HE morning following the conversation above recorded, the whole civilized world was startled by the announcement that its foremost scientist, Dr. Joshua Giles, was planning to construct a tunnel through the center of the earth, for the transportation of merchandise to and from the antipodes, and that he required a hundred million dollars for the undertaking.

To the surprise of everybody, the project was received with general favor, and the capital came pouring in, so that in an incredibly short space of time the immense sum required for this strange enterprise was more than subscribed.

Of course a large number of the capitalists looked upon their money as entirely lost, and gave merely in the interests of science, but there were many who gave with the confident hope that