How is it that these should all be changed into a mineral concrete with
which we have no acquaintance?"

No doubt, it was a serious objection; for, however likely it might be
that a mass of the earth on being detached would be eccentric in its
movements, there was no probable reason to be alleged why the material
of its substance should undergo so complete a change. There was nothing
to account for the fertile shores, rich in vegetation, being transformed
into rocks arid and barren beyond precedent.

The lieutenant felt the difficulty, and owned himself unprepared to give
at once an adequate solution; nevertheless, he declined to renounce his
theory. He asserted that the arguments in favor of it carried conviction
to his mind, and that he entertained no doubt but that, in the course of
time, all apparently antagonistic circumstances would be explained so as
to become consistent with the view he took. He was careful, however,
to make it understood that with respect to the original cause of
the disruption he had no theory to offer; and although he knew what
expansion might be the result of subterranean forces, he did not venture
to say that he considered it sufficient to produce so tremendous an
effect. The origin of the catastrophe was a problem still to be solved.

"Ah! well," said Servadac, "I don't know that it matters much where our
new little planet comes from, or what it is made of, if only it carries
France along with it."

"And Russia," added the count.

"And Russia, of course," said Servadac, with a polite bow.

There was, however, not much room for this sanguine expectation, for if
a new asteroid had thus been brought into existence, it must be a sphere
of extremely limited dimensions, and there could be little chance that
it embraced more than the merest fraction of either France or Russia. As
to England, the total cessation of all telegraphic communication between
her shores and Gibraltar was a virtual proof that England was beyond its
compass.

And what was the true measurement of the new little world? At Gourbi
Island the days and nights were of equal length, and this seemed to
indicate that it was situated on the equator; hence the distance by
which the two poles stood apart would be half what had been reckoned
would be the distance completed by the _Dobryna_ in her circuit. That
distance had been already estimated to be something under 1,400 miles,
so that the Arctic Pole of their recently fashione