The moon hoax : $b or, A discovery that the moon has a vast population of human beings — John Locke — John Shaqi
The moon hoax : $b or, A discovery that the moon has a vast population of human beings
John Locke · en
The moon being now low on her descent, Dr. Herschel inferred that the
increasing refrangibility of her rays would prevent any satisfactory
protraction of our labors, and our minds being actually fatigued with
the excitement of the high enjoyments we had partaken, we mutually
agreed to call in the assistants at the lens, and reward their
vigilant attention with congratulatory bumpers of the best "East
India Particular." It was not, however, without regret that we left
the splendid valley of the red mountains, which, in compliment to the
arms of our royal patron, we denominated "the Valley of the Unicorn;"
and it may be found in Blunt's map, about midway between the Mare
Fœcunditatis and the Mare Nectaris.
The nights of the 11th and 12th being cloudy, were unfavorable
to observation; but on those of the 13th and 14th further animal
discoveries were made of the most exciting interest to every human
being. We give them in the graphic language of our accomplished
correspondent:--
"The astonishing and beautiful discoveries which we had made during our
first night's observation, and the brilliant promise which they gave
of the future, rendered every moonlight hour too precious to reconcile
us to the deprivation occasioned by these two cloudy evenings; and
they were borne with strictly philosophical patience, notwithstanding
that our attention was closely occupied in superintending the erection
of additional props and braces to the twenty-four feet lens, which we
found had somewhat vibrated in a high wind that arose on the morning of
the 11th. The night of the 13th (January) was one of pearly purity and
loveliness. The moon ascended the firmament in gorgeous splendor, and
the stars, retiring around her, left her the unrivalled queen of the
hemisphere. This being the last night but one, in the present month,
during which we should have an opportunity of inspecting her western
limb, on account of the libration in longitude which would thence
immediately ensue, Dr. Herschel informed us that he should direct our
researches to the parts numbered 2, 11, 26, and 20 in Blunt's map, and
which are respectively known in the modern catalogue by the names of
Endymion, Cleomedes, Langrenus, and Petavius. To the careful inspection
of these, and the regions between them and the extreme western rim, he
proposed to devote the whole of this highly favorable night. Taking
then our twenty-five miles breadth of her surface upon the field of
view, and reducing it to a slow movement, we soon found the first very
singularly shaped object of our inquiry. It is a highly mountainous
district, the loftier chains of which form three narrow ovals, two of
which approach each other in slender points, and are united by one
mass of hills of great length and elevation; thus presenting a figure
similar to that of a long skein of thread, the bows of which have been
gradually spread open from their connecting knot. The third oval looks