﻿FOGS 
  AND 
  CLOUDS 
  HUMPHREYS. 
  195 
  

  

  words, 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  take 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  to 
  count 
  a 
  string 
  of 
  them 
  

   an 
  inch 
  long! 
  Nor 
  is 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fog 
  particles 
  in 
  a 
  definite 
  

   volume 
  any 
  less 
  amazing. 
  It 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  light 
  fog 
  that 
  has 
  only 
  1,000 
  

   droplets 
  per 
  cubic 
  inch; 
  a 
  heavy 
  fog 
  has 
  around 
  20,000. 
  Indeed, 
  

   vastly 
  greater 
  numbers 
  have 
  often 
  been 
  found, 
  even 
  up 
  to 
  nearly 
  a 
  

   million 
  per 
  cubic 
  inch. 
  

  

  But 
  these 
  droplets, 
  as 
  explained, 
  are 
  so 
  excessively 
  minute 
  that 
  

   the 
  very 
  maximum 
  density 
  of 
  a 
  million 
  per 
  cubic 
  inch 
  would 
  still 
  

   leave 
  the 
  empty 
  space 
  30,000 
  times 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  volume 
  actually 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  liquid 
  present. 
  

  

  IMPRESSIONS. 
  

  

  If 
  one 
  would 
  thrill 
  his 
  soul 
  with 
  beauty 
  let 
  him, 
  on 
  a 
  brilliant, 
  

   moonlit 
  night, 
  view 
  from 
  the 
  mountain's 
  crest 
  a 
  far 
  flung 
  fog 
  

   over 
  all 
  the 
  Piedmont 
  region 
  beyond, 
  with 
  foothills 
  and 
  knolls 
  

   rising 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  as 
  so 
  many 
  enchanted 
  islands 
  in 
  an 
  enchanted 
  

   sea. 
  Let 
  him, 
  as 
  the 
  dawn 
  breaks 
  clear, 
  gaze 
  from 
  a 
  mountain 
  top 
  

   on 
  an 
  incipient, 
  fibrous 
  fog, 
  covering 
  a 
  neighboring 
  valley 
  with 
  a 
  

   fabric 
  more 
  gauzy 
  and 
  delicate 
  than 
  ever 
  Arachne 
  spun. 
  Let 
  him 
  

   stand 
  on 
  the 
  topmost 
  peak 
  of 
  rugged 
  Tamalpais 
  and 
  watch 
  in 
  

   wonder 
  the 
  mighty 
  fog 
  billows 
  crowd 
  through 
  the 
  Golden 
  Gate, 
  

   break 
  over 
  the 
  barrier 
  mountain 
  crests, 
  and 
  rush 
  down 
  their 
  sides 
  

   in 
  an 
  all 
  engulfing 
  flood. 
  Let 
  him 
  view 
  from 
  afar 
  the 
  snow- 
  

   crowned 
  crest 
  of 
  incomparable 
  Fuji, 
  floating 
  without 
  visible 
  sup- 
  

   port, 
  in 
  a 
  clean, 
  clear 
  sky 
  while 
  all 
  its 
  base 
  and 
  the 
  region 
  around 
  is 
  

   lost 
  in 
  deep 
  fog 
  and 
  delicate 
  mist. 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  but 
  some, 
  and 
  typical, 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  and 
  

   fascinating 
  of 
  fog 
  effects; 
  so 
  impressive, 
  indeed, 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  

   not 
  forget 
  them 
  if 
  we 
  would, 
  and 
  so 
  charming 
  that 
  certainly 
  we 
  

   would 
  not 
  forget 
  them 
  if 
  we 
  could. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  impressions 
  produced 
  by 
  fog 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  so 
  charm- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  entrancing. 
  If 
  one 
  would 
  go 
  quite 
  to 
  the 
  opposite 
  extreme 
  

   and 
  experience 
  its 
  terrors, 
  let 
  him 
  get 
  lost 
  in 
  London's 
  darkest 
  and 
  

   densest 
  fog. 
  Let 
  him 
  be 
  alone 
  at 
  night 
  in 
  an 
  unfamiliar 
  forest 
  and 
  

   have 
  settle 
  down 
  upon 
  him 
  so 
  thick 
  a 
  fog 
  that 
  literally 
  he 
  can 
  not 
  

   see 
  his 
  hand 
  before 
  him. 
  Let 
  him, 
  on 
  the 
  ocean 
  in 
  the 
  dead 
  of 
  

   night, 
  between 
  the 
  shrieks 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  ship's 
  siren 
  hear 
  from 
  some- 
  

   where, 
  just 
  somewhere, 
  within 
  the 
  encircling 
  gloom, 
  the 
  same 
  dread 
  

   warning. 
  Let 
  him, 
  when 
  flying 
  over 
  strange 
  territory, 
  be 
  forced 
  to 
  

   land 
  in 
  a 
  deep, 
  dense 
  fog 
  ! 
  

  

  All 
  these, 
  and 
  many 
  others, 
  are 
  horrors 
  one 
  longs 
  to 
  forget, 
  

   but 
  can 
  not. 
  

  

  And 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  that, 
  from 
  extreme 
  to 
  extreme, 
  from 
  fascination 
  to 
  

   fear, 
  from 
  delights 
  we 
  fondly 
  cherish 
  to 
  dreads 
  we 
  would 
  fain 
  

  

  