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MILLER. One of a group of three moderately large ring-plains, of which Nasireddin is a member, near the central meridian in S. latitude 39 deg. Its massive border rises nearly 11,000 feet above the floor, on which stands a central peak. Miller is about 36 miles in diameter. NASIREDDIN. A somewhat smaller ring-plain on the S. of the last, and of a very similar type.
In any case, we can hardly imagine that material standing at such a high angle of inclination as that forming the summit ridge of many of the ring-plains would not frequently slide down in great masses, and thus form irregular plateaus on the lower and flatter portions of the slope; but this fails to explain the symmetrical arrangement of the concentric terraces and intermediate valleys.
It is shaped like the letter D, the straight side facing the W. There is a distinct crater on the N. wall. On the N.W. it is flanked by three irregular ring-plains, and on the S.E. by a fourth. Neison shows two small mountains on the floor, but Schmidt, whose drawing is very true to nature, has no detail whatever.
The inner slopes are conspicuously terraced. There is a very inconspicuous central mountain and several large craters on the floor, some of them double. Ten have been counted on the N. half of the interior. On the S.E. of Vieta are two fine overlapping ring-plains, with a crater on the wall common to both.
GROVE. A bright deep ring-plain, 15 miles in diameter, in the Lacus Somniorum, with a border rising 7000 feet above a greatly depressed floor, which includes a prominent mountain. MASON. The more westerly of two remarkable ring-plains, situated in the highlands on the S. side of the Lacus Mortis.
It loses its individuality altogether on the S., its place being occupied by two large depressions, and lofty mountains trending towards the S.E. In the centre there are several distinct bright elevations. MAGELHAENS. The more northerly and the larger of a pair of ring-plains between Colombo and Goclenius, with a bright and somewhat irregular though continuous border.
BAROCIUS. A massive formation, about 50 miles in diameter, on the S.W. side of Maurolycus, whose border it overlaps and considerably deforms. Its wall rises on the E. to a height of 12,000 feet above the floor, and is broken on the N.W. by two great ring-plains. On the inner slope of the S.E. border is a curious oblong enclosure. There is nothing remarkable in the interior.
On almost every part of its broken border stand large ring-plains, many of which, if they were isolated, or situated in a less disturbed region, would rank as objects of importance; but among such a multitude of features they pass unnoticed.
I can look forward and see it finished, and bringing to our eyes the sun with its majestic spots and ruddy corona, fierce with blazing heat so great that it is beyond our comprehension; the cold, pale, dead, silver moon, with its hundreds of old ring-plains and craters, scored and seamed, and looking to be only a few hundred miles away instead of two hundred and forty thousand; Jupiter with its four moons perhaps we shall see the fifth its belts and great red spot as it whirls round in space; brilliant Venus, with her changes like our moon; bright little Mercury; Saturn, with his disc-like ring, his belts and satellites; leaden-looking Neptune; ruddy Mars; the stars that look to us of a night bright points of light, opened out by that optic glass, and shown to be double, triple, and quadruple.
SIRSALIS. The more westerly of a conspicuous pair of ring-plains about 20 miles in diameter, in the disturbed mountain region some distance S.W. of Grimaldi. It has lofty bright walls, rising to a great height above a depressed floor, on which there is a prominent central mountain. The E. border encroaches considerably on the somewhat larger companion, which is, however, scarcely a third so deep.
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