152 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 



pears of a dull red. It extends out over the Atlantic for 

 nearly a thousand miles, and has been described by many 

 travellers. It is much like the "dry storms" of San Diego 

 County, California, which are hot, withering easterly winds 

 coming over the intervening mountains from the interior 

 deserts, intensely dry, and so laden with impalpable dust that 

 the sun is seen through it dull and brown in color. The 

 "dry fogs" of eastern California are of similar origin, and 

 assume a variety of phases, according to the season. 



The dry fogs, so called, which occur in many parts of the 

 world, are composed of dust, not water. One extended over 

 Europe for weeks in 1783, from the dust thrown out by the 

 great volcanic eruption in Iceland that year. The great erup- 

 tion of Krakatoa in July, 1883, belched forth dust for many 

 days, and in such quantities that the coarser portions covered 

 some of the neighboring islands several feet thick, smothering 

 the unfortunate inhabitants. The finer particles were wafted 

 around the world, producing effects that caused wonderment 

 everywhere. In India the sun rose and set green for a week. 

 In the Seychelles and in Brazil the sun was as pale as the 

 moon. In Europe and the United States the most wondrous 

 red sun-glows illumined the western sky a month or two 

 later. We all remember them in the late November of that 

 year. They extended to the Hawaiian Islands. 



Civilization and agriculture add greatly to the amoun of 

 atmospheric dust. The cultivated fields and the dry roads 

 furnish much material, and the smoke produced in every 

 house and manufactory adds to it. I explored the Rocky 

 Mountains of Colorado before there were any railways or 

 big cities there, and again a quarter of a century later, after 

 it had become a great State, traversed by numerous railways, 

 and when great cities had risen where I had only seen open 

 plain or secluded valley. Farms covered the plain, and smoke 

 rose from numerous smelting works and manufactories. Dur- 



