The strong family likeness pervading the craters of the moon renders it unnecessary that we should attempt a description of each one of them or even of one in twenty. We have, however, thought that a few remarks upon the salient features of a few of the most important may be acceptable in explanation of our illustrative plates; and what we have to say of the few may be taken as representative of the many.
COPERNICUS, 147—(49·8—107·0). Plate VIII.
This may deservedly be considered as one of the grandest and most instructive of lunar craters. Although its vast diameter (46 miles) is exceeded by others, yet, taken as a whole, it forms one of the most impressive and interesting objects of its class. Its situation, near the centre of the lunar disc, renders all its wonderful details, as well as those of its immediately surrounding objects, so conspicuous as to establish it as a very favourite object. Its vast rampart rises to upwards of 12,000 feet above the level of the plateau, nearly in the centre of which stands a magnificent group of cones, three of them attaining the height of upwards of 2400 feet.
The rampart is divided by concentric segmental terraced ridges, which present every appearance of being enormous landslips, resulting from the crushing of their over-loaded summits, which have slid down in vast segments and scattered their débris on to the plateau. Corresponding vacancies in the rampart may be observed from whence these prodigious masses have broken away. The same may be noticed, although in a somewhat modified degree, around the exterior of the rampart. In order to approach a realization of the sublimity and grandeur of this magnificent example of a lunar volcanic crater, our reader would do well to endeavour to fix his attention on its enormous magnitude and attempt to establish in his mind’s eye a correct conception of the scale of its details as well as its general dimensions, which, as they so prodigiously transcend those of the largest terrestrial volcanic craters, require that our ideas as to magnitude of such objects should be, so to speak, educated upon a special standard. It is for this reason we are anxious our reader, when examining our illustrations, should constantly refer the objects represented in them to the scale of miles appended to each plate, otherwise a just and true conception of the grandeur of the objects will escape him.