_THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN._--None of the countries comprising the European shores of this basin can be said to come well under the heading of “hot countries,” and those on the African shore are of interest rather as winter health resorts than as tropical places of residence. The first of these that requires notice is-- _Algeria._--Situated in lat. 37° N., within a couple of days’ steaming from Marseilles, this pleasant French colony is much the most easily accessible sub-tropical health station for the whole of western Europe, and forms an excellent resort for persons who find themselves unable to withstand the rigours of a northern winter. Thanks to the French talent in municipal organisation, the traveller finds himself at once among the novel sights and sounds of civilisation of the Oriental type, and yet surrounded with all the comforts and amenities of a fine European town. Few health-seekers venture far from the coast, though there must be many places in the interior that would be well suited for early cases of consumption, as the air of the coast is perhaps too “relaxing” for some cases of the sort. For the north coast of Africa, the rainfall is considerable, but in spite of this, on the average, the air is generally dry, as evidenced by the low average relative humidity. The country may be divided into four zones, which present great differences of climate. (1) A narrow littoral zone of low ground, often only a few miles wide. Most of the ports face eastward and are well sheltered by the neighbouring hills. (2) The Tel, composed of plains and elevated mountain masses cut up by deep valleys, at the bottom of which are torrents which are dry for the greater part of the year. (3) A high plateau of triangular form about 140 miles wide; intensely dry, but with scattered salt marshes which dry up during the summer. (4) The Sahara, an immense sandy basin absolutely devoid of water-courses except quite to the north. The following table of mean temperatures will give some idea of the degree of heat that is met with throughout the year in these different regions:-- MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE OF ALGERIAN STATIONS SITUATED IN THE FOUR ABOVE-MENTIONED ZONES.