"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  those  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 resources 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 also like  a  skein,  and  lies  as  if
     carelessly dropped from nature's hand in connection with the
     other; but that which might fancifully be supposed as having
     formed  the second bow of this second skein is cut open, and
     lies in scattered threads of smaller  hills  which  cover  a
     great extent of level territory.
          The ground plan of these  mountains  is  so  remarkable
     that  it  has  been  accurately  represented in almost every
     lineal map of the moon that has been drawn; and in  Blunt's,
     which  is  the  best, it agrees exactly with my description.
     Within the grasp, as it were, of the  broken  bow  of  hills
     last  mentioned, stands an oval-shaped mountain, enclosing a
     valley of an immense area, and having on its western ridge a
     volcano  in a state of terrific eruption.  To the north-east
     of this, across the broken, or what Mr. Holmes  called  `the
     vagabond   mountains,'   are  three  other  detached  oblong
     formations, the largest and last of which is marked F in the
     catalogue,  and  fancifully denominated the Mare Mortuum, or
     more commonly the `Lake of Death.'
          Induced  by  a  curiosity  to  divine  the reason of so
     sombre a  title,  rather  than  by  any  more  philosophical
     motive, we here first applied our hydro-oxygen magnifiers to
     the focal image of the great lens.   Our  twenty-five  miles
     portion  of  this great mountain circus had comprehended the
     whole of this area, and of  course  the  two  conical  hills
     which  rise  in  it  about  five  miles from each other; but
     although this  breadth  of  view  had  heretofore  generally
     presented  its  objects  as  if  seen  within  a terrestrial
     distance of two and a half miles, we were, in this instance,
     unable  to  discern these central hills with any such degree
     of distinctness.  There did not appear to  be  any  mist  or
     smoke  around  them,  as in the case of the volcano which we
     had left in the south-west, and  yet  they  were  completely
     indistinct  upon  the  canvass.  On sliding in the gas-light
     lens the mystery was immediately solved.     They  were  old
     craters  of  extinct  volcanoes,  from  which still issued a
     heated though transparent exhalation, that kept them  in  an
     apparently oscillatory or trembling motion, most unfavorable
     to examination.  The craters of both these hills, as  nearly
     as we could judge under this obstruction, were about fifteen
     fathoms deep, devoid of  any  appearance  of  fire,  and  of
     nearly  a yellowish while color throughout.  The diameter of
     each was about nine diameters  of  our  painted  circle,  or
     nearly  450  feet; and the width of the rim surrounding them
     about 1000 feet; yet notwithstanding  their  narrow  mouths,
     these  two  chimneys  of the subterranean deep had evidently
     filled with lava and ashes with which it was encumbered, and
     even added to the height, if not indeed caused the existence
     of the oval chain of mountains which surrounded it.
          These  mountains,  as  subsequently  measured  from the
     level of some large lakes around them, averaged  the  height
     of  2,800  feet;  and Dr. Herschel conjectured from this and
     the vast extent of their abutments, which ran for many miles
     into the country around them, that these volcanoes must have
     bee in full activity for a million years.  Lieut.  Drummond,
     however,  rather  supposed  that the whole area of this oval
     valley was but the exhausted crater  of  one  vast  volcano,
     which   in   expiring  had  left  only  these  two  imbecile
     representatives of its power. I believe Dr. Herschel himself
     afterwards  adopted  this  probable  theory, which is indeed
     confirmed by the universal geography of the planet.    There
     is  scarcely  a  hundred miles of her surface, not excepting
     her largest seas  and  lakes,  in  which  circular  or  oval
     mountainous  ridges  may not be easily found; and many, very
     many  of  these  having  numerous  enclosed  hills  in  full
     volcanic  eruption,  which  are  now  much  lower  than  the
     surrounding circles, it admits of  no  doubt  that  each  of
     these  great  mountains  is the remains of one vast mountain
     which has  burnt  itself  out,  and  left  only  these  wide
     formations  of  its ancient grandeur. A direct proof of this
     is afforded in a tremendous volcano, now in its prime, which
     I shall hereafter notice.
          What gave the name `The Lake of Death' to  the  annular
     mountain  I  have  just  described, was, I suppose, the dark
     appearance of the valley which it encloses, and which, to  a
     more  distinct view than we obtained, certainly exhibits the
     general  aspect  of  the  waters  on  this  planet.      The
     surrounding  country  is  fertile  to  excess:  between this
     circle and No. 2 (Endymion),  which  we  proposed  first  to
     examine,  we counted not less than twelve luxuriant forests,
     divided by open plains, which waved in an ocean of  vendure,
     and  were probably prairies like those of North America.  In
     three of these we discovered numerous  herds  of  quadrupeds
     similar  to  our  friends  the  bisons  in the Valley of the
     Unicorn, but of much larger size; and scarcely  a  piece  of
     woodland  occurred  in our panorama which did not dazzle our
     visions with flocks of white or red birds upon the wing.
          "At  length  we  carefully  explored  the Endymion.  We
     found each of the three ovals volcanic and  sterile  within;
     but, without, most rich, throughout the level regions around
     them, in every imaginable production of  a  bounteous  soil.
     Dr.  Herschel  has  classified  not  less  than thirty-eight
     species of forest trees, and nearly  twice  this  number  of
     plants,   found  in  this  tract  alone,  which  are  widely
     different to those found in more equatorial latitudes.    Of
     animals, he classified nine species of mammalia, and five of
     ovipara.  Among the former is a small kind of rein-deer, the
     elk,  the moose, the horned bear, and the biped beaver.  The
     last resembles the  beaver  of  the  earth  in  every  other
     respect  than    in  its  destitution  of  a  tail,  and its
     invariable habit of walking upon only two feet.  It  carries
     its  young in its arms like a human being, and moves with an
     easy gliding motion.  Its huts are  constructed  better  and
     higher  than those of many tribes of human savages, and from
     the appearance of smoke in nearly all of them, there  is  no
     doubt  of  its being acquainted with the use of fire.  Still
     its head and body differ only in the points stated from that
     of  the  beaver, and it was never seen except on the borders
     of lakes and rivers, in which is has been  seen  to  immerse
     for a period of several seconds.
          "Thirty degrees farther south, in No. 11, or Cleomedes,
     an  immense  annular  mountain,  containing  three  distinct
     craters, which have been so long extinguished that the whole
     valley  around  them,  which  is  eleven miles in extent, is
     densely crowded with woods nearly  to  the  summits  of  the
     hills.    Not a rod of vacant land, except the tops of these
     craters, could be descried, and no living creature, except a
     large  white  bird  resembling  the  stork.  At the southern
     extremity of this valley is a natural archway or cavern, 200
     feet  high,  and  100 wide, through which runs a river which
     discharges itself over a precipice of grey rock 80  feet  in
     depth, and thus forms a branching stream through a beautiful
     campaign district for many miles.
          Within  twenty  miles  of  this cataract is the largest
     lake, or rather inland sea, that has been  found  throughout
     the  seven  and  a  half millions of square miles which this
     illuminated side of the moon contains.  Its width, from east
     to  west,  is 198 miles, and from north to south, 266 miles.
     Its shape, to the northward, is not unlike that of  the  bay
     of  Bengal,  and  it  is studded with small islands, most of
     which are volcanic.  Two of these, on the eastern side,  are
     now  violently eruptive; but our lowest magnifying power was
     too great to examine them with convenience,  on  account  of
     the  cloud  of  smoke and ashes which beclouded our field of
     view: as sen by  Lieut.  Drummond,  through  our  reflective
     telescope  of  2,000 times, they exhibited great brilliancy.
     In a bay, on the western side of this sea, is an  island  55
     miles  long, of a crescent form, crowded through its natural
     sweep with the most superb and wonderful  natural  beauties,
     both  of  vegetation  and  geology.  Its hills are pinnacled
     with tall quartz crystals, of so rich a  yellow  and  orange
     hue  that  we at first supposed them to be pointed flames of
     fire; and they spring up thus from  smooth  round  brows  of
     hills  which  are covered with a velvet mantle.  Even in the
     enchanting little valleys of this winding  island  we  could
     often  see  these  splendid  natural spires, mounting in the
     midst of deep green woods, like church steeples in the vales
     of Westmoreland.
          We  here  first  noticed  the  lunar  palm-tree,  which
     differs from that of our  tropical  latitudes  only  in  the
     peculiarity  of  very  large crimson flowers, instead of the
     spadix protruded  from  the  common  calyx.    We,  however,
     perceived  no  fruit on any specimens we saw: a circumstance
     which  we  attempted  to  account   for   from   the   great
     (theoretical)  extremes  in  the lunar climate. On a curious
     kind of  tree-melon  we  nevertheless  saw  fruit  in  great
     abundance,  and  in  every  stage of inception and maturity.
     The general color of these woods was a  dark  green,  though
     not  without  occasional  admixtures  of  every  tint of our
     forest seasons.  The hectic flush of autumn was  often  seen
     kindled  upon  the  cheek  of  earliest  spring; and the gay
     drapery of summer in some places surrounded  trees  leafless
     as  the  victims of winter.  It seemed as if all the seasons
     here united hands in a circle of perpetual harmony.
          Of  animals  we  saw  only an elegant striped quadruped
     about three feet high, like a  miniature  zebra;  which  was
     always  in  small herds on the green sward of the hills; and
     two or three kinds of long-tailed birds, which we judges  to
     be  golden  and  blue pheasants.  On the shores, however, we
     saw countless multitudes of univalve shell-fish,  and  among
     them  some  huge flat ones, which all three of my associates
     declared to be cornu ammonae;  and  I  confess  I  was  here
     compelled  to  abandon my sceptical substitution of pebbles.
     The cliffs all along these shores were deeply undermined  by
     tides;   they   were  very  cavernous,  and  yellow  crystal
     stalactites larger than a man's thigh were shooting forth on
     all  sides.  Indeed every rood of this island appeared to be
     crystallized; masses of fallen crystals were found on  every
     beach we explored, and beamed from every fractured headland.
     It was more like a creation of  an  oriental  fancy  than  a
     distinct  variety of nature brought by the powers of science
     of ocular demonstration.
          The  striking  dissimilitude  of  this  island to every
     other we had found on these waters, and its  near  proximity
     to  the  main  land,  led us to suppose that it must at some
     time have been a part of it; more especially as its crescent
     bay  embraced the first of a chain of smaller ones which ran
     directly thither.  The first one was  a  pure  quartz  rock,
     about  three  miles  in  circumference,  towering  in  naked
     majesty from the blue deep, without either shore or shelter.
     But  it glowed in the sun almost like a sapphire, as did all
     the lesser ones of whom it seemed the king.  Our theory  was
     speedily  confirmed;  for all the shore of the main land was
     battlemented and spired with these  unobtainable  jewels  of
     nature;  and  as we brought our field of view to include the
     utmost rim of the illuminated boundary  of  the  planet,  we
     could  still  see  them  blazing in crowded battalions as it
     were, through a region of hundreds of miles.    If  fact  we
     could not conjecture where this gorgeous land of enchantment
     terminated; for as the rotary  motion  of  the  planet  bore
     these  mountain  summits  from  our  view, we became further
     remote from their western boundary.
          "We  were admonished by this to lose no time in seeking
     the next proposed object of our search,  the  Langrenus,  or
     No. 26, which is almost within the verge of the libration in
     longitude, and of  which,  for  this  reason,  Dr.  Herschel
     entertained some singular expectations.