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rally in parallel directions, present in the northern hemis- 

 phere most extraordinary zigzags. They rise very high 

 to the north side of the Atlantic, not so high to the 

 north of the Pacific, and drop sharply towards the equa- 

 torial parts of that ocean and the continent of Asia. 



Thermometrical physiological observations of animal 

 organisms show that the temperature of a body is un- 

 equal, rising in the region of the heart and lungs. When 

 we examine the organism of our earth from this point 

 of view, taking the position of North and South America 

 as the spinal region, we find that the general law of 

 animal organisms in this respect strictly applies to the 

 earth, as such. Indeed on. any other hypothesis the low- 

 ering of isothermetrical lines towards the central parts 

 of continental Europe and Asia would seem altogether 

 anomalous, in face of the natural law that solid bodies 

 are more susceptable to heat than fluid, according to 

 which the dry land should have a higher temperature 

 than the surrounding seas. 



It will be said that such a source of warmth as the 

 Gulf Stream, flowing as it does past the Western bor- 

 ders of Europe camot be without influence on the tem- 

 perature of the northern Atlantic, a fact naturally reflec- 

 ting on the climate of the continent. I answer that in 

 the north of the Pacific, where instead ot a warm stream 

 we find two cold streams, which should materially lower 

 the temperature, we see that the isothermic lines rise and 

 if they do not rise as high as on the Atlantic ocean, 

 they are higher than on any other spot of dry land. 



I do not deny that the Gulf Stream has and must 

 have influence on European temperatures, but recollect- 

 ing that by the laws of physics the action of heat is in 

 inverse proportion to the square of the distance, one 

 must assume for the exercise of this influence unusually 

 favourable conditions. We must give Europe perpetual 

 westerly winds, though the [prevailing winds upon the 

 Atlantic ocean are easterly. Indeed this tendency of the 



