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The Ocean Capital.
127

"Is that your Ocean capital of which you spoke?" I asked.

"It is," he replied. "Here is the capital of the seas; but we have several other cities great as this, and even still more beautiful. The capital of Learning you shall see in the great northern continent. The four capitals of the four continents are each as great as this."

"The greatest city I have yet seen," I said, "is on the earth. It also is an ocean capital in some sense; the centre of the earth's trade. It has four millions of people in it. What is the population of this? "

"Five millions and more."

"But they extend over a vast extent, far vaster than that great city on the earth."

"Perhaps so; but you see we do not crowd our people. Each one of the twenty wards of this great city has its public park and gardens for the health and enjoyment of the citizens, to give them the contact of Nature even in the city, which is the right of every living creature. Every dwelling is isolated from the others, to avoid fire, and to give free ventilation. Every street is planted with trees. So the city extends over a huge extent, as you perceive. But, see! we are passing its borders, the