These are pertinent questions, _and every one of them must be answered in the negative_. The hypothesis is without foundation, and Professor's Coffin's perplexity and astonishment must remain, until he abandons the theory of rarefaction entirely. The winds which so perplex him are nothing but the regular N. E. trades, made to originate on the coast and continent of Africa, in summer, by the northern transit of the whole machinery. They not only draw off from the desert coast, but they _blow over the desert itself_ on to the ocean, and into the rainy belt upon the land, as we have already seen, and the supposed vortex of rarefaction does not exist. That the monsoons do not reach the desert is demonstrated by the tables of Professor Coffin, and to set it at rest we will make the necessary extracts. Commencing with the region from the equator to 5 deg. N., and from 10 deg. to 55 deg. W. longitude, we have the observed winds in proportion, as follows, for July and August--the south-east trades prevailing, inasmuch as the belt of rains is at this season situated further north. LATITUDE 0 deg. TO 5 deg., LONGITUDE FROM GREENWICH 10 deg. TO 55 deg.. +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Course. | July. | August. | Course. | July. | August. | |-------------------------------------------------------| | North. | 0 | 0 | S. S. W.| 54 | 111 | | N. N. E.| 8 | 2 | S. W. | 1 | 29 | | N. E. | 6 | 2 | W. S. W.| 6 | 19 | | E. N. E.| 27 | 16 | West. | 2 | 9 | | East. | 31 | 20 | W. N. W.| 1 | 6 | | E. S. E.| 120 | 96 | N. W. | 1 | 0 | | S. E. | 216 | 276 | N. N. W.| 0 | 2 | | S. S. E.| 218 | 443 | Calm. | 8 | 4 | | South. | 69 | 279 |---------------------------| | | | | Total | 768 | 1,314 | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Here, it is evident that the S. E. trades are the prevailing winds, but their course is variable. Ascending to the region between 5 deg. and 10 deg. north latitude, and 10 deg. to 55 deg. west longitude, the northern part of which at this season is covered by the rainy belt; we find the monsoon, the S., S. S. W., and S. W. winds, the prevailing ones in August, although the winds are variable, as usual under the rainy belt.