The Unparalleled Advertures of One Hans Pfaal by Edgar Allan Poe
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atmosphere-- if, indeed, the moon have any), with most of_the other fancies in regard to animal and vegetable existence, are at variance, generally, with all analogical reasoning on_these themes; and_that analogy here will often amount to conclusive demonstration . it_is, perhaps, scarcely necessary to add, that all the suggestions attributed to Brewster and Herschel, in_the beginning of_the article, about "a transfusion of artificial light through_the focal object of vision," etc ., etc ., belong to_that species of figurative writing which comes, most properly, under the denomination of rigmarole .

there_is a real and very definite limit to optical discovery among_the stars--a limit whose nature need only be stated to_be understood . if, indeed, the casting of large lenses were all that_is required, man's ingenuity would ultimately prove equal to_the task, and we_might_have them of any size demanded . but, unhappily, in proportion to_the increase of size in_the lens, and consequently of space-penetrating power, is_the diminution of light from_the object, by diffusion of_its rays . and for_this evil there_is no remedy within human ability; for an object is seen by_means of_that light alone which proceeds from itself, whether direct or reflected . thus the only " artificial" light which could avail Mr Locke, would_be some artificial light which he_should_be_able to throw- not upon_the " focal object of vision," but upon_the real object to_be viewed- to wit: upon_the moon . it_has_been easily calculated that, when_the light proceeding from a star becomes so diffused as to_be as weak as_the natural light proceeding from_the whole of_the stars, in a clear and moonless night, then the star is no longer visible for any practical purpose .

the earl of Ross's telescope, lately constructed in England, has a_speculum with areflecting surface of 4,071 square inches; the Herschel telescope having one of only 1,811 . the metal of_the earl of Ross's is 6 feet diameter; it_is 5 1/2 inches thick at_the edges, and 5 at_the centre . the weight is 3 tons . the focal length is 50 feet .

I_have lately read a singular and somewhat ingenious little book, whose title- page runs thus: "L'Homme dans la lvne ou le voyage Chimerique fait au Monde de la Lvne, nouuellement decouuert par Dominique Gonzales, Aduanturier Espagnol, autremt dit le courier volant .Mis en notre langve par J .B .D .a. Paris, chez Francois Piot, pres la Fontaine de saint Benoist .Et chez J .Goignard, au premier pilier de la grand'salle du Palais, proche les Consultations, MDCXLVII ." Pp .76 .

the writer professes to_have translated his work from_the English of one Mr D'Avisson ( Davidson ? ) although there_is a terrible ambiguity in_the statement ."J' en ai eu," says he "l' original de Monsieur D'Avisson, medecin des mieux versez qui soient aujourd'huy dans la cnoissance des Belles Lettres, et sur tout de la philosophic Naturelle .Je lui ai cette obligation entre les autres, de m' auoir non seulement mis en main cc Livre en anglois, mais encore le Manuscrit du Sieur Thomas D'Anan, gentilhomme Eccossois, recommandable pour sa vertu, sur la version duquel j' advoue que j' ay tir le plan de la mienne ."

after some irrelevant adventures, much in_the manner of Gil Blas, and which occupy the first thirty pages, the author relates that, being ill during a sea voyage, the crew abandoned him, together with a Negro servant, on_the island of St .Helena . to increase the chances of obtaining food, the two separate, and live as far apart as possible . this brings about atraining of birds, to_serve the purpose of carrier-pigeons between_them . by and by_these are taught to carry parcels of some weight- and this weight is gradually increased . at_length the idea is entertained of uniting the force of a great number of_the birds, with a view to raising the author himself .a machine is contrived for_the_purpose, and we_have a minute description of it, which_is materially helped out by a steel engraving . here we perceive the Signor Gonzales, with point ruffles and a huge periwig, seated astride something which resembles very closely abroomstick, and borne aloft by a multitude of wild swans (ganzas) who had strings reaching from their tails to_the machine .

the main event detailed in_the Signor's narrative depends upon a very_important fact, of_which the reader is kept in ignorance until near the end of_the book . the ganzas, with_whom he had become so familiar, were_not really denizens of St .Helena, but of_the moon . thence it had_been their custom, time out of mind, to migrate annually to some portion of_the earth . in proper season, of_course, they_would return home; and_the author, happening, one day, to require their services for a short voyage, is unexpectedly carried straight tip, and in a very brief period arrives at_the satellite . here he finds, among other odd things, that_the people enjoy extreme happiness; that they_have no law; that_they die without pain; that_they_are from ten to thirty feet in height; that_they live five thousand years; that they_have an emperor called Irdonozur; and that_they can jump sixty feet high, when, being out_of_the gravitating influence, they fly about with fans .

I_cannot forbear giving a specimen of_the general philosophy of_the volume .

" I_must not forget here, that_the stars appeared only on_that side of_the globe turned toward the moon, and_that the closer they were to_it the larger they seemed . I_have also me and_the earth . as_to_the stars, since there_was no night where i_was, they always had the same appearance; not brilliant, as usual, but pale, and very nearly like the moon of a morning . but few of_them were visible, and these ten times larger ( as_well as I_could judge) than they seem to_the inhabitants of_the earth . the moon, which wanted two days of being full, was of a terrible bigness .

" I_must not forget here, that_the stars appeared only on_that side of_the globe turned toward the moon, and_that the closer they were to_it the larger they seemed . I_have also to inform you that, whether it_was calm weather or stormy, I_found myself always immediately between_the moon and_the earth . i_was convinced of_this for two reasons- because my birds always flew in a straight line; and because whenever we attempted to rest, we were carried insensibly around the globe of_the earth . for I admit the opinion of Copernicus, who maintains that_it never ceases to revolve from_the east to_the west, _not upon_the poles of_the equinoctial, commonly called the poles of_the world, but upon those of_the zodiac, a question of_which I propose to_speak more at_length here- after, when I_shall_have leisure to refresh my memory in regard to_the astrology which I learned at Salamanca when young, and_have since forgotten ."

notwithstanding the blunders italicized, the book is_not without some claim to attention, as affording a naive specimen of_the current astronomical notions of_the time . one_of_these assumed, that_the "gravitating power" extended but a short distance from_the earth's surface, and, accordingly, we_find our voyager " carried insensibly around the globe," etc .

there_have been other "voyages to_the moon," but none of higher merit than_the one just mentioned . that of Bergerac is utterly meaningless . in_the third volume of_the " American quarterly review" will_be found quite an elaborate criticism upon a certain " journey" of_the kind in_question--a criticism in_which_it_is difficult to_say whether the critic most exposes the stupidity of_the book, or his own absurd ignorance of astronomy .I forget the title of_the work; but the _means of_the voyage are more deplorably ill conceived than are even the ganzas of_our friend the Signor Gonzales . the adventurer, in digging the earth, happens to discover a peculiar metal for_which the moon has a strong attraction, and straightway constructs of it a box, which, when cast loose from its terrestrial fastenings, flies with_him, forthwith, to_the satellite . the " flight of Thomas O'Rourke," is ajeu d' esprit not altogether contemptible, and has_been translated into German .Thomas, the hero, was, in_fact, the gamekeeper of an Irish peer, whose eccentricities gave rise to_the tale . the " flight" is made on an eagle's back, from hungry hill, a lofty mountain at_the end of Bantry Bay .

in_these various brochures the aim is always satirical; the theme being a description of Lunarian customs as compared with ours . in none is_there any effort at plausibility in_the details of_the voyage itself . the writers seem, in each instance, to_be utterly uninformed in respect to astronomy . in "Hans Pfaall" the design is original, inasmuch as regards an attempt at verisimilitude, in_the application of scientific principles ( so_far as_the whimsical nature of_the subject would permit), to_the actual passage between_the earth and_the moon .

{*2} the zodiacal light is probably what the ancients called Trabes .Emicant Trabes quos docos vocant .-- Pliny, lib .2, p .26 .

{*3} since_the original publication of Hans Pfaall, I_find that Mr green, of Nassau balloon notoriety, and other late aeronauts, deny the assertions of Humboldt, in_this respect, and speak of adecreasing inconvenience, -- precisely in accordance with_the theory here urged in amere spirit of banter .

{*4} Havelius writes that he has several_times found, in skies perfectly clear, when even stars of_the sixth and seventh magnitude were conspicuous, that, at_the same altitude of_the moon, at_the same elongation from_the earth, and with one and_the same excellent telescope, the moon and its maculae did_not appear equally lucid at all times . from_the circumstances of_the observation, it_is evident that_the cause of_this phenomenon is_not either in_our air, in_the tube, in_the moon, or in_the eye of_the spectator, but must_be looked for in something ( an atmosphere ? ) existing about_the moon .

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