“As to the clouds—they are cleared away whenever we wish, by means of artificial thunder storms. Metallic conductors have been put in place up the sides of the lofty chambers, and at the proper heights are fixed with their poles pointing across the space, the positive on one side and the negative on the opposite. Heavy electric discharges are then made, the spark which is often one-fourth of a mile long traversing the cloud and speedily condensing it into rain. The observatory, I have spoken of, is too high to be often affected by clouds, but when the funnel is hazy, it can soon be cleared out. There are several observatories on this side of the moon situated like this one, and their chief business is the examination of the earth, which is our most interesting celestial object, and which can never be seen from the external continent, except at its extreme east and west ends, from which position it is seen low down on the horizon.” “It must be extremely handy,” said I, “to be able to produce a shower whenever you wish. The formation of these clouds however presupposes great evaporation.” “Yes, evaporation takes, place from the numerous sheets of sea water in the various chambers, the aggregate of which is estimated at about 120,000 square miles. There is more or less of this sea water in almost every one of the sea-level chambers. Besides the evaporation from these bodies of water, more or less evaporation occurs from every one of the industries in which water is used, and so the aggregate is very considerable. But it is always nearly uniform in quantity, in the interior continent. As the suspended moisture comes into contact with the upper walls and roofs of the lofty chambers, it is being constantly condensed, and the fresh water thus formed trickles down the walls and slopes in drops, rills and brooks, and finds its way through the ground and porous rocks. Many underground streams are formed that find their way into the high-level chambers, which are thus supplied with pure water. The inhabitants of others have supplied themselves by tunnelling through into the upper parts of lofty chambers, that have their floors at the sea-level, and thus they tap the clouds themselves.” “Our astronomers tell us that some of the Lunar craters are 60 or 80 miles in diameter or even more, which indicates that an enormously greater amount of volcanic action has taken place on the moon than on the earth. How is that?”