wise exist on its light and
dark hemispheres, seems fairly certain. If there were no atmosphere on
the planet, temperatures on that face toward the sun would be
extraordinarily high--many hundred degrees hotter than the boiling
point of water.

Quite the other extreme would be the conditions on the dark side, for
without the sheltering blanket of an atmosphere, this surface must be
exposed to the intense cold of interplanetary space.

I have reason to believe, however, particularly from my deductions
made in connection with the photographs taken during the transit of
Mercury over the face of the sun on November 11 last, that there does
exist an atmosphere on this planet--an atmosphere that appears to be
denser and more cloudy than our own. I am led to this conclusion by
other evidence that has long been fairly generally accepted as fact.
The terminating edge of the phases of Mercury is not sharp, but
diffuse and shaded--there is here an atmospheric penumbra. The
spectroscope also shows lines of absorption, which proves that Mercury
has a gaseous envelope thicker than ours.

This atmosphere, whatever may be its nature I do not assume, tempers
the heat and cold on Mercury to a degree comparable to the earth. But
I do believe that it makes the planet--on its dark face
particularly--capable of supporting intelligent life of some form.

Mercury was in transit over the face of the sun on November 11, of
last year, within a few hours of the time the first meteor fell to
earth. The planet was therefore at one of her closest points to the
earth, and--this is significant--was presenting her _dark face_ toward
us.

At this time several new "stars" were reported, flashing into
brilliancy and then fading again into obscurity. All were observed in
the vicinity of Mercury; none appeared elsewhere. I believe these
so-called "stars" to be some form of interplanetary vehicle--probably
navigated in space by beings from Mercury. And from them were launched
the two meteors that struck our planet. How many others were
dispatched that may have missed their mark we have no means of
determining.

The days around November 11 last, owing to the proximity of Mercury to
the earth, were most favorable for such a bombardment. A similar time
is now once more almost upon us!

Because of the diff