PART in. THE CYCLE OF A YEAR. 31 



becomes of it then ? It seems to whirl about in the seas 

 between these two places, occasionally even to surround 

 the former island, and then flow away bifurcated and 

 weakened to the south-west. 



This idea was published by M. Pegot Ogier in his 

 two-volume book on The Fortunate Islands}- I n voyaging 

 about among these islands, M. Ogier found the native 

 boatmen looking to the north (the direction there towards 

 Madeira), and judging of the weather to come by the 

 more or less clearness wherewith they could perceive, in 

 the extreme distance, the pale blue mountains of the 

 enchanted or wandering island of San Borondon an 

 island which no voyagers could ever reach, though they 

 sailed directly to it, for it would always vanish on their 

 approach. Once, indeed, it was supposed to have been 

 arrived at, and even landed on ; but then it turned out to 

 be the south-west point of Madeira. 



Hence it is plain that Madeira being ever in the 

 neighbourhood of, if not actually surrounded by, circu- 

 lating sea- water far warmer than her latitude equivalent 

 must have invisible watery molecules in over-abundance 

 perpetually ascending from the sea -level below to the 

 cloud strata above, with some aid thereto doubtless offered 

 by her massive mountain peaks which do materially con- 

 nect the two levels at that particular spot. 



Whence it comes that even in the crystal clearest 



1 Kindly introduced to my notice by Mr. John Small, M.A., the widely 

 experienced Librarian of the Edinburgh University's extensive library. 



