Inaugural Lecture 1889 3 



is removed from the sea and is absorbed as vapour by the 

 atmosphere, the equilibrium of which is thereby disturbed, 

 producing winds. The air charged with moisture is liable to 

 lose it again when its temperature is lowered, much of it falling 

 back into the sea, but much of it also falling on the land, 

 especially the mountainous regions. This again destroys 



Hbrium, producing other motions of the atmosphere. None 

 of the mineral constituents of the earth are proof against 

 the action of rain, especially when exposed at the same time 

 to a hot sun ; the result is chemical decomposition of the mineral 

 matter, the transference of some portion of it to the water 



olution and the removal of some of it by the mechanical 

 action of the water during its return to the sea, and much of 



main- in situ in an altered and disintegrated state. 



All the elements of physical geography are continually 



:ig and re-acting on one another, each altering and modify- 

 ing the other, and producing, even in the inorganic world, 

 a series of changes which may fairly be called a kind of life. 

 The Land and Water of the globe possess besides, each for 



!. a highly developed organic life which in its turn acts 



re-acts on the inorganic world. 



The atmosphere, the real external shell of our planet, has 

 from the earliest times been the object of observation and 



ilatinn by all peoples who by experience and practice 



1 to connect atmospheric phenomena with the 



production of the thing called weather, which exercises so 



t an influence on the physical condition of thr 



inhabitants. But until quite recently it was only in its 



-t layers, those immediately lying upon the land or water 



ice of the globe, that it had been in any way thoroughly 



It is only within the last few years that the 



of the atmosphere have been takm more notice 



of, especially in regard to the upper air currents and their 



import. m<<- in \\cathcr fnn-ca-ting and generally in tin- rlima 



t th. earth. High level observatories also are 1> 

 multiplied in all countries and are doing for tin- h i-hts of 



.t nin.pl,, -IT what recent ocean exploring expeditions have 

 done for the depths of the sea. 



12 



