It must therefore have been formed by
several eruptions in succession, but in that case what had become of the
ejected matter?
Theories of this nature and all manner of scientific questions were, of
course, perfectly permissible to terrestrial astronomers laboring under
the disadvantage of imperfect instruments. But Barbican could not think
of wasting his time in any speculation of the kind, and now, seeing that
his Projectile perceptibly approached the lunar disc, though he
despaired of ever reaching it, he was more sanguine than ever of being
soon able to discover positively and unquestionably some of the secrets
of its formation.
[Footnote C: We must again remind our readers that, in our map, though
every thing is set down as it appears to the eye not as it is reversed
by the telescope, still, for the reason made so clear by Barbican, the
right hand side must be the west and the left the east.]
CHAPTER XIII.
LUNAR LANDSCAPES
At half past two in the morning of December 6th, the travellers crossed
the 30th northern parallel, at a distance from the lunar surface of 625
miles, reduced to about 6 by their spy-glasses. Barbican could not yet
see the least probability of their landing at any point of the disc.
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