountain-walls or crater-cones, still occasionally occur upon the moon, is an opinion entertained by some selenographers, and apparently justified by observation. The enormous changes of temperature, from burning heat under a cloudless sun to the freezing cold of space at night with no atmospheric blanket to retain heat (which has generally been assumed to be the condition of things on the moon), would naturally exert a disintegrating effect upon the lunar rocks. But the question is now in dispute whether the surface of the moon ever rises above the freezing-point of water, even under a midday sun. Mankind has always been a little piqued by the impossibility of seeing the other side of the moon, and all sorts of odd fancies have been indulged in regard to it. Among the most curious is the ancient belief that the souls of the good who die on earth are transported to that side of the moon which is turned away from the earth; while the souls of the wicked sojourn on this side, in full view of the scene of their evil deeds. The visible side of the moon--with its tremendous craters, its yawning chasms, its frightful contrasts of burning sunshine and Cimmerian darkness, its airless and arid plains and dried-up sea-bottoms exposed to the pitiless cold of open space, and heated, if heated at all, by scorching sunbeams as fierce as naked flame--would certainly appear to be in a proper condition to serve as a purgatory. But we have no reason to think that the other side is any better off in these respects. In fact, the glimpses that we get of it around the corners, so to speak, indicate that the whole round globe of the moon is as ragged, barren, and terrible as that portion of it which is turned to our view. THE PLANETS.--In attempting to view the planets with an opera-glass, too much must not be expected; and yet interesting views can sometimes be obtained. The features of their surfaces, of course, can not be detected even with a powerful field-glass, but the difference between the appearance of a large planet and that of the stars will at once strike the observer. Mercury, which, on account of its nearness to the sun and its rapid changes of place, comparatively few persons ever see, can perhaps hardly be called an interesting object for an opera-glass, and yet the beauty of the planet is greatly increased when viewed with such aid. Mercury is brilliant enough to be readily distinguishable, even while the twilight is still pretty bright; and I have had most charming views of the shy planet, glittering like a globule of shining metal through the fading curtain of a winter sunset.