86 Reviews—German South Polar Expedition. 
base, which rises above the surrounding Kerguelen Plateau. When 
St. Paul, in particular, is considered it is found that the imner part of 
the crater 1s connected with the outer sea by reason of the submergence 
of the north-easterly part of the island along a 8.E.—N.W. line. The 
salinity of the water within the crater basin is almost identical with 
that of the surrounding sea, while within the crater itself this salt- 
percentage, as well as the temperature of the water, remains constant 
for the whole depth. According to Vélain, a former explorer, the 
amount of carbon dioxide in the crater water increases with the depth. 
He derives the gas from the exhalation of CO, and N from the 
ground of the basin. Such an exhalation would also materially 
affect the distribution of the organic life. Former investigators have 
reported that the water temperature at the mar gin of the basin locally 
exceeded that of the inner portion by 4° or 5°, but this has been 
found by the present explorers to be not the case. Practically the 
same temperature prevails on the margin as in the middle. From 
this, as well as from other evidence of a negative kind, the absence of 
hot springs might be inferred. As the distance apart of the positions 
where the temperatures were taken is, however, about 400 metres, the 
existence of such springs is not an impossibility. Both islands have 
very steep coasts, the coast being highest on the west, where, on 
account of the stronger westerly winds, the waye action is heaviest. 
The deepest parasitic craters of St. Paul are on the south and west 
cape. They are already partly cut through by the sea, as shown by 
the charts of Vélain and von Hochstetter. Such a phenomenon shows 
the great influence of the wave action, since the chief crater itself, 
according to von Hochstetter, is not very old, and the parasitic craters 
are quite young. In view of the morphological and climatic conditions 
the only possibility of anchoring for the purpose of landing on either 
of the two islands is on the north-east side. It appears that human 
habitation would suffer from the poor water supply, and St. Paul, in 
particular, would be less advantageous, because of the absence of 
wood. An attempt was made, through a previous expedition (that 
of the ‘‘ Novara’), to start wood-growing, but the result has been 
disappointing. The fishermen have successfully g grown potatoes, wheat, 
maize, and barley, and other grain also appear to grow well. Both 
islands might thus be possibly used as settlements, yet the unfavour- 
able climate and the absence of firewood would be great hindrances. 
The chief value of the islands lies in their wealth in fish. 
In the geological section Dr. Philippi gives, as in the foregoing 
section, an historical account of the works of previous investigators 
as far as they bore on geology. Among these writers Vélain and 
von Hochstetter are to be “particularly mentioned. Dr. Philippi differs 
from the older explorers in regard to the last period of eruption and 
the origin of the present crater of St. Paul. In agreement with 
von Hochstetter, he would consider the crater-opening to have been 
formerly much smaller and higher than the present central crater ; 
but Dr. Philippi thinks that this older vanished central crater of the 
basaltic period did not lie at the middle, but near the margin of 
the present crater basin. Although, as stated by von Hochstetter, 
the present crater is a product of a very late time, and was certainly 
