being distinct from that of the outer earth, 

 presented special features. What was most to 

 be remarked with respect to the atmosphere 

 was that it contained a minimum of dust par^ 

 tides ; so that, though the air was saturated 

 with moisture, condensation seldom took place, 

 except along the borderlands, where fogs were 

 very prevalent. The great rain-storm, pro^ 

 ducing the flood we had experienced, was 

 probably due to an unusual disturbance 

 of an anti" cyclonic nature, whereby dust^ 

 mote^loaded air of the anti-trade belt above 

 had descended, causing sudden condensation. 

 The waters, continually draining into a 

 central basin and there evaporating, led to the 

 production of a residual salt sea. ^ A know^ 

 ledge of the strata underlying the basin would 

 have been of the greatest value, but of course 

 exposures were not available. However, a 

 great accumulation of coal^producing matter 

 was presented in the jungle zone. Extinct 

 volcanic activity had been noted along the fault 

 scarp, and specially interesting was the active 

 volcano on which we now stood. The great 

 basicity of the lava, and the fact that it con^ 

 tained metallic elements, and probably also 

 exhalation of hydrocarbons, showed it to be 

 typical of the deeper earth crust. The abun^ 

 52 



