232 
A USTRAL-AFmCAN ISLANDS 
occurrence of coal and of petrified wood must be men¬ 
tioned as geologic peculiarities. Layers of coal, though 
not of any great thickness, are so frequently met with 
that in 1877 the English made an attempt to work 
them, but gave it up again. In Cumberland Bay there 
is said to be a bed of coal six feet thick and extending 
for a mile and a quarter with a breadth of 40 feet. 
The origin and age of this bed are not yet completely 
established. 
The climatic conditions have been tolerably well as¬ 
certained by various scientific expeditions. The influ¬ 
ence of the Antarctic current makes itself strongly felt, 
it makes the mean annual temperature lower than would, 
be expected from the geographical position of the islands. 
The warm season begins in December and often brings 
with it a few days of fine weather, yet the temperature 
in the Antarctic summer keeps between 45° and 50° F.; 
while in the winter months (May to August) it is in the 
neighbourhood of the freezing-point. It appears from 
the log-book of Capt. Ross that in July, from 6 o’clock 
in the evening till towards daybreak, the thermometer 
is constantly below the freezing-point. 
It is well-known that these regions of the sea are 
rendered difficult for navigation by the violent storms 
from the west. In certain months the strength of the 
wind is so great that ships are exposed to the danger 
of shipwreck. Some of these storms of wind move with 
a velocity of more than 23 miles an hour. The most 
favourable months are November and December, which 
are for the most part free from tempests. 
Snowstorms occur in every month in Kerguelen Land 
and make it unpleasant to reside there. The falls of 
rain are not very copious, though mists and clouds are 
almost continually present on the heights. 
It follows that under such conditions Kerguelen Land 
is of necessity poor in productions. ''The land,” says 
