From a circle surrounding, but at an immense distance from the most
extreme of the continents, this great Sun-Ocean throws off currents of
wind, terrific in their fury, in the direction of the burning mountains.
Your tempest would give but a puny idea of the force of these winds,
which indeed exceeds anything known even in my planet, where the
hurricanes are terrific.
The winds are attracted, and their fury is increased, by the extreme
heat of the burning mountains.
The ocean struggles, as it were, to quench the fire, while the fire
contends with the ocean, which raises its head, as though threatening to
cover the topmost mountains. However, the wind, blowing with redoubled
force, supports the energy of the fire. The power and brilliancy of the
burning mass are intensified by reflection in the huge Sun-Ocean.
There are reparatory powers always at work to supply the waste caused by
never-ceasing combustion. There is, besides, a constant interchange of
electricities between the ocean and the burning mountains, the upheaving
from the ocean bed having probably some connection with the reparatory
powers.
It has been ascertained, I should say, in Montalluyah that fire is
produced by the union of certain electricities with a peculiar gas; and
it is believed that these electricities are constantly attracted to the
mountains, where they maintain combustion, and that when their nature is
changed by the process, they attract other electricities with which they
combine, and the compound electricity assists in replenishing the
material that attracts the necessary elementary forces to support
combustion.
The effect of the burning mountains on the continents in the Sun-Ocean
is mitigated by the direction of the winds and other causes, but the
heat is nevertheless fiery in its intensity.
Every planet has an electricity of its own, more or less sympathetic to
the sun, and, consequently, more or less powerful in attracting his
rays. Many planets at a greater distance feel his heat more than others
less remote. There are stars where the sun is not even seen, but where,
through the effect of his influence, there is perpetual spring.
In my planet the sun, even in material form, presents to the naked eye
an aspect different to yours. It not only seems to be much larger, but
one of its extremities has a globular form, whilst the rest presents the
appearance of a large mass ending in three long peaks or indentations.
Although so different in appearance, it is the same sun that illumines
your earth.
Most of the stars are wholly or partly girded and intersected by seas,
which assist in giving them, their luminous and twinkling appearance. To
us your earth has the appearance to the-naked eye of two separate
brilliant stars.