JANUARY, 1902. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 19
~~ ~
and tlie 10,000-foot plane, respectively, were computed by thi
logarithmic taldes froin the data thus obtained on the centers o.
reduction, and the corresponding systems of isobars n-ere drawn
There now esists the same general liarmony in tliese isobrtri
as on the sea-level plane, ani1 no fnrther correcrtioiis are r e
quirecl. It is to be especidly iiotecl thttt, in the plateau regior
the recluctions froin sea level to the upper plniies were iiiade l q
the same principles as if it had been a free air coluiiin, so tliel
all plateau questions are laid aside.
THE SECUND C'OMIPI~TATION OF Ill, 1-2, .
From the HI and H, charts the pressures bylonging t.o a11 thc
stations were interpolated, so that the values of HI. I;.,. to b e
derived by a direct computation from the stat.ion data chnld 1)e
compared as a check. Meanwhile the se\m-al station reductioi:
tables to the three planes had been completed, and as a filii
check the three values, H,,, HI, were computed nail coni.
pared with the values derired froiii the charts, as esplsiiied in
the first process. The differences between the two sets of val-
ues for H,. R,. H, were about the sniiie on tlie three planes
they average about 0.010 inch, t.he iiinjorit,v heing 0.000 01
0.010 inch. a few 0.020 inch, with ocr.casioiia1 larger variation6
due to errors of computatiim readily cletecterl, or to a local
peculiarity. involving a slight reacljiistnient of t.he corrections
in the station tables. These cliecks, therefore, involved tlic
three distinct parts of the entire discussion. siiice the process
has been armngecl practically in a circuit so as to pass froiii t,lie
station 1;" to HI and fi? bp two separate roiites, as clrscril.)etl.
Hence, ( 1 ) the processes of eliminating the plateau effect, aiicl
of coiiipating the temperature :trgmiients f and I ) were siiccess-
fal; ( 2 ) the logarithmic tables and the nu~iierical stnt,ioii
tables are in agreement; ( 3 ) the charts are accurately drawn,
and represent the observations with precision.
As the result of this cliscussioii we hive prepared charts for
the United States nncl Chnaila, giving the iiiont,hly null aniiual
normals of pressure. temperature, and vapcor teiisioii 011 the
sea-lerel plane, the &501)-foot plane, and the ll~,(JOO-foot plniie,
also the relative humidity on the sea-lerel plane. i. e., 13(!
charts for these data. There are also clinrts of gradients of
temperature in latitude. in longit,ude, and iii alt,it,ii& : ant1
charts of pressure variations for a few selected hours referred
to the mean of 24 hourly observations. Furtlieriiiore, t,lle
corresponding numerical values are entered iii a s u ~n ~i i a r ~
table for all statioiis on the sea-level plane. alioiit, 265 in
number; also for all tlie statioiis which were in use by the
Weather Bureau, either in tlie United Htntes, C!aiinclii, and
the West Indies, a t the heginning of the year l!bOO. or wliicli
have been opened for service since t.hat dat.e. iiinkiiig almit
175 on t,he upper planes.
It has not been founcl necessary to revise any of the reduc-
tions to sea level since the tables were pnt in operation on
January 1, 1!)02, showing that they bear t,lie test of practical
work a t the hands of .many obserrers. The ststmion t,ables for
the upper planes will soon be tried, and an est,imate made as
to their value in increasing the accurmy of the forecast sys-
tem of the Weather Bureau.
We conclude with the remark that! the pressure olwervatioiis
and computations of the United 8t.at.es have heea at last placed
upon n strictly scientific hasis. and that all the corrections re-
quired by theory will he systm.untically applied iii the future,
and the entire series froiii 1873 onwarcls will be kept strictly
homogeneous. We shall, therefore. for the first time be ready
to take up the probleiiis of seasonal rariatt.ion of the weather.
the changes of the climate and c.rop from gear to year. and
also the true cosinical proldeiiis involved in the radiation effects
of the sun upon the earth's atmosphere. Even if we do.not
ourselves succeed in resolving these questions, we shall have
left this portion of the data iii foriii for others to iiinke reliable
discussions.
THE TERM INDIAN SUMMER.'
Ny ALTLICRT Y.\TTIIEW~;. Hnstm. 31::~s.. ilsteil Dreemher 15, 1901.
Howerer iutich we Aniericans may abuse our ever changing
cliiiiate,' there is at least one portion of the year iipon which
we unite in lavishing praise. It iieed scarcely be said that I
allude to t.liat highly indefinite but always delightful period
knowii as the Indian suiiinier. Connected as this season is,
both by iiniiie and in popular belief. with the aborigines, it
would seem as if tlie iiaiiie itself must be of some antiquity;
yet. so far as iiiy obwervat.ion goes, it is not until the year
1794 that the expression Indian suiuiner occurs at all. and
nut until the nineteenth century that it becume well estab-
lished. I f t,lie term is, in fact. barely more than a century
old. i t wonld again seeiii as if we ought to be able to trace
out it.s origin with seine certainty. Yet such is far from
being the CRHL'.
In a little
inore than a cent,nry t,here has grown up, as will soon be
abundantly prcived. a popular helief that there occurs in our
autmiin a spell of peculiar weather. and to this lias been given
tlir naiue Indian suininer. It has been stated that this spell
appears in Hept,ember; that it conies in October; that it occurs
in Noveiiiber or l l C J t at all; that it, t,akes place in January; that
it lasts for tliree or five c ~a p only; that it extends over 2% period
of niure t,lian four weeks; that. it is peculiar to New England;
that it does not occur in New England at all; that it is now
inore marked than was foriiierly the case; that in former gears
it TVRH more proiiouiiced t,hm it in iiow: that it, hnx a t present
ceased to occur anywhere. A n d tliese various and conflictiiig
assertions. it is not easy to arrive at niiy definite conclmion;
hit.. eliiniiiating the point,s in regard to which t,liere is cliver-
grnce of opinion. i t is toleri5hly clear that this siipposed spell
id peculiar wedher is chracterizecl 1~)- three special features-
by :I w-arint,li greater than that of the few clays or weeks imme-
dizit,ely preceiing. By smokiiiess. atad by haziness. It is true
t,liat, soiue scientific writers hrtve denied the existence of the
iiicrensed wiriiitli and liare declared that the alleged smoki-
ness is aii optical illusion.' But the pi.q)iilar belief-and it is
1 During the past, ninet.y yen.rs nirich liar; bren w~it,ten about this t.rrni,
I j i i t , unbil now 110 rttt.enipt, has l>eim made to give its 1iist.ory in det.ai1 or
bo cdlect, mi11 emniiiir crit.ic.a.lly t.he esplnnat,ions t,liat. have been aclmnced
R,M to it,s origin. Tht? t.erni is not. fciuntl in Webst.er's Coniprndious Dic- tii:m;try ( 1HU6 1. IIW in his Anwritmi Dictionary ( 18281, nor in his Letter
tv thr Hun. a. Pickwing IUI tlie Rul:)jri.*t. of his Vocnhiibry ( 1817 1; nor iu
6. Pic.kering's VocalJulwry or C4~1111vt.ion of Worrls and Phra
I;upI.wsril Lo be prculiar t.o t,lir TTnit,erl States ( 1816 ): hut.
iiizeil in the 1841 edit,iun of 1Vebst.w. 1t.a 1iist.oi-y was first indicat,ed in
bhe Oxford Dic4ionwy ( 1OUU ). and sonie nf t.lie est,rttct.s tliere quoted are
't1s1.1 given in this paper. Lest i t be thought. t.liat I have t,aken these
rvit.linut it~..linnwlrdgeiiirnt, I niay lie perniit.trd t,o ailtl that of the nine
?stracts Iirevious to 1883 quoted I.iy Dr. Murray all Lut one (,h m De
L2uin~q-, dated 1850 I were fui-nir;hrd liy me. Y g itt,trnt.ion has h e n direckd bo the t.erni for more tlinn twelve years,
tnil l.liis paper is lmsed on iiiat,erial during t.hitt, period. I ani,
li~iwrvw. inilebt,rd tis Pn-if. Clrvrlanil for t.uniing over t,o me the
zstrai3s awl c~rresp~nde~i~r in his 1) : to t,he rilitors of t.lie Dial.
Lhe -Jt.iurnul of American Fvlk-Li>re ion. and t,lie New England
Historical and Geneali,gica.l RpgiSt.t>r fi ir inserting qurrirw in their jour-
inls: and t.il varii.ius c.i-irrrspciiii:lriits fi ir repl>-ing t.1) appeals fisr infonu&
.%in. 1VIirrrver t,liis haa I.IIWI i ilit.ainwl and usrL1, due ackiio~~~lrilgiiient
s nieilr in t.hr niit.rw.
2 In 17s:) Dr. Bus11 sctirl: ' * Prrhqs there is 1:iut one atwily t.rait. in tlie
(Anieri-
Rush WVBS spraking of Pennsylvania. h t . his reninrk is equally appli-
&able t,ib the country at. large. Tlw suililrn and violent changes which
it-wir in i.mr triiiprraturr lirtvr for t,hrer centorirs bren it fttwrite subject
I f I~l:lllllllent~.
3 111 lH.33 it Balt,iliiorc.ai,n wrde: ..Again t.his redness of the air toget,lier
rith the nirchanicibl irritn.t.ion pr'i,iluwd 11s the denseness of the aerial
-apw. escit.es a painful affrct,ic-in i if tlie eyes-this sensation, connect,ed
rit,li t,he sin(iky sppwranrr of the sky. iiiductrs great nii~nl:~ers oP the
nliabit,a.iits of t.liia c*i,unt.ry t.u hrlirre t1ia.t. the Indian sunliner consists
if a snioky st;tt.e of t.he air prcducecl 1-1s bunling the vegetable decidua
vliieh t~r+: wllecti?d together in the fall scasm for this purpose, or a8
I t is 1miper to define the scope of t,his paper.
1 t.lirtt. is. it. is unifi.irnily varia1.ilv."
20 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. JANUARY, 1902
with this only that I am concernecl-appears to be such as I
have described. I do not enter into the question whether
this supposed spell of peculiar weather does actually occur. or
whether it is rather a delusion like the popular belief that the
weather is affected by the changes in tlie moon.' I merely
take the term Indian suminer as a literary term which givea
expression to the popular belief, and my concern is solely with
the history of this literary term and wit,h the esplanations
which have been advrtnc.ed to account for it.
The statement already macle that the term Indian suninier
itself is unknown until 1794,5 and the further xtateiiient bhat,
allusions to the Indian-summer season under any iianie ahat-
soever appear to be unknown until late in the eighteenth cen-
tury. will doubtless ca~ise ~iirpiise ani1 aroiise opposition : for
they are in direct conflict with popular belief and with inany
assertions to the contrary. AR long ago as lSO4. C. B. Brown
declared that the season was b L predicted by the natires to t,lie
first emigrants." I n 1809 Dr. Ricketson said t,hat the iiaiiie
Indian summer In
1843 J. F. Watson asserted that the season was SO called
'< the white inhabitants. in early times. " In 1872 W. Flagg
spoke of the L L peculiar plieiiomena described by some of our
early writers both in prose and verhe. " I n 1N8 T. B. Msury
declared that L L the first esplorers of America noted the Inilinii
summer. ''O I n 1887 Bela Hubbarcl stated that the sensor^
was spoken of by <' early New England wiiters. "'
sonie will liavr it the firing of the nrighbnring aionnt~a.ins. This q i p a r -
awe of act,ual smoke is however an optical illusii~n. pridnceil liy l.hr
foggy appearance of the air, and which seems t.ci And c~.iiifir~iiat~ici~i liy the
great. irritation o f t,he visual organs. effected by tlie excess of rrtl mys.
etc."
In 1835 Dr. L. Foot wrot.e: "As t,o the ,iiwreu*ed tenipi~rat~irre, illiring Indian suniiiier, we can not agree to it. Finni t,lie ilocunirnt wv have
quot,ed. ( Metrolnlogicrtl register. it. app~ars. t,tiat, t,he Iiwaii t,ennpertit,iin*
for November, is wonienhat. lower t.lian t.liat of Oct,olwr. It. i r l'r~mi the
quiet placid state of the at~~iiiispIirre. t.liat l;jonir are 1i.d b1.i slippi.iw that
i t is aet.ually warmer. But, he w1ii.i keeps an accurate rei~ird of t.lw 1.Iirr-
monieter will And i t is a niist~ak~."
W e I I I I I I ~.
indeed, in a sulisequent chaptiv to pnint out. that we i w e a greut drat1
niore t.o her t.haii wits fiirni~rly suspected: I.iut. t~lii~ri. is VIW wiilely-
crediteil niyth aliriut the nioon which must. lw regarileil tis iIvvi.ii(1 nf rml
foundat.ion. The idm t.liiit t,liti ni(ion and the wi~itt.li~r two voiinrv.t~ril Inns no doubt 1Jel'n ent.ei.t.ainetl 1-iy high niit.1ioiit.y. hit. ctweful c1.11ii1it~rist 111 has
shown that there is no c1etinit.e i:onnect~ii.m lwtween t,he 1~~ri.i.'' (St.l.iry i if
the Heavens, 1886. lip. 59. W.)
5 By t.his I mean that no srarnplr LIrforc 1794 has ever 1:iern nilillwed.,
That the t.erni was in use earlier. is possilde: liut if H I I . thi. fart. has not
yet been discovered.
OMr. Maury's words are : r g The first explorers of Aniwica nntcd t,lie
Indian suninier, and ever since it. has excited the poetic fancy as well as
the philosophic inquiry of niany minds. Palfrey. thv ilist,iiiguislivd his-
torian of New England, and TIiimias .Jefferson. in liis History nf Virginia.
have not forgotten it is one of the most fascinat.ing ieaturtls 1.d .4nit-ri1.~1
climate."
Mr. Mauiy then goes on to quote from Palfrey a passaye \vhicl~ will Ilr
given later in our test (under date of 1859). and O~JSWWS:
L L This testimony, which was I>urue 1,y other colonial annalists. agree9
with the present facts, and showv the identity of this iiiete(jri:iliigic wiin-
der with that of tlie Old Men's Summer ' of Germany. * Bt. Martin's ' VI
France, and a similar one. which has been remarked by cinp or twu his-
torians, of Mexico."
This remark conveys the inipression either that Palfrey was a b L iw1i.i-
nial annalist." or that he is alluding t.o coltmial tinres. Palfrey wrcitt
only a little mire than forty years agi. he is discussing tlie cliniate nf liic
own time. and wliat he says natnrally .* agrees with lJI'eSt?nt fa& '' Ise.
cause he is dealing with present fact.s.
,Jefferson. in liis notes on Virginia ( 178'2). t o which Mr. Maury i.li.Iulit..
less alludes, derot.ed Query VI1 t o climate (1.11~ 134-151. in Fi:ird's erlit.it?ii
o f Jefferson's writ.ings. iii, 177-187 1. MI.. Maury's stat.rwont that .Trffer-
son had b L not.forgotten * * * one of the iiiost, fascinating features d
American climate '' is very wide of the ~iiilrli. inasniiicli as .Jeffrrsim'+
chapter does not contain a syllahle t.liat I J ~ any ingenuity can he tmist~ed
into an allusion to the Indian siiiiinier. A little later IIr. B1a.ii1-y quotes
an article by *' an early writer." but t.liis artide was written in 1X33 itnrl
priuted in 1835. Finally, t.he Gernmi nanie for the smstin is not. b L OlU
Men's Summer," but *( Altweiber soiiiniw." Mr. IIaury's articlr will 1 -1 ~
found in Harper's Magazine for December. 1873, slviii, 89-98.
It is worth while t o give Mr. Hiihhrd's statement in full: L L Earlj
hac1 long been known in this count,sy. "
. .. __
(American dourndl cif Science. 1855, xxvii. 147. I
(1lJirl.. 1881;. s s s , 12. I
4 Sir Robert H. Ball writes: 6. We i.iwe much to the ni(inn.
It is thus seen that for nearly a century people have been
tsserting that the term Indian suninier was known to and em-
)loyet1 by our eerly But it will lie observed that
io one hnx yet placed his finger on a single passage where the
.mw~ occiirs in early m-iitings. Those who make a positive
itntenient are l>ound to adduce evidence in its support, and
;heir failure to do so may be taken as an inclicntion that the
:equired evidence does not esist. On the other hand, it is
,roverbinlly dificnlt to prove n negative, and all I can be es-
)ect,ed to do in the circumstances is to give specific references
;o passages in which there are allusions to climate, so that
h e rencler can at his leisure. if so disposed, ascertain for him-
<elf esactly n-hat miters on America have hac1 to say on the
Of tlie sevendeeiidli century writers, some make no allusion
it all to climabe. while others occaxionnlly inilulge in an ob-
cervat,ion abont the weather, h i t can not be said to cliscuss cli-
mate.' In general, however. at least some brief remark about
:liinate-or. as many authors were fond of calling it, the
L . air " -was thought proper. and the works in which snch
liscussions occur are niiinerous. Io I n the eighteenth century
New England writ.im slirak iif thia srrt-iie purticiii of autunm its pevuliar
to AiIIerii*a. hence the iit~ine they gave it. But we 1oi.k in rain for iiny
recognit,ia i n (if it. iii pages nik nmre tlinn half n century old " Menil:vials
,f a Half-C:entury, p. .55X).
hv cert.ninly c~wlil not have h liinrl it nientioiirrl by early New Englitnd
rvrit,ris. On tlie other haiiil. if hi. hail actually siwi thra terw used I J ~
rarly New England writers. lie must hare encountered it hefa we 1x37. In
4i1 Irt.. Mr. HuIhard*s sewiid sentence flatly ci:intratliots his first..
UP to twii i'auses: First.. til
ignnrnnw of Aiiierican writings (if tlie seventeenth and eighteenth cell-
turies: und ser~.indly, ti.] that looseness of statement to which we are all
.d y t.cm prone. An iirlniirable illust.ratinn of thi. same process is fur-
tnishetl liy a passage in one I I f C~>i.iper's ni.iw1s. The niiwt piqmlar theory
in rega.id t,t.i tlie cIrrivat.ia i n of the wvi~rcl Tanker is that Tankee is a ccwrirp-
tit 111 (.if Tengees. it.self t i vi.irriipt Iirc"iii1iiristi~iii I J ~ the I~idic~ns o f tlie
~o r d E~iglish.
L , Nwrly a.11 t.lw illd writ.ers. who speak of t.hr I~ldians first ltnciwn t.o tlir
C a i1nnist.s. lllttlis thi~iii promiinw the word * English ' as ' Tengeest..' "
The Ibi~rslager, i, 23l.I. ni.ite. )
It is not often t,liat aiiw is al.11~ to pciint til t.lie flrst printei-I appearalive
.if it \VI in1 in tlie lmgu;igi:, l i u t in t,lw prt+wnt. instance t.liis (mi lie done.
rile W I -I ~I I Tengrw wtia tirat. used, a.nd t.lnr Yengees tlicnry wa.s first ad-
r-tm*ril. l ~y the Bvv. .TI.I~II Ht+cli~*Wt~ldt~r in his Awi)iiiit, of t,hti Hist,ciry,
Man~ierr. and Cust,oiiis of the Intliiui Nittime. a wi.irk puliliwhed in 1819.
The nc~rd Sengees. then. at the t h e Cooper dei:lared that it m-as kntiwn
t,n 5 . netirly all t.htt sild writers," lind 1:ieen 1,efm-e the world precisely
:'Aintmg P U I ?~ wiwlis seen1 t.o lie the following : Cnpt. J. Hmit,ln. True
Rrlat.itm, 1IXIS: Chpt.. 6. Siiiit,li. ljer~.~ipt.iun o f New England. 16llj: Capt.
J. Binit.11. New Englands Tritils. 11~30: T. bhJI't4J11, New Englitili Ctiiiaan.
1B37: Calit. E. Ji~liiison, Wi.liidrr-Warking Pivvidruce. lG4: G. A l ~p .
Cliaract.cr of the Proriilw (if Mary-Land. 1666: N. Morton, Ncw England's
Meniorinl, 16GY; J. ,Josselyn. New-Englands Rarities Discovered, 1673:
J. Dunton. Letters frcini New Eilglt~nd. writ,t,en in 1686.
'OAnlnng thtsse are the fdhwing: 1609. Nora Britannia. p. 11 (,Force's
Triwts and 0t.ht.r Paprrs. i I : 1B12. C!apt. 6. Hniitli. Yap of Virginia,Works
( Arljer'). pp. 47, 48. 344: lli91, E. \Vinslow, in Mourt,'s Relat.ion. 1622. $1. 62:
1694. E. Winslow, Good News friini New England. in Arber's Story of the
Pilgrini Fat,liers. 1897. pp. 593, 594: 1639, F. Higginson. New-Englands
Plant&ion. 1 IvIassachnsetts Hist,orical Collectious, i. 120. 181 : 1630.
Plant.rrs Plea! p. 13, ( Forw's Tracts and Ot,lier Papers. ii ): 1634. W.
Dcding. 18li7, 1). 114: l(i43. R. Willimis. Key into the Language o f .4111er-
ilia. pp. 8y-85: 1644, J. Megapolen&, in E. Hazard's Hist,orical Cullrc
t.ions. 1793. i, 519. .5yll: lIW;, Brief Descriptiijii of the Province of C!aiv-
lintt. in 13. R. C!is.rroll'ti Hil;t,uricitl C!t.dleot~ions of S0ut.h Caivliiia, 1836. ii.
13. 14: 11?71), lj. Denton. Brief Desc.ript.i~.~n of New Yurk. 1845. pp. 16. 18. 19;
lti74. J. Jiwselyvn. Accmnt id TwI:~ Voyages to New-England. pp. 54-58;
1Wi). W. Hiild~i~rd, Geniwil History o f New England. 1815, pp. 19-31:
l6RJ. T. A.. Cardina. in B. R. Cnii~~ll's Historical Cbllections Of %ut.h
Cnrnlina, ii, 63. 63: 16M. Account nf t,he Pivvincr iif Carolina, in Carroll.
ii. 33. 35. 36: 16%. T. Biidd. C:ood Onler Established in Pensilvania &k
Nvw-Jersey. 1865, 1.1. 29: 1688. .J. Clnyt,on. in Philosuphiral Transiwtions.
lW3. xrii.. 784-789: 11i96, 6. Miller. Description of the Piuivince and City
t i f New Ywk. 1848, pp. 7. 8; 1698, C:. Thniilas. Hist*,ricn.l and Geographi-
cal Awsiint nr t.hc Pnirince and &iunt.ry of Pensilrania. pp. 7, 8: 1698,
C;. Thc~nia.~, Hidtorical Descript,iou of the Province and Country of We&
New-Jersey, p. 20: New York Colonial Documents. i. 14, 40. 179, 180.275,
iuhj e G t .
-. . . . .. . -_ .
~
If Yr. HLl1J~Jrt~d l i d lllet With 110 ~~~?~>~l i i t i ~l l Of the terlii befc.)re 1837.
8 Tlirse err0ne0us assert.ia ins are dl~Ill1Jt~h?
Alludiiig t,i.) t,liia t1iviii-y. Cooper rrniarkrd in 1841:
t\vt~llt.y-t\vo yettrs.
Wood. New E~igln~irls Prl.IslJel!t.. 18G5, pp. 3-11: 16q2, T. Lecahf<ird. P l a b
JANUARY, 1902. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 21
there were also some writings from which allusions to climate
were absent,11 but, as a rule, the dliisions were freqiient."
276, 618, iv. 274, ix. 30; Jesuit. Relations and Allied Docun1rnt.s. ii. 2U1.
iii, 47-61, ssii, 41, sssviii, 4'21-287, sliii. 261. I n such o f the Jesuit Rela-
tions as I have myself read t,hrre is no allusion to the Indian suninirr:
and Mr. R. G. Thwait.es, the editor of t,liat gl%Rt. Wqirk. writes ~iir that,
' 6 the term ' Indian Summer ' does not appear, so far as 1 can see. til haw
been used in Canada during the period covered I J ~ the .Jesuit dt.icuments."
IlAniong these are the following: St.ate o f Trade in the Nortliern i!ulonier
considered: with * * * a pai-ticular Drscriptioii o f Nnv~. Scot.ia. 1748:
L. Evans. Analysis of a General Map of the Middle British G:hiies, 1755:
W. f3tnit.h. History uf t,he Province of New-Torli, 1767: T. Hut.chinsi.in,
History of Massachusetts. 1764. 1767. 1780: 8. Sniitli, Hist,ory of t.lir Ci-11-
ony of Nova-Cmsaria, or NewJerseg, 1765 : J. Bart,rani. Jiburn~l, 1765.-
1766. in W. St,ork's Account of East-Florida; 6. Carver, Travels throllgh
the Interior Parts of North Ainrriw in the Pears 1766. 171;7. and 171;s:
D. Ranisay, History of the Revolution of Ri:iutli-~!arolinit, 1785; Voyitgcn
de M. le Marquis de C!hastt?llus i.lans 1'AniiSriqur Septentrionti.le Dans Ips
Ann4es 1780, 1781, t 17W2 \published in 1786 ): .J. Lorinlrr. Aiwjmit i i f
the Surveys o f Florida, 1790: W. Bartram, Travels through Norbli ttntl
Houth CRivlim, Georgia, East and West Florida. 1793: J. Drttyt,on, Let.-
ters writt.en during a Tour through the Northern and Eastern Stat.es 1 .d
America, 1794; B. Trumbull. Ci.imp1et.e Hidory nf Connert.iNIt, 1797, 1 S l X :
J. A. Graham, Descriptive Sket,cli o f the Present St.at.r. o f Veriii(.int,, 1707;
Tour through Upper and Lower Canada. 1799: Hannah Atlnnis. Himiniary
History of New-England, 1799.
~~Aniong these are the following: 1701, C. Wooleg, A t,wo Tt.ars Journnl
in New-York. 1860. pp. 49-86: 17W% T. C:. Hnlm, Drscrilitinn of t.lie Pri.w- ince of New Swedrn, 1834, pp. 55-1.W: 17115. a. Beverley. Hist.ory sni:l
Present St.nte of Virginia, Bo(.ili i r , pp. 59-68: 17U7, J. Archtlalr. NWV
Description cif that Fertile and Plenaant Prcwince of C'urnliiin. in B. R.
Carroll's Historical &llei?t.iona of South C!ctrtilina. ii. 91;: 1721, Cliarle-
vois. Hist.oire e t Drsvriptivn G~?nI!rnlr de In Nvovelle Fra1ii:r. 1744, v.
241-2511: 1733, New ant1 Accurnt.e Acci:iiint of t.he Prnvinvrs of Sout,h
Chmlina and Georgia. in Collwtions of t.he Gtii irgia Histc.rrical Socirt,y. i,
19, 50: 1735. New Voyage to Gwrgia, in C!.illectiuns of the C+o irgia. His-
torical Society. ii, 41: 1741, Inipartial Iiiquiry into t.he State and 1Tt.ilit.y
of the Province of Georgia, in C!t.illect,iwis o f the Georgia Historical So-
ciety, i. 157, 518: 1744. A. Dd3hs. Accuunt of t.he Count.ries siljiiining t c i
the Hudson's Bay. rip. 9. 3. 4, 11-lx, 4$l, 5% 54, 1p2, 63, (is. li7. 68: 1748.
H. Ellis, Voyage t.o Hudson's Rag. pp. lTlLl73: l748-4!4. I?. Kdni, Tra\-ela
into North Aiiierica. translat.rd by 6. R. Forster. 1770, i, 46, 47. 1114. 1W-
lls, 2BI;. 41;7. 306, 3117. 361. 383. 384, ii. 1IYY. 1W3. 137-150. lSS, lX9, 2P2-
244. 2.54, 259. 318-352, iii. 75-77. 152. 246-9.52: 1749. C:cographiml Hist.iirr
of Nova 8ctit.ia. 1'. 107: 1749, Shcirt St.ittt. of the Cbiint.ries alii1 Trttdt* of
North America, C!lainierl I:)). tlir Bay C'bilipany. pp. 11-14. 99-44:
1752. a. MIncSliarrctn. Amvriva . 1755, pp. 9 , $1. 39, 40: 1752. SJ.
Roliavn, Auwunt of Sir Years iii's Buy. 11. 45: 1761.
Drscript.imi of Ront.li-C~r(.iliiia. pp. 11-29: 1763, Short Deswipt,inii #.if Si.iiith
Canilina, in B. R. Carroll's Historical C!~lle~t.i~iis o f Siiuth Cardiiia,, ii.
471-478: 17M, W. Stork, Awount. of East.-Fli.iritln. 1~1). 30-43: 17B8. His-
toire Nat.urelle et Pdit,iqur de la Petisylranie * * * * * Trarliiit de 1' Allemande. pp. 39-45, 390-353; 1769. 6. Iiuos, Histvrical
Journa1 of the Cnnipnigns in North-America for t.lie Yrurs 1757. 1758.
1759, and 171;O. ii. 4e2, 463: 17lW A. Cluny. Aniericmi T r a ~l l ~, pp. 93.
36, 56. 10:3; 1770. H. Willianism, Attempt. to arvc.iulit fur t,hr C!haiigr ill
C!liniate. which has been i.ikaerver1 in the Mirltllr C!.dmirs iii N(ii-tIi-
Aniericct, in Trainsnctivns o f t.lirs Anierica,ti Philc-isophicd Society, i, 3:3&
345; 1775. A. Bur~ial:iy. Travels t.hrougli thi: Miihlle Ret.t.lraiiwt.s, in
North America, In the Years 1759. and 17I<O, pp. 8. 9, 67, 7S, 1I.R). 1~1%.
PW, 135, 151. 155: 1776, L. C!halniera. Aiwiunt of the Wrntlier and Dis-
eases of !jonth-&iudina, i, pp. 8-28. 33, 34. 41-41;. 220, 221. ii. 55-57, YI111:
1778. T. Hutchins, Tcspogritphicd Description nf Virginia. Pemsglmnia.
Maryland, and North Carolina. pp. 13, 15: 1779. A. Hewatt, Histirrical
Account of the Rise and Progress o f the Ckilonies of South C!arolina and
Georgia, i, 79. ii, 134-138; 1781. S. Peters, General Hist,ory of Connecti-
cut. pp. 937-241: 1782, T. 6effersun, Notes on Virginia, Writing* (Ford).
iii, 177-187; 1784, J. Filaon. Discovery, Settlenient And prcsrnt Stat.e #.if
Kent.iwke, pp. 21. 22: 17x4. J. F. D. Siiiyt.11. Tour in the ITiiit.er1 St.at.rx i.if
Amwiva. i. 35. 36,147,148, ii. 71.72.402-&14: 1784, T. Hutchina. Hist,orieal
Narrative and Topographical Description of Louisiana, and Wvst-Florida..
pp. 47. 48, 49: 1786. S. Hollingaworth. Account of the Present. Ht.itt.i: of
Nova Scotia, pp. 13-17: 1 7 W B. Rush. Account of t.lie C1iniat.r of Peiin-
sylvania, in Aniericwi Yuseuin. vi. 95-27, 2511-254. vii. 3XL34lk 17x9. 6.
Mi.irst3, American Geography. pp. lG3, 197, 9lP2. 214. 310, 345. 351. 41)s.
$23, 4-45. 446. 470, 475. 47K 477. 478: 1790. E. Uiiifrevillr. Present State of Hudson's Buy. pp. 11-21:, ,155-157: 1791, J. P. Brissot rle Wttrrille.
Niiuveau Voyage dans Irs Ht.at.s-ITnia de 1' AniI!rique Srptrntrioiialv.
Fait en 1788, i. 374-37K ii. 118-129; 1793. G. Cart,wri$lit. J ~i i r n a l nf
Transactions atid Events, during a Rrwirlence iif neii.rly Sirteeii Tears I in
the Ckiast nf LaI)r~lor. iii. 232: 1792, 6. Belknap, History cd Nriv Hanip-
shire. iii, 17-30: 1794, 8. Willianir, History of Verniont. 1~11. 424%: 1795.
J. Sullivsn, History of the District of bIaine, pp. G9: 1795. H. Hwrne,
Journey from t.he Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudson's Bag. to t,lie Northern Ocean, Undertaken * In the years * k
The voyages of the early explorers to Aznerica were followed
with interest in England. but when this country became per-
manently se t.tlecl and the colonies firmly established then pub-
lic attention in England was diverted. The ignorance and
the neglect shown by the mother ooiintry, however advan-
tageous they may ha17e been politically in peimitting the colo-
uists to work out their own institutions, wounded the ~I O W
n r .i .p w of the h e r i c a n s . and in the eighteenth century became
the subject of animadversion. I n a letter written from Eng-
land July 7, 1773, Franklin said:
L L The great defect here is, in all sorts of people, a want of
ntt,ention t,o what passes in such remote countries as America;
na unwillingness to r e d anything about them if it appears a
little length;, nad n clisposition to postpone the consideration
rren of the things they know they must! at last consicler, that
40 they may have time for what inore immediately concerns
t,lieiii, and with all, enjov their amusements and be undisturbed
in the universal clissipation. ' 'Is
No sooiier. however, had the colonies achieved their inde-
penrlence, than the new nation a t once became the object of
great interest to Europeans in general and to Englishmen in
particular. Over they came in large numbers to view our
wiintry, ancl t,o study our political. social, ancl moral condi-
tions: and in the last quarter of the eighteenth centiiry began
that stream of British aiicl foreign travelers. each with his
book about L . the St,ntes. " which has never ceased to flow. No
less realarkable was the change in ourselves. Of political
nctivity there hac1 ueyer been B lack in this country. but hardly
hail the Ilewlutionary war wine to a close than a great stimu-
111s w a ~ given to historicd studies, and book after book clevoted
to Ainericnii history issued from the press. Nor was this ac-
tivity confined to historical studies alone, but manifested itself
in many lines of intellectnal research.'+ Now in the histories
aiid books of travel by nail abont ourselves, there was sc.mcely
R snbject which elicited greater interest than that of climate.
Discussions became inore frequent and more elaborate. and a
favorite topic for debate was the alleged change in climate
which had taken place in America; some stoutly maintaining
that this change had been toward aiilclness, while others as
streimously urged the opposite 17iew.'~ It so happens, then,
1769. 17711. 1771, mil 17'7% pp. 2. 7. 27. 203, 204. 'W6: 1795, T. Cooper,
Sl.me 1nfornlat.ion Res1 ing Aniericw (second edition), pp. 9. 11). 11,
rlinerica and t,hr Provinws of Upper and Loner Canada during t,he
p i t r s 1795, 1701;. and 1797 (secciiid edititin), i, !16. 97, 112, 847-852.
:iW, S$W. 398: 17YG. If'. ~~'iiit.iarbotliaiii, Histi.iricu.1, Geographical, Coni-
iiicrciitl, and P1iilonnphic:nl Virw of t.lie United Stat.es c i f Anierica.. i. 79-43: R.. Pawtl. History v i Prnusylvania. ii. 23W-2-M: 179s. I. Allen,
Nnt.iird and Polit,ii*al Hist,org i4 the Ht.atc o f Vrrniont. pp. 9-12: 17!19.
Le R.cilrlief(in~itult Lianwurt,. Voyage (his Ips hats-Unis d'AiiiCrique,
Fait, en 1795. 1796 et 1797. iv. 511-56. 176. 177: 1yY. viii. 117-125: 1799.
N. Wt.l.Ister, Dissvrtttt,irin on the Supposed Change in the Temperature
4.if Wintw. in IvIemiirs o f the Ckmnrcticrit Acarleiiiy o f A r t s and Srienves,
18111. i. 1-68 (also in We1~st.er.s C<illect,ion of Papers on Political. Literary,
and Mi~ral Subjects, 1843, pp. 119-166); 18(K1. E. Oliphant, History of
North America and its United States. pp. 17, 80, 81, 108, 109, 197. 198,
298, 29!), 324, 346, 378: New Yorli Colonial Docuiiient.s. viii. 135. s, 230;
Trnnsact.ions of t,he American P1)ilosophical Siiciet.y, i. 32. 322, 336-345,
ii. llx-158. ir, P24-P'26, vi. 9-23. 43-56: Mrmoirs of the American Academy brt.s and Sciences, i, 33(;-371. ii. 65-92; Anieric.an Museum, v, 151, 154,
229-233, 244, 245, vi. 25-87. 2511-854. vii, 36-39. 353-3411. viii, 149. 195, 847,
s: 1.59. 207. 3.59. rii. 191. 255: Medical Reposit.ory. i, 90-ll.U, 845-247, 373-
375. 5311. ii, 1111-103. 205-207. 319-331. 3715. 377. #%I, 430, vi. 9-16. Sonis
o f t.lw niagazines cont.ained iiivnthly s L meteomlogical observations. "
13 Works ( Bigelow). v? 190.
1' As pi-oof of t,liis tlirrr is need only t.o nient,ion the founding of t,he
Yri.sstichusett.s Historical Societ,y: the Transact.ions of the American
Philiwvphical Societ,y, and the Memoirs iif the Aniericaan Academy of A r t s
iwd Scipnces: the poems of Barlow, Dwight, and Freneau; the novels of
l G , 17. 20. 24: 17W. I. Weld. Jr.. T r a ~l s through the Shtes of North
Clitcrles Brockden Brown: the publicntion
Aiiirrican Museum, the Bost,m Magazine,
Ytissarhuset,t,s Magazine. the New York MlItigazine: a special journal as the $Iedicnl Repository: and the formation of local societies of
hist.orical, antiquarian, or literary nature.
15A layniun will wisely refrain from striking a balance between
22 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. JANUARY, 1902
that just before 1800 the literature of the sulject of c.1imat.c
had reached more t,han respectable prolwrtions. mil tlie plnc.-e$
where one wonld naturally expect to find allusioiis t.0 tlie In-
dian-summer season are somewhat embarrassing from theii
number. It is pertinent to our subject to iliake some est.riwt.k
from books published shortly before 1800, and these iuay well
begin with three passages of an earlier datte. In 1705 R..
Beverly, mitiiig of Virginia, said: b i But the spriiig and fall
afford as pleasant weather as Mahciinet proiiiis'il in hir?
Paradise. "I6
Describing the climate of New York, C'itil\\-all:~iler C'olden
wrote in 1733: "The fall in this country (i t a i l ill1 over t,he
main of America) is most agreeable froiii blie hegiiiiiing oi
September to the middle of November The weather lwing
mild and dry The Scliie always serene, itnil tlie People
healthy. ' ' '' Again, in February. 1737-3s. the same writer ol:,ser\-ed :
"The fall of the leaf is the most pleasant se~son in thin
country. from the beginning of Sept,eiiiber to cleceiiilwr we
haye iiioderate weather with a serene sky, the horisoii 1:teiiig
seldom cover'd with clon&~ in that! time. " l4
I n 1775 Goyernor Pownnll wrote: " Tlie C!lininte of t.he Coil-
tinent a t large, or rat,lier of that Portion of North Aiiieiica
which is contained. within the Liiiiits of t-his Map. iuay be thus
stated
Its Seasons are Summer. Autumn. or whtt the Americaiis
inore expressively call The Fall, and Winter. The Transitioii
from the Locking up of all Vegetation in Wiiit,er to t,he mil-
den Burst of it again t,o Life at Begiiiiiiiig of the Hiiiiirner.
escludes the progressive Season which in the more iiioderirte
Climate of E L W O ~~ we call Spring.
b r Tlie Season begins t.o break soon after t,lie Full of t.lie
Leaf. and temporary cold .R,ains and Sleets of ,i;iiow fall iii
November, the North \vest JI7inds begin. and t,ownrds C'hrist,-
nias Winter in all its Rigonr sets in. * * * .4bctut t.lie
BIicldle of September the Mornings and Evenings 1:teuin ti)
grow cool, ani1 from that time to the Begiiiniiig of the T?iiit,er Season it. is the Climate of Paradise." '" .
Of the climate of Pennsylvaniti. Dr. Beiijaiiiin Rush reiiinrked
in 1799: "The autumn is the most agreeable season of the
year in Pennsylvania. The cool evenings and nioriiiiigs. wliicli
geiierally begin allout the first week in September. are ~111:-
ceedeil by a moc1erat.e temperature of the air during the day.
This species of the weather continues with au iucreiise of cdd
scarcely perceptible, till the iiiidde of October. wlien the
nutmiin is closed hp rain, which soiiietiiiies falls iii siicli qmn-
tities as to produce clestruct,ive freshets in the rivers and creeks.
and sometimes descends in gentle show-ers, which continue
opposing argument~s. I?ut lie mag be permitt,& to t.lliiik t,liat,.-a, ratniirk
made a hall cent,urg ago by doliii C. C;ra.y is very much t.ii t.hr point.. i~nd
applies as well to the count.ry at. large as to New Eng1:uii:l. It has lwrn
a general. mid is perhaps st,ill a prevailing impression miwig t.lw inhahit.-
ants of New England. that our cliinat,e is niuch ~a r n i e r now t.hnn twa,
hundred years since. This position has h e n distinctly a.asunieil by stme
of our liest historians and naturalists. and ninny iiigt.nii.nis rc'asms haw
been given for the change. The explanation which rieenis to Itavat met
with most. favor is t.lirtt. which ascri1:)es the n.llegetl softriling uf t.Iw wint.er'e ccdd to the clraring away o f large t,ra.cts of #)rest trrrw. It. is
believed. however, t,lmt t.he posit.iou it.selr iuny l ~t s fairly vall1.~1:1 in quest.ii in.
and that philosophers, I iy a niist.akt. Mot iiiiprrl.c'driit,e~ 1 in t.lir olwrwrs
o f natural phenomena, hitrr employed t~heniselves inuvh nii:)re I-liligent,ly
in account,ing for a striking plienunienon wliich t,heg haw itssii n i 4 t.1.)
mist,. than iu c?ollect.iiig prec.*ise evitleiii.*c t.o ileterniinr t.he fwt. o f siicli
existence." I In First. Allnun1 Report. of the Recwt.itry of t,lir JIassn~~~liu-
sett.s Boaivl of Agricult.iire. 1854, p. 147. )
- . - . __ - - . __ ..
16History awl Present Stat.e c i f Virginia.. Bcdi iv. 1'. 1 3 .
"New Yorlr Colonial Docunient,s. v! 692.
l*I1)id., vi, 123.
19 Tupographical Descrilition o f su1~~1i Pn.rts of N1,rt.h Aiiivrivtt n.s nrr
contained in the (amrseil ) BIap of the IIidcllr British C!i)li)nies. l i 7 & 1).
44. Pownall also says that. .* t.he Heasoii id hnzy. foggy, an11 rztitiy Sllualls
from Nort,h East hegiiis tmvar(1s t,lw 1atti.r End o f April in s(.)iiit. Ptirt,s.
t,ow-ards the Beginning uf h1In.y in othrrs;" hiit dues n i )t. alliiale t a -1 siiiidw
or haze in the autumn.
with occasional interruptions By a few fair clays, for two or
t.liree weeks. These rains are tlie harbingers of the wint,er,
ant1 the Indians have long ago t,iuiglit the inhahitants of Penn-
sylvanin. that t.he degrees of cold ?luring the winter. are in
proportion to t,lie qnaiitiby of riiiii which falls during the
~ut~ulln. " yo
I n 1792 J. Belknq:, s i d o f New Hampshire: i L Light frosts
begin in September: in October they are iiiure frequent, and
by the elid of t,liat nioiith. ice is made in siuall collections of
water: but the wentlier is mostly serene. Nowmber is a vari-
able ilionth. alternately met and dry. "
In 1794 H. Willimis reiiidxxl of Vermont: '* From the be-
giiiniiig of September until the iiiitldle of October we have coni-
munly the nwst agreealjle season. with moc1erat.e westerly
winds, and a clesr sky. The latter part of OctolJer and Noveiu-
ber. are generally cold. wet. and nncoinfrjrtd:,le ; atteiiclecl with
frequent rains, some siicnv and high winds. ' I "
I n 1796 I. Weld. Jr.. an English traveler, observed: " The
1iicint.h of Outuber and November are the most agreeable in
the middle and southern states. of any in the year; the
cli~iiges in the weather are then less frequent. and for the
most part tlie air is teinpernte alii1 the sky serene. " "
I n 179s It. Proud ciJiiteiit,eil himself with remarking that in
Peniisylvaiiia 6, the autumn " is L L long itad mild. " **
Tu c.oiit,inue these ext,mct.s :riid references. in an attempt to
be eshnnstive. \voulcl be both tedious r ~a d unnecessary. Those
previously given cover every prt,ion of Nort.11 America into
wliicli English spe:ikiiig peiiple lm1 penebrateJ before lSW,
either as explorers. t.rayelers. or settlers. The present writer
fiiicls i t difficult to detmec.tr in these passages niiy deeper mean-
ing t.haii t.he simple strtteiiieiit that, uyr weather in autumn is
pleasaiit,. Of increased wnrmtli. of siiioliiness. of liaze,'j t h e e
features which, as dreaily reniiwlied, iwe in the popular zliiiid
t.he dist,iiiguixliing climwteiistics o f t,lie Iiiilinu siinimer. of
t,liese, t,liere is not so iiiucli :is R hint,.?' I lilive dwelt at soiiie
length UlJCi11 the writers of the periid just before 1500. because
i t \vas ttt, this wry time t,liat the teriii Iiidiaii suiiimer came
into use and the alleged plieiimiena of t,lie Indian-summer
seasoii cwie t.o he not,iced. The fiii:t, therefore. that SO many
writers 1)revimis to 1HoO neither eiiiployed the t,t?nii nor recog-
iiized the sei~.s~n. is singular, significant, and noteworthy. yi
TVhile a t Le Biruf, at few miles from the present citry of
Erie. Pa., Major Ebenezer Denny iiiade this entry in his Jour-
'"At~ciuiit. o f tliv C!liiilti.t.e of Peiiiisylmnia, in Aniericaii Nuseuni: vi.
353. This Ac.ca)iint was iswid in a painplilrt. in 17x9. ilntl was rcprint.vrl
ill t h biiierica.n BIusruiii. vi. 25-27. 250-2.54. vii. 3:3:3-3411.
*I Hist,c)rg i.)f New Hniiipsliirr. iii. 11;. Bttllinnp a h says: Frmi tlir
niit-ltlle of Aelit,enil:irr t h r iiiawnings and evenings begin to 1.w so c4iilIy.
that A. siiia,ll fin- 1.woniew a di~tiiritl)k cuiiipitnicm 111 Oc:t,i)l:wr tlie
wmt.hrr reqiiires one t.o Iw kqit iiiorr st.rtiililg: frmi the t.iiur that the
ttutunitial rains wmie am in Novrnilser it. is invariddy necessa.ry to the
end I j f Yarch."
It. will not eacq~e nc-)t,iw
t.lint.. acmrdiiig t.1) Rush. Belknap, ant1 Rilliaiiis. t,he iiinnt,hs (-if Oetohar
nlid Novrinbthr were rryi~rdrd its rainy iiimitlis. or when rain niight bc
'X 1ected.
' -I Truvttls. 1799. seci-md edition. i. M.
2' Hishry of Pmnaylvunin.. ii. %3S.
25 Alliisiims to s m k e cir liazc. Isrforr 1XOII w e ra,r~% ill t,he estnme.
1i:M R. Pri.1u11. speaking ~b f t.hv nort~liwrstrrly witicls, said:
6. Tlirsr winds selilt-mi fail t.1.) 1irofIuw n i ?h r sky, and a rrniarkalrlo
slinrlt c&l, C-WII, in every wasoii of t,he yi~ar: as t,liabse froin tht. snuth- for ~iridwing haziness untl warmth or 1iea.t in
winds ~P P frerlnrnt, ani1 as niurli ol.)srrved to
IJriiig ti11 himiness. f~:~gs. CII ~:l~wls. mid wet or falling wt.a.t.lier, as the
fi~r~iirr ti.rv. fair their wsllwtire ea )Id mcl heat.. wit.11 their Iwuliar dry-
n~ss."
Tlirrr is here iiot,liing a l w t 1iazinr.se l.)eing 1.iriiiiliar to the aiit~uiiin
nlc~nt~lls.
2u Q,uite I.wssil)ly t.1irsr passagrs will st,rikl? it mct.ei.)ri.)lvgist in an
nlt.t.)get.lirr alifferent light: hilt I [if tw~rsc sprak as 11 li~ynian. and with
lhe pi:)plar I.ii.1ii.f in mind.
s Fa 11' iiiaiiy years triter 1Xllll t.he dist!ussims on cliniatt* wnt.inaed wit.11
unalretril zed. Anii:ing \VI dis Iwtween 18W and lW2l.l in wliidi neither
the term iiur allusions to thtt Indian sunin~er v~~cur, are the following:
-
'2: Natural ani1 Civil History uf Yrrniont. 1.). 55.
In *
\ Histitry $i f Ptwnsglvn.iiia, ii. WS. 2:3?. )
JANUUY, 1908. MONTHLY WEATHER REVDCW. 23
~ ~ ~ ~
nal on October 13. 1794: cLPleasant weateher. The Indiau
summer here. Frosty nights. ''
Writing from Hartford, Conn. , June 7, 1798, Dr. 1\Insoii F.
Cogswell. said: r h The weather liere has been soniewhnt pecu-
liar. I will endeavour to sketch some of the most proiiiiiienl
festures of the season. Our first winter month (Deceiiiber 1
was uniformly cold, and nost of i t severely so: and. as tlit
ground was wholly uncovered with mow, the frost penetrated
to an unusual depth in tlie earth, generally froiu two to threc
feet. About the beginning of January the weather softened
~onsidernbly, and continued iiiilcl for severs1 days. i t I l J S i
people supposed the Indian Sammer was splmxwliiug ( 11
week or fortnight of wn1:111 weather, which generally t d m
plltce itbout the middle of January 1, hut. instead of t,liis, tlierc
succeeded to these plensnnt clays a delightful fall of tiiiow,
about a foot in depth, which was bound clo\vn lq- an iiic?rnst,a-
tion of hail. and prevented from blowing in heaps by tlic
winds which followed. ''L3
1801. A. Mackrnxie. Voyage froni M~:~iit~rea.l. on tht. River Mt.. Liturenw.
through tlw C!ont.inent. of Ntirth Anieri~m, hi t,he Frozrn and Pt3i:iflc
Oceans. 111 the Pears 1789 aiid 1793. pp. 127. 12iC. X32, 579. 4ll.4-4l)l.;: 1SlP2.
J. Drayton, View i b f South-C'artilina. p1.1. 14;-27: 18114. E. Mi~nrt~. Dea.rip,-
t.ion of tlie C+rneaw C~-iuntry. pp. 11). 11: lSlJ4. Mh&es sur lit Louisian&
et la Noiirc~lle-OrIPans. pp. 3. 4 : lSil7. C!. C. Rdiiii, V~>yitges I-1;t.m 1' In- tGrieor rlr Louixiaiir, iii, ?ti$)-274: 18117. C+. Herit It. Tra
Ci%nadas, pp. :ill, 2dl-2dti: 1807. 6. Measr. C:eulclgiml
United States. 1111. 1;1-118: 18119. H. (+r~.y. Let,t,ers from
256, 289-351: 1801). Essay (.in t,liv C!litiinte (if the U n i t 4 States. Pllilaileln.
phia; 18119. D. Ra~iisay, History of S~.iiit.h-C'~riili~ia. ii. 49-G!J:
1~ei-t. Travels t.lirough Lowvr Canada and t.hr United St
America. i, 110-139. ii. 350, 351. 463-4811: 18111. F. C!unliiig.
Tour to tlie Western Oituiitry. pi), 391. 380, 394. 395: 1x11. H. William.
son. OLseiwttions of the C!liniat.e ill different Parts of dinerice.. pp. 1-31:
1812. H. Willianison. Hiatcwy of NI.II.~.~ C'arnlina. ii. 17:3-211: 1812. 6. M e -
lish, Trards in the Uiiited Rtat.rs c i f Anierica. i. 71;,77. 98. 11,3. 114. 124.
135. 145. 171. 173. 179. 188. 189. 2Wi. 235. 26IJ. 3x11, 881, 2!)1), ii. 43. ltlll. 19.3.
803, 237. 278: 1913. D. W. Siiiytli. Short Topogralihitml Dest?rilit.il:in of His
Majesty's Province of Upper Cannda in Nvrtli dnirrit:a: 1813. R. Dickin-
son. C+ixigraphiml ancl 8ta.t.istical View of Massai:hueett.s Pn ~p r . 1.11~ 13- 33: 1814. H. &I. Rrac4ienridge. Views of Louisiana. pp. :31. 32. 111. 112:
1815, J. Bouchettc, Tnpcigrapicnd Descript.inn of t.he Province 4 if LI.I\VI~
Chnarlit, pli. 57-81. 595: 1811;. J. Whipple. Histciry nf Aradie. Pcwil.lsc.t.it Bay and River. pp. 5-8: 1811;. 31. Grt.eiilt~af. Statist.itml Y t r k t of Maine. pp. 19-29: 1817, W. Darl-iy, C;engra.lilii~-?al
the State of Lnnisiaua, the S~-~uthern Part of the State of X Tarritory of Ala1:iaina.. pp. 4:3, 44. 243-2811: 1817. J . Rnnsa.ini. Sket.vhes of
LI.IWW Ca~inila. pp. 1'39-15:3: lS18. W. Tudor, Lettws on the Eastrm
Stat.es, lip. 256-9156: 1816, W. Darliy. Eniigrant,'a (.+1iide t.11 t,llr Weat,rrrl
and Sout.liwesterii St.at.rs an11 Trrrihiries. pp. 2:311-251): l&ltl. (.!. Iz. .J~.JIII-
scin. Let,ters froiii the Brit.isli Het,t,lrnieiit, in Pennsylrmin. 1.11.1. :1X-101:
1819, D. Thmias. Travels thrnrrph t.hc TVest.ern C'lbunt,ry ill t,hr S111111111.r
of lS18. pli. 51;-59. 197-203: l M l 9 . E. Nackenxir. Hist.t.irival. TI qiogra.plii-
eal, m i l Drszriptive Yicw of t,he ITnitetl Stattw. pp. 3!). 411. 5:31.:-549: 181:l.
J. C!. Pmse and J. 31. Niles. C+itzet.t.rer #-it' tlie St,ates of C!l.iiiiill(.t.iclit, a.1111
Rhnde Islaud. pp. 7. Y. 3118: 1W1. C!. Mtuctrt. Emigmnt's Guide t.ct Upp'tr
Canecla. pp. 2!)-53: Melnoirs 1.d the Anirriwn Avadrniy nf Arts R ,I I ~ S1:i-
enrrs. iii. 1117-121. Xl-412. iv. 3lil-392: Metlia.~ii.l Rrpwihry. Sict.1t1~1 Hnatle. iii. 34$I-:i1;5, v. 3ti:3-:374, vi. 23-45: Mont.lily Ant111 ilabgy, is, 55-:ii;
C+enzraI Repository, i r , 313-356. It. is usrless tcf ct.intillue tliesr vasfer- encea ufter lW91). as by t.liitt t.inie t.he tl-rni Indian R I I I I I I I I V ~ had 1:it:,:.1:i1111?
Wvrll rstablishcd.
Tlir Jnurna~l WZLS nlsa I printt>a:l. to- gether wit.11 a.mthw wnrk. in 18C0. mid t,lle pttsmge will lie ftitIlid n.t, 1.ittgr
4112 (if that rdit.iiin. Mnjcir Dawny was l ~~i i ill 1761, at. (krlisle, Pa.. a1i1.1
apprars tn haw qwnt niost [-if his life ill that State. In SImvh. 1i!14. 11e was sent by C:overnor Mifflin tI.1 est.ahlish a pwt at Pr11el11' Isle. Lztkr.
Erie. On the day w-hen he madi~ tlw aimre entry in his jmirna1 hl> \\'a+ at Le Bwuf. on French Creek, ii,l:inut tcn or t.wl\-e mi1c.s ill it stlut~hrrly
direction frmi Prrsrlu' Isle. The lat.ter na.nw is not uliv~.i1nni~.ili ill tile
regioii of t.he Great Lakw. imt the plaw so called 1 .1 ~ Drnny is 114 IW t.he
city of Erie. though t.he d r l iiani~~ i s p r e s t ~e d in Presque I s l ~ R;LJ-.
Ahout t,lie same t,ime \Villiam priest.. an Euglishnian. niadc a ~~n i a r l i wirt.h not.ing. Writing f n ~t i i Ne\v Y4:irIi
Bept.txnilwr 18. 1797. he sitid: s L M y .Jersey iu~elligcnce \vas tu,) t.rnp: liut
the diwwli~r [yell<.iw fever] is chiefly confined t.0 one 1m-t. of the laity, ;tl111
is etfPctually pre\-rnt.ed from sprtwliiig at. presimt by the nlJrth\\-l!st. winrl.
which is sr.1; in this ~ncirniiig with unr*oninion sevrrit,y: a. t*ir~:1Illistal1(-~
which soniet,iines happens at. t,hie sra.snn of the year. and is tjf lli1ig t-otl-
tinuance. This kind of weather the Indians call kn!l' winter. tT1lft-,rt,lI- uately for t,he Philadelphians. they had no half wint,er in the year 1795."
(Travels in the United Stut,es of Anierica, 18U2, pp. 1511. 151).
-~
'*hIilitnvy sJoi~rnul. 1R59, p. 198.
In 1Iedic.itl Repository. ii. PW9.
~
Volney, tlie noted French traveler, who visited this coun-
try between 1'795 and 1'798, reliiarked in 1803: '( Une seconde
<?rise arrive du 15 an 30 octobre, c ' e h k l i r e , quancl le solei1
s'ext il+ a~ancC! de SO B 25 degr6s ail sud cle 1'6quateur. * * * * * * *
Les vents de norcl-est et de iiod-ouest deviennent plus frikpens;
le sud-oiiest percl de sa riguenr et clC.cliiie vers l'ouest; l'air
clevieiit plus frais, iiiaiti le ciel reste clair; le soliel est toujours
oliatud nu niilieu c h i jour, et vers novenibre, reparait une s6rie
ile l>eaus joiirs, appelk 1'CtG rrrrrwyr ( ~),[~~f ~),-s //t )~))~~~.) : c'est
cw qiie nous .zpl)elons en Frmce l'& de la Saint-&Itwtin; mais
il est clerenu si rare et si court, que nous n'en parlons plus que
par tradition. ' ""
Thoiuan Ashe. itn Englisliiiinn who traveled in this country,
said. under date of ,Jiil>?, 1806: "111 regard to the climate, the
winter is mild ; snow and frost seldom continue above three
or four weeks; tlie spring is clry, interrupted only by the
necessary refreshment of ocansioiial showerx ; the sumiuer is
not violently hot, being tempered by a perpetmd breeze; and
t,he nutunin is distinguished by tlie name of the Second Sum-
mer. Ctmtronlecl by these facts the public cry is that Ken-
tucky )),.tisf be lwaltly, that, eujoying such a c.limate, it can not
he otherwise, and tliat 110 oouiitry of the globe can bond, of
such tia1ul)rity and such an :Ltmosphere. ""
In 1809 Dr. Sliailracli Rioketsoii, alluding to New York, 01)-
serwcl: L. The two last autumnal months exhibited nothing
w r y unusual. being att,encled ait,li frequent alternations of
frost itnil rain. In tlie last was a coiirse of dry, smoky weatlier,
long known in this country by the mine of ' Indian summer. ' "
In 1813 H. Cf. 8lmfford wrote: ' The Indian-Summer. a pe-
culiar and elegant feature of an American autumn, in connec-
tion with the xplen&d and rich variety of tint assumecl by the
forest folinge at that season, coiniiiences usually about the
last of 0c:tober. and ex tends into December with occasional
iat,errupt~ioiis by esst,erii stornis. ' ' s3
1Vit.h this twnipare the estral.+ frmi Dr. Rurih. alreudy quoted under
r1at.r of 17x9. "T;tl~l~?t~ii rlu C'liinnt et. clu Hcil des kt -1Tnis cl'Ami?rique. i, 292, 393.
Vnliiey's 1:m ik WAB t,wii:e translat.ed into English; by nn Englishman. ut
Lonrlon, in 1x04. and by C!. B. B~I.IWII. at P1iiladelphiu. in 1804. It would
I:w interesting to kninv exactly where Volney h i n d t.he term in this coun-
t.ry. He viaiteil alinost all s:vt,i(,ns, but does not say lier re, wlien. or
III B W &vii lip heard it. It hits lwrn urgt?cl that Volnep's emplognieiit of
blip esprvssi~Ju iinplies a widtx use in this coiunt.ry. On t,he ot,lier hand, it. spe~i~s t,o t.he present writcr t,lint t.he tinly w i t ? conclusion to be drawn
hwn Vdney's reniarks is t.liat. l i e heart1 the t,erni ticmediere hi this
:~iiint,ry. but nut. ucrtressnrilq- in every part t,Iimugli w-liidi he t.riirelei1.
rllr point I wish to niah 1n'a.y br illustra,ted by an extract iron1 t.he Jour-
uitl of .Jaci.ilJ FiJWIer. i!ilitrll by the late Dr. Elliott c0uC.s in 1898. Under 1at.e of Drwni1:ier 17. W31, Fowler writes: " The Weather verry much
inoderated Hawing iiiuvli the itppeereiive of t,he Indean Scmiiner."
FIwlrr was t.hen ou t.he drkaiistts River. in what is now the State of
3 llwnilo. (!an we t.Iicrel~.ire l-wwrlude that Fowler liei~i~l the t,erni used
in t.ha.1: rrgkjn? mist. certainly we can not. for t,lie ohvious reasnn that
tt, t.littt. tinie t,Iiere were nu English in1iai:iiDants in that region at all. I n 4mrt.. FnwIer. wlin W~LR 1wrn in New York and who had. prerioiiw t,o t,he
l.iiiie of his .Jtinrnnl. liwd in Kentucky, took the term to the West. with
iim. It. lias also 1:ieiw urged, in ~~invt?rsat,ion wit.11 t,he writer. thiit the infre- .
~iiviicy with which the c~spre~sion is niet with herore 1800 indicat,es not
ill n1u14i its rnrit.2. as the rapt t.hat it. was so wniirion as not to excite
.~.imnient. But, siircly we ccw lint, assunie the existence of a word merely
>wituse no oiir ~?nipl~:iys it.. Besides, after lWW, by which tinie t,he term hia1ia.n su~nnirr tiad aert,ainly 1~~c01iie vwnnion. it.8 coininonness did not
.ire\-~.~nt pe~:~ple from usiug it nr cmimeut,ing upon it. Recognizing to the
'ull that negative eviclerwe niust be rewired wit.h ca ut.ion. yet. in view of
:hr t:a)iiiplct,r silenve of nntire historiiuis before 1800 ancl UP t,he complete
;ili.nce of all writ,ers, nat,iw or foreign, befcire 1794. I see no escape froin
tic 1.1 int*lusia.iii t.hat. the l~ur~len of piuiof lies on t.liose who maintain that In-
l i m siiniiiier wits it t.erni v (~i i i n ~~w before 1BH) or linown at. all hefi.ire 1794.
Trawls in Anieric.:a. Perfornied in 1801% ( 1YlJ8 1. ii. 153. My attention sn.s I:allvtl t.l.1 this pa~snge by Mr. E. P. Merrit,t cif Boston.
*: i)lJwrvnt.iI IIIP on the Weather and Distwes ill the Autuinn nf 1808, in
,hr C'itp of N4.w Y~nrk, in Media.al 1tepnsit.ory. Second Hesaile, vi. 187.
In the Oxford Diction-
try. Dr. Uiirray gives no earlier esnniple of .* elegant '' in its vulgar use
-
~
1'a.ge 65. )
C+a.xotteer of t.he Stat.(> of New Pork, $1. 14.
JANUARY, 1902 24 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW.
I n 1816 Dr. D. Drake remarked:
 INDIAX SUMMEX.
I n the autumn of every year, we have a period to which
this appellation is affised. It generally succeeds to rain 01
snow and severe frost; beginning in October or November.
and continuing for two or three weeks, with an occasional
stom. But the atmosphere is, for the most part. dry. serene,
and smoky, through which the sun anil moun exhibit in the
morning and evening a face of tlarkened crimson. The ver-
dure of the forest fades away, or passes into the countless
varieties of brown, red, ani1 yellow, w1iic.h give to the snr-
rounding scenery a dull and sombre aspect. The occurrence
of rain, with a north-west wincl a t length sucldenly dispels
the gloom, strips the wood of its remaining foliage. and intro-
duces winter, wit,h a transparent itnil cheeiing ntsiaosphere.
The effect of this peculiar atmosphere on h-j-pocwndriacs, tho
less in degree, is similar to that proclucecl by the November
fogs of Great Britain.
It sounds grotesque a t the present day to tind the Indian-
summer season associated with gloom. and to hear that it has
an unhappy effect upon hypochondriacs.
I n 1817 John Bradburp, an English traveler. npeakiiig (J f the
Missouri Territory ani1 of the Ohio River, 01~served: .About
the beginning or micldle of October the Indian summer
commences, ancl is immeclintel-j- known by the change which
takes place in the atmosphere, as i t now hec~lmes hazy, or
what they term smoky. This gives to the sun a re11 ~il~penr-
ance and takes away the glare of light, so that all the clay.
except a few hour# about noon. he may be looked a t with the
naked eye without pain: the air is perfectly quiescent and all
is stillness, as if nature, after her exertions c7uiiiig the siiin-
mer, were now a t rest. The \vint.ers are sharp. but i t may be
remarked that less snow fdls, anil they are muc*li more mocl-
erate on the west than on the east side of the Alleghmies in
similar latitudes. * * * The seasons and general state of the n-ertther correspond
with what has been mentionell of upper Louisiana in siinilnr
latitudes: I n spring heavy rains; in summer an almost rloncl-
less sky, with heavy dews a t night; in antunin some rain, fol-
lowed by the Im?in)i ~onnwr; and the winter from ten weeks
to three months long. which is dry, sliarp. and pleasant.  Jg
Writing from Shawnee Town, Illinois Territory, in Decem-
ber, 1817, H. B. Fearon, mother English traveler. mid:
With regard to the fieasoiis. they are said to have severe
winters of from three to four montshs. with a keen. dry air
and cloudless sky ; during summer. excessive heat (tlierniome-
ter in the shade 80 to 96 1, with heavy dews a t night: springs,
cold and heavp rains ; autmiiiis, h e . fol1011-ed ly- Itcrlirrti x i o i l -
wwr, which is truly delightful. This I have experienced, and
can say that until now I never knew what really fine weather
was.  
~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~
than 1848. For niore than a century. hfwewr. this use has 1w.n ixini-
nion in our country. nncl in 1817 IT. Birk1:wk. an English t.rnvrlw, tliiis
amusingly coinn~eiiti?cl upm it:
*. The grand in scenery I havn Iieen slii-dwcl to hear. liy American lips.
called disgusting, bevaunt! t.lie surhcr woiilrl bt? tiio rude for t.lie pluuph:
and the epithet of rlegatlt is used C)II every orcasim of rl,tiiuirndat.ioii but
that to which it is approprii&. in t,hr English lnngiiage.
 A,ta, e l f p i a t itnprorewtrttf is n cabin of rude hgs, nnd a few acres 1vit.h
trees cut dowll to tht? height of tllree fwt. anc-1 surrounilrd l ~y t i wiir~~i-
feni!e. or zig-zag railing. You htvi,r of an clqrotf mill. an clrgnttf I-irchiird.
an ekgmd tan-yard. Cv.. ant1 fan~iliiirly of eleptif roads. -meaning siicl1
as you may pass withorit estrcmr peril. Thc word implies rligil-Ji1it.y a:lr
usefulness in America. Init. has nothing t i l do wit.11 taste. Notes CUI a. Journey in America. second eilit.ian. 1818, p. 133. )
*+ Natural and Statistical View. t ir Pit:t,urr of C!inciiinat.i nud 1.he Miitini
Country, p. 110.
Indians hegin to provide for the winter wlien this st.iite of thr
weather coninien~es. as they linow it. will SI 1011 npprotwh.
ys Travels in t,he Interior of Anwrictt, in t,hr Years lXikI, IRlil, mid 1P11.
pp. 258, 359, 28.2.
Sketches of America, 1818, p. 221.
I n 1819 Dr. H. MMurtrie remarked: ICA sketch of the
weather during the last winter will convey as much informa-
tion upon tlie subject, as a volume. Early in the fall the
Indian Summer as it is called, succeeded the Autumn, and
lasted foiw weeks with occasional days of estremely cold
weather: this was sucoeecled by a week of changes the most
sudden aad estraordinary I ever witnessed, the ponds in the
town. being frozen sncl thawed alternately during the same
day. which was closed by a night equally as variable. The
cold now appeared RR t,lioiigh it hac1 commenced in good-
earliest; during the space of three weeks it was very intense,
quant.ities of ilrifting ice were seen on t-he Ohio, the ponds
were incrusted 1):- it t h e e inches deep, when the wind, which
had hitherto bll Jwn froni t,lie northwest, suddenly veering to the
south and sont,li-southwest,. a warm rain fell, which dissolved
the icy fetters of minter and again restored the Indian cj ummer.
Such was the mildness of the weather till the latter end of
January, t,hnt t,he buds of the peach trees were swelled, and
hac1 not! a few frosty nights supervened, they must have
blossomed.  
This is cert,ainly one of the most singular pasxngeR we shall
have to consider. For three centuries m d n half most people
liave been content to regard autiiinii and fall as synonpuous
ternis, but Dr. MMurt,rie seeins to have entertained a different
notmion. According to him. the fall conies after the autumn.
The Inclian siimnier. in 181s. aft,er lasting four weeks, was
succeeded by one week of suclcleii changes, and this by three
m-eeks of cold. when the Indian suiniiier was again restored, and,
perlinp, extended into Jmaary. But this is not certain, for the
passage is very indefinite, thougli it a t least shows. that the Indian
siiimiier was regarded by itIMurtrie as lasting a long time.
I n 1M1 John Howison wrote: The autumns of Upper Can-
ticla very much resemble those of Bi-itain. October is usually
11 delightfnl dry month, with mild clap and clenr frosty
nights. The early part of No vember is generally character-
izecl by a peculiar state of tslie weather, which the Canadians
term Idirtti R I I I H w r . The atmosphere has a haziness and
smokiness which niekes distant objects appear indistinct and
undefined, and a halo often encircles the sun. At the same
time, a genial warmth prevails, ancl there is seldom any wind.
The Indian summer is so delightful, that one would almost
suppose the country where i t takes place to be transportec1
for a season to some celestinl clime, where the elements ever
existed in harmony and acted in unison. It is extremely dif-
ficult to explan the cause of the regular occurrence of this
kind of wedher; for scmcely a year passes, in t,he aut,umn of
which there are not some days of Indian suinmer.39
In 1821 William Tudor remarked: One of the most agree-
able peculiarities in our climate is a period in t,he autumn,
called the it id in^ hiciij t w r ; it happens in October, coinmeiicing
a few clays earlier or later, as the season may be. The tem-
perature is delightfnl and tlie weather differing in its charac-
t,er from t,hat of any other stlason. The air is filled with a
slight haze. like sinoke, which some persons suppose it to be;
the aiiicl is south west. ani1 there is a vernal softness in the
atmospliere; yet the different alt.itude of the sun from what it
has in the summer. inakes it in other respects wry unlike that
season. This singular occurrence in our climate seems to be
to siiimier, what n vivid recollection of past joys is to the
reality.  O
. .
~
--
38 Skrt.chw of La-luisrillr And it,s Enriioiis. pp. 49. 50.
xg Sltetdies of 1Tppcr C!anaila, pp. 430, 431. This is t.lie earliest appear-
a1ic.P of t,hP term in Cnnada linijwn to ne.
4o Lotiers on t,lw Enat.ern Bt,at,rs. second rdit,ion, p. 312. Tudor goes on to sn.y that -* t.lir Iiidiitns have stiine pleitsing supwstitions respect.ing it,
and t,lieii quotes from t.he Rcv. J . Freeman t~ passage which nil1 be con-
sidered later. It. is curitme t,hat ~I I t,he first edit,ion o f his Letters on the East.ern St,at.es. pu1:llished in 1618. Tudor, though he thwtes pp. 358-266
t.u climate. has not 21. word to say about Indian suniiner, ant1 the passage
quoted in the test appeared for the flrst t,inie in the second edition.
JANUARY, 1902. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 25
In 1823 J. Farmer and J. B. Moore wrote: c c F r ~m the 20th
of September to the 30th of October, the weatsher is delightful,
The temperature is mild, the air is sweet, and the sky singu-
larly bright ancl beautiful. This period is denoiiiinat,ed thc
Indian Summer. I'
In 1826 Timothy Flint observed: "Then, when we werc
made fast in a cove on the m&le sand-bar; when the nioon,
with her circumference broadend and reddened by the hazc
and smoke of Indian suinmer, rose, aiid diffused. as C!hateau-
biiand so beautifully says. the great secret of nielanchol>
over these ancient forestma :'-after our evening prayers. and
the favorite hymn, The clay is past and gone. ' etc. I have
spent hours in traversing the sand-bars entirely alone. *' '?
In 1839 James Macadey said: '. I n autumn there are UHII-
ally several great inovements in the atmosphere, which servc
as so many precursors of the aplmxwh of winter. The firs1
happens about the time of the equinox, anil is often attended
with heavy wind and more or iess rain. * * * This is suc-
ceeded by fine weather. which lasts with soine interi.uptsions.
till about the 10trh or 20tmh of October, when the second occiirs.
This, like the preceding. is accompanied by wind ancl rain.
There is, however, consiclerable difference. The winds art
often very violent, and come near to hurricanes, * * * These winds rarely last over two or t h e e days. They are fol-
lowed by cold of soine days duration. when the wentlier set-
tles down and becomes fine. The Inclian Summer, n series oi
smoky clays, usually follows or coines shortly after t,he setble-
ment. Its continuance is now and then two weeks. Tlir
Indian Summer, at present. is shorter, and comes 1at.er thaii
formerly. A third begins about the middle or latter part oj
November."4S
In the mine year John MacTaggart reniarked: '' The snow
generally begins to fall about the niicldle of November: in the
woods. it is seldom attended with wind, but in the cleared
places it blows into huge wreaths; the roadways are filled full
between the fences. In the beginning of the above-named
month, there are general17 a few very fine warm clays, called
the Idiun A'tonnwr. " 'I
By 1830 the term had found its way to England. for in tlist
year De Quincey, alluding to Bentley, wrote: L c An Indian sum-
mer crept stealthily over his closing dags; a summer less gaudy
than the mighty summer of the solstice, but sweet, golden.
silent; happy, though sad; and to Bentleg, upon whoin ( now
eighty years old) his last fatal illness riished as suclilenly as it
moved rapidly through all its stages. it was never known t,liat
this meet mimickry of summer-a spiritual or fairy echo of R
mighty music that has departed-is as frail and transitory as
it is solemn, quiet, and lovely. "I5
.. . . .. . . . . . . .. .
~
I1 C+aset,teer of t,he St,ate of New Hnmpshire. p. 9.
Recollevt.ions of the Last Ten Tears, Passed in the Valley of the Mis- sissipi. p. 285.
4xNatural, Statistical. and Civil History of t.he State of New Tork. i.
369, 370.
Three years in Cnnarla: An An*~,ont. of t,lie Act.unl St,at,e of t.lir Cl~int.ry
in lW3B-18P8. ii. 2.
The beginning of t,he passage is cit.ed in t,he Osfoiul Dictionary. De Quincey adds a note whirh ir; #.I f int,crest as showing liow readily t,he terni found avcept.ance in Engl~nd: .* The
Indian euinnier of Canada. :tiid I 1.wlieve universnlly of the Norb1lei-n
Unit.ed States. ir; in Noveinber. at. whicdi season. in w n i r cliniat~es. a ljrief
echo of suninier uniformly occws. It. is a niist.alie t.o S U ~~I W ~ it. unlinvwn
in Europe. Throughout Geriiiaiiy ( I helie\-e also Russia) it. is pilpularly
knvwn, sonietinies as The Old TV'osinti'w ,Stttri,twr, s(1nietimes nr; Tirc Girl'a Siwinier. A natural question arisrcwhnt lnrliinfi suggestion it. is
of diiii ideas or ernnescent. iniagea t.hitt confers upon t.he Indian ~iininier its
peculinr interest,. Already in its C:ernian and Livoninn n a i i i ~~~ w e miig
rend an indicat,ion, that by its priinary feature this anoninluus season
citnie forward as a fertritiiiw reflection of a power in it.srlf by fervour a.nd
creative energy essent,ially arctaritline: a Zitrinr image of an sgeiiry t.hat,.
by it,s rapt.ure and headlong lifv. was imperis11aldy twh. Hrcmtlly. it was regarded as a dependency, as a season t,liat looked 1:mcli to somethiug
that had departed, a faint nieinorial (like t,he light of setting suns) recall-
ing an archetype of splendours that were hurrying to oblivion. Thirdly,
it was itself attached by its place in the succession of annual phenoinena
l5 Btmtley, W~rks, 1843, vi. 180.
4-4 .
In.1832 John M'Gregor said: c r I n September, the weather is
estremelg pleasant. The season, from this time to the middle
or latter part of October, is generally a continuation of pleas-
ant clays. * * * About tlie end of this month, * * * tliere appears in the atmosphere a determination to establish
cold weather. * * * Rain, sunshine, evaporation, and
slight frosts, succeed each other. and the leaves of the forest
froin this period, change their verdure into the most brilliant
ani1 rich colours. * * * After this crisis, the air becomes
colder. but the sky continues clear: and a number of fine days
usually appear in Norember. There are frosts at night, but
the sun is warm in the middle of the clay; the evenings and
mornings are pleasant. but cool, and a fire becomes agreeable.
This period is terniecl all over Ainerica the Indian suinmer, '
and is ~lways looked for, ancl depended on, as the time to make
preparations for the winter season. ''I6
In 1833 a Bnltiinorenn wrote: "The term Indian summer,
has been applied t,o that obscure anil hazy condition of the
atmosphere, which usually occurs toward the last of No~~ember,
attended with a peculiar redness of t,he sky, an alisence of rain,
and we iiiiglit add an olwiously increased temperature ; which
latter fact is in some degree significant of its name. * * * Having stmated that the Indian summer appears usnally in the
iuoiitli of November, we do not however, wish to be under-
stood, that a liaziness or obscurity of the air occiirs in that
niondh only, aiid that its duration is confined, and peculiar to,
H few days in the latter part of the autumnal season-on the
contrary, ooinnion observation (as well as the minute references
to meteorological tables) proves, that it, is by no means un-
conimon in the month of October, and is frequently mistaken
then for the true Inclian siimiuer. by persons iulacquainteil with
tlie proper period of its accession. * * * It is worthy of
remark. that according to the recollection of o w older inhabi-
tants, its foimer duration was often three or four weeks,
whereas its present continuance is short and uncertain, seldom
esceecling ten or fifteen clays. It appears further, that this
ilecline has been soniewhat regular. keeping pace with, and evi-
dently influenced by, the gradnal uncovering of the country. ' I
In 1835 0. J. Latrobe, an English traveler, remarked: "I
have mentioned, that uncertain as the occurrences of genial
weather might now be in this latitude, we hac1 been en-
couragecl to hope that the delicious season, known by the
uanie of the Indian Summer. which ordinarily intervenes be-
tween t,he fall of the leaf and the commenceinent of the severe
winter of the no& iniglit yet come to our aid in the prosecu-
t,ion of our escursion. It is true, the north wind blew while
we were at Prairie de Chien, * * * still we were not de-
ceived. but, before the lapse of many days we RRW the sleet
rlisappear-the wind cease to agit,ate the river and the f o r e s t
the wild fowl pause in their passage. and, furling their pin-
ions, alight by myriads nmong the islands and marshes, and,
ns though by enchantment. a season settle down upon the
earth. which, for its peculiar beauties. might vie with the
most poetical ancl clelicious in t,lie circle of the year. To what
~hnll w e conipnre the Indian SmninerP To the last bright and
tinexpected flare of a dying taper-to the sudden and short-
lived return to consciousness and apparent hope in one
stretched upon the bed of death, efter the standers by have
deemed him gone-or to the mnrm, transient, but rosy glow
which will often steal over the snows of the distant Alps, after
tt> the dqitrrtitig year. By a t.riple title, therefore, the Indian summer mas beaut,iful. and was sad. For august. grcmdeur, self-sustained, it suh- +titut,erl it frailty of lorelinwe: nni-1 for t,he riot and torrent rapture of
ivy in t.he fullness of possession. esclianged the mnonliglit hauntings of
I visitmitry and sndc1ent.d remembrance. In short. what the American [ndian race it.self at this time is. tiicdt the Indian suninier represents
synibolliiially-viz., t.lie most perfect aniongst human revelations of grace
n forni and movenient, but under a vhible fatality of decay."
My at.tention was called to this ynssage
3y Miss Sara Mickle of Toronto.
*I American Journal of Science, 1835, xsvii, pp. 140, 141, 146.
British America. i, 135-137.
26 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. JANUARY, 1902
the sun is far below the Jura, and after they have been seen
rearing themselves for a while, cold and ghastly white. over
the horizon ?
Glistening
strings of gossamer, woven by the wronaut spider. streaiii
across the landscape-all nearer objects are seen tlirougli a
dreamy atmosphere filled with a rich golden haze, while the
distance melts away in violet and purple. The surface of tlie
river. with its moving flood of silver reflectn all objects a d
every colour with matcliless fidelitry-the harsher tones o f tlir
rocks. of the deep brown forests. an11 of the yellow prairies
appear so softened.-the reflection of their pale tints is so per-
fect, and such a similarity of colour am1 shade pervdes tlie
earth, the air and the wtter, that all tliree seem blended
together." 4R
In 1837 Longfellow. speaking of Sweden, observed : '' Nor
must we forget the sudden changing seasons of the Northern
clime. There is 110 long and lingering spring. uiifoltling leaf
and blossom one by one: no long ancl liiigeriiig autmiln. pimi-
pour; with many-colored leaves and tlie glow of Iiiiliaii suiii-
mer. But winter and suiiiiiier are wonderful. an11 ptss into
each other. " '9
"During the Inclian Summer the air is calm.
I n 1838 some unkiio\va person wrote :
To a resident in New Eiiglaiicl the very name of Iiiiliaii
Simmer calls 111) so many essentially poetic images. that, it, is
diEcult to approach the subject witlioiit periiiittinp the
thoughts to run riot over the fairy sceiies which that season
presents; and we iuarvel not that it lias suggested to tlie
muse of America some of her most brilliant effusions: for it
would require no great! effort of the imagiiintioii t n 1lerc.eive
in its balmy and buo;vniit air n portiou of that tlir-iuns (!!flufirs
of which the old poets spalie. * * * I n the early part of
October a strange iiiterruptic 111 occurs to tlie progressive fall
of the mercury, aiicl when in tlie natural course of events we
should be led to anticipate a still further increase of cold, we
are mrprisecl to perceive. that for two or three weeks snc-
cessively, with a few alight exceptions. an elevation uf teiii-
perature is esperieiic.ec1. to a greater degree in many cakes
than the average of the first week of Se~~teml>er.-noiuetinie~
as great as the ineaii of the month of August. * * * But
with 11s the afterlieat ' is attended with circumstaiices of no
uncoiniiion interest and beauty. I n New Englaiitl eqwrinlly
i t is a rich and glorions sessiuii. in which Nature woul~l seein
struggling to -a-itlitlraw attentioii from the decay which is
stealing upon her. by tlie increased gorgeoiisness of her ql-
parel, and tlie spring-like youtlifuliiens of her vt lice :tu11 air;
hiding moreover those defects which die can 111 I t ntlierwise
conceal, by a thin veil of iiiilcl and sinolq- haze.
" Tlie most peculiar charactelistic of this SecvJntl Siuniiier
cwnsists in the wonderful and Leantiful change which takes
plnce in the forest. This feature. hon-ever, though it coil-
tinues throughout the whc )le of tlie Iiirlian Smniner's lwief
reign. begins, strictly speaking. to develope itself nt an earlier
' Scarcely has nature become enveloped in tliih gorgeous
winding sheet. a hen tlie I ~tlier characteiihtics I ~f the Iiiiliaii
Summer begin to develope themselves. The temperature of
the atmosphere during the hours of sunshine heconies iiiilder
tliaii it has been for weeks before. There i n a balmy and
voliiptuous softness and stillness in the air, resembling the
early days of June. There is not wind enough to s h k e from
pe1iod. * * *
tinged with a ruby gleam, which is reflected from the win-
i l o ~s , and which suffuses every object on which it is thrown.
The moon also wears a blush as she rises. ancl the planets
which hang in the flushing west wear a more golden aspect
than is their wont." XI
In 1839 Bela H ~l >b a r ~l said: "October20. * * * Since
13th instant we have been favored with balmy Iiiclian summer.
All nature is liunhed and wrapped in a thin, misty robe.
Tliruugli this the siin's rays fall, robbed of their earlier bril-
liance nul fervor and of a deeper and milder red.
* * October 27. This delicious weather lias continued until
to-thy. wlien a shower set in. ' ' 51
On Septeiiiher 8. 1841. Thoreau wrote: r b Your note came
wafted to iiiy hand like the first leaf of the Fall on the Sep-
tember wind. and I put only another interpretativn upon its
lilies tliaii U ~J U tlie veins of those which are soon to be
strewed mound me. It is nothing but Iiiclian Summer here
at present,. I mean that any weather seems reserved expressly
for our late purposes whenever we happen to be fulfilling
them. '' 52
In 1x41 Whittier wrote:
b . Tlius. aliile at timrs Iwfore our eyes
The shallows ltlelt a1id fall apart.
And. smiling through them. round lis lieb
Thy warm light of I I W iiiiwning diir.%-
Thr Indian Huitinirr (i f the 1irai-t !
In secret sympathy i b f minil.
In founts 11f frrliny which retain
Their ii~ire, frcdi flciw. we yet limy tilid
Our early clrcniiis not whtilly vitiii ! '' s3
I n 1S42 Zac1oc.k Thompson said: 6 L But it appears that. from
the i.oiiiiiieiiceiiieiit of tlie settlement of the country, the In-
dian Smiiluers hare gradually become more and inwe irregular
and less strikingly marked in their character. until they hare
almost ceased tu he noticed. '' a
I n the saiiie year J. F. Watson observe11 :
" INDIAN RTTDIDIER.
b b This \vas a short season of very fine, mild weather, which
\I as formerly inucli mcire iiianifest than of later years. It was
expected to occur in the last days of November. It was a
I)lanil ani1 genial time, in which the bircls. the insects, and the
plants, felt a iiew creittic)li. n u l sported a short-lived suiim~er,
ere tliey shrunk finally from tlie rigour of the winter's blast.
Tlie sky. in tlie mean time. was alwa~-s thinly veiled in a
inurky linze-intercepting the direct rays of tlie sun, get pans-
ing enough of light and lient to prevent sensations of gloom
or chill. * * *
&* Tlie k i i i ~v i i amenity of nucli a season was fixed u1)on. in
ulden time. 11s tlie fittest time for the peat. fitir a t Philadel-
phia. which opened on the last Monday in November, and con-
tinneil tliree clays, thus iiisnriiig, an they conceived. as many
good clays. before ~n c l after tlie term. for good tra\veling to
and from the same. The fair in the last week of May was
alsb clioseu for its liuown settled weather." ''
50 ITiiiteil States Mngwxinr ant1 Urnincrntil. Review, iii, 153-15M.
51 Mwitirials [if a Half Chitury. lsx'i. 11. 5711.
5? Familiiir Lrttrrs. 1SW. 11. 43.
53 ItIeiiiin+b. Piirtii*itl IVt)rlik, 18W. i i . 97. 98.
54Hih11.y d Veririmt. i. 11;.
55 .~l l l l ~~b of Philnilrlpliin and Pf~nlisglv-ania, ii. pp. 31i4, 363. In the
Niitiiiiial Intrlligenrrr uf Tlirrrsdny, Nnrrniher Yli, 1857, No. 8579, p.
JANUARY, 1902. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 27
In 1843 Hawthorne reinarkecl: 'rOctober 10th. * * * In the meantime nutiinin has been aclvaiicing, ancl is said to ~J E
a month earlier than usual. We had frosts snficient to kill
the bean and squash vines, more than a fortiiiglit ago; but
there has since been some of the most delicious Iiidiaii-
sunnier weather that I ever ezPeriencecl,--luild, sweet, perfect
clays, in which the warin sunshine seemed to einbmce the earth
and all earth's children with love and teiiderness. * * 4
Noveinber 8th. * * * Ever since our ret,urii [from a trill
of nine clays], ]rowever, until to-clay, there lias been a succ*es-
sion of genuine Indian-summer claps. with gentle wiiids. 01
none a t all, aiicl a misty atmosphere. which idealizes all nature,
and a milcl, beneficent siinshine, iiiviting one to lie dowii iii R
nook ancl forget all earthly care. To-clay tlie sky is dark iincl
lowering, anel occasionally lets fall a few sullen tears. I sup-
pose we must bid farewell to Indiaii siiiiiiuer iiow, and expect
no more tenderness from Mother Nature t;ill next spring be
well advanced. ' '
In 1844 the R.er. C. Dewey, qiedciiig of tlie seasons of tlie
previous year, said: r i Tlie fine warin smoky drip, wliicli coni-
nonl-j- take place in Octoher, or the beginning of NoveiiilJer.
and called Indian siiimner. did iiot appear this pear iii tlieir
usual perfection. Indeed, it \vas a coiiiiiioii reiiiark. that. we
had no Indian siiininer. * * * on the 17th of Noveinbe1
the atmosphere was quite smoky, and a slight Indian siiiiiiuer
appeared for eight clays in succession. *' s 7
In 1846 IV. E. Maswell reiiiarkecl : b r On rearliiig. iii h h .
Birt's report on 'Atniospherie Waves, ' presented at tlie meeting
of the British Associntioii [see Atheniruin of September 261,
the account of the great Noveiiiber wave, it has struck iue as
a curious coincidence that. the period of the inaxiiiiuni of the
wave-viz, from the 12th to the 17th of November-is pre-
cisely that given by American trarelers for tlie occiirreiice of
that inost remarkable ineteorolcigical pheiioiiieiioii, f l r ~ fl3l//tl/l
suittttwr; when, after having already hail a foretastme of t.he
dgonrs of the approaching winter. IL sudden change of tein-
perature takes place, a delicious warmth is felt, tlie sky is
without a cloud, not a breath of air is stirring, and tlie whole
atmosphere is filled with a glowing transpareiit liaze.--\vliicli
state of weather lasts about three claTs. "
In 1847 Charles Peirce piiblislieel a voluiue giving nii ztccoiint
of the weather a t Pliiladelpliia from 1790 to 1846. Perliitps
the most singular feature of this book is that it 11i.w.s iiot c m -
taiii a single allusion to siiioke, but ii single allusion to haze,
and only three allusions to the Indian suininer cluiing those
forty-seven years. 5y
of t.lw sun, yet passing riiciugh light an11 lieat provwt arnsn.t.it-iiia t.lf
+m or c4iill. while tlie nights grow ehitrl~ and frosty. an11 the iit-~~ssnry
hres give clirei-ful fwecast d' t.he st.ioial winter evenings IIIW at liand."
H." iwncludea by an allnsim to St. Martin's suniiiier and by pua.it.ing
Sliakespeare. It is clear that '6 H." coolly apl?r~.qiriat~rd t.hr 11itssage cited
in tlie test from Wat.svn ancl passe11 it off as original.
Haivtlinrnr n'~s at Con-
cord, Mass. In a novel written in 1851. Hawt.liorne said: '. Ilideed. all
the enjoyinent,s of t.liis period were piwvocatire of tetrrs. C!oniing as lat,e
as i t did, it was a kind of 1ni:lian summer, mit.li a mist, in it,s balmiest sunshine. and clpcay and death in it,s gaudiest delight,." (,House of t.lte
Sewn C;ables. 1883, 11. 180. )
5: In the Fifty-Sevent,h Annual Report o f t.lir Rrgeiit.s o f tlir TTiiiv-ersity
of the St,at,e of New York. 1844. p. 991. Bochester. N. T.. is referred t4.i.
On Oct,oher 31. 1854. Mr. Dewey wr0t.e: *' Primary tmd s e ~w ~l n r y rain-
1)ows at west this morning itnil evening large and fine. Iilrlieii suninicr
for nine preceding clays." Sisty-Eighth Annnel Report, 1855,i.i. 99X. ) M y itt,tcwt.iun w-as called to t,heae Reports by Professor .4hhe.
veniher 14 a. cmwspondent. writing from Ostrnd. snirl : *. In Swit.zer-
laud tjie stme plienon~eno~~ Iias I iren reninrlred from time inimeniorin.1.
and 1'PtG de St. Martin has pessed int.0 n ~J ~W V Y I ~. Now. the 11th of No- vember is t,lie i'6t.e of this wort,hy:--nud fivni diaries which I kept. during
six consecutive years in Switzerland and southeru Bav-ariit, I tinil t1ia.t.
with the excc.pt,ion of 1~37, we hm:1 a ret.urn of perfect, suniniiv weat,lier
for four or fire days toget.her.--itncl this, dber the season lint1 nppnrently
completely broken up. In all cases. t.his occurred UlJl.Illt. that. attnie perin1:l-
or rather toward the 14t.h of the mont.h." (P. 1171. )
"American Note-Books, 1883, pp. :396-:39X.
*The Atlienamin. Ol?t<JlJt?l' 17. 184li, 11. 1IJ70. 111 t.lle dt.llelltPu11I of No-
On September 39. 1848, Lord Houghton wrote: "We have
just had one of tsliose antuinnal siiinmers (one of those Inclian
suminers that ole1 C+ent,z mid Fanny Ellsler gave him) which
turn the English yeiir topsy-turvey. It is now over, and we
are baclc to t,he old climate Again. ' ' *
Iii 1848 H. P. Hildreth observed: ' <I n October, and fore
part of Noveinher, the weat,lier is usually serene and clelight-
fnl, riraliiig in the inellow and baling state of the atmosphere,
t,liat of Greece. or Ititly. It is in fact the inost poetic season
of the year. Tlie various lilies imparteel to the forests by the
advance of autumn. wliich diiily changes anel cleepens t$heir
rich and gorgeous tiiih, when seen tl~rougli the light mists of
our Indian suiiiiiier. ' gires a cliarining nncl roinantic riew
to tlie lnnclscape. which few- portions of the world can equal
In 1849 C!liarlotte Broiit; observed: "It, was a peaceful au-
tiiiiin day. Tlie gilding of tlie hidiaii suinnier mellowed the
pastures f ~r and wide. The russet moocls stood ripe to be
atript. but were yet, full of leaf. Tlie pirple of lieath-bloom,
faded but iiot witlieretl, tiiiged the hills. 62
On October 31, 1850, Thoreau snicl: <<This lias been the
iiiont perfect afternoon of the year. The air quite m-arm
eiiougli, perfedly still ancl dry ancl clear, anel not a cloud in
t.he sky. Scarcely tlie song of a cricket is hearcl to disturb
tlie stillness. Onr Indiaii sunliuer. I ain teiupted to say, is the
tiiiest season of tlie yew. Here 1121s been siich a clay as I tliink
Italy iiever sees. ' W
$9 Met.ewoklgica1 Acci.mnt of the Wcmt.lier in Philadelphiit from January 1,
17!10, t,l.r Jtruuary 1. 1847. The nllusii ins t,l.J Indian auinnier are ns follows. the referenws being til Na:n-eiiil:m. W3l. 1840. and lS44, respectively:
5 . It twnnieiiceil and twit,inued iiiilil and pleasant, Indinn-eommc?r like,
iintil t,hr 1lt.lt. wit,li t.hr wind nrrying from west to south. * * * The:
nirdiuni temperat,iire of this uionth was 43". n.nd it cnninii?nced with what
ie generally callrd *Ittdiftt* h'utnater', and so ci.iutinued ilntil the Xth, when
t,he wind c.hangei1 b) IN irtliiwst,. nni:l raili svon followed. f
* * There
were viyltbeen clear days. aud n great. part, of t.he mont.h was like Indian
'itiniiiier in t,liis vicinity." ( Pp. 995, 931. 334.')
In his prrfavr Peirce says that lie hns '* kiqJt. it rc~gnlar account, of tlie
weat,her for a longer pwii:id iif t,iiae, than, perhaps. any ot,her person now living.'' In t.liis iwnnect,ion mention iiii~y be mada of t.he Journal of tlie
Rev. Tlia,iiias Sniit.li (edited IJS W. Willis in 1849 ), which, esteiiding froin
17P3 t.u 1787, is filled 1vit.h det.ailw ahjut wen.t.her. There are winstant
rt4.rences t.o mild. wi~rni. and pleasant, days in September. Octcil~er. No-
reiiilrer. and D ~~~I I I I J I V . and also t,o cold. storing, nnd nnplea%ant days
iduring t,lie stnie months: but t,linre is not. so niucli as a single allusion t.o
.illioke or haze duriug those four niont.lis in t.he sist.y-sis year8 covered l ~y
an11 nolle sllrl'ass.
__ .
~~
.- . ...
the journal. Writing fnmi Wnshingtnn
Nt:wenil.irr 14. 18i5. and a.min fruni Dunferniline. Hci~tland, C)ctl.I1JI?r If;.
MJ Life, Letters k Frirntlships. 18!11. i. 41.17.
18i9, Lord Hought,m said:
b . This tcliir of niine has had ita diffirdt.ies. and I hare never been qi1it.e
w l l B.ir ti aingle tliiy. I nni perhapa lirt.trr 1 1 i .1 ~. t.lw weatlirr IJriiig tle-
liglit,ful-tlis rcal Indian mniiiier. * * * I and Florenre are descend-
ing tli E~iglautl. having had our Indian ~UIIIIIIPI' in niagnincent scenery."
1 ii. 327, 3x6. )
($1 Pia.iiirer History: being nn Account. [if the First Esaminat.ions of the
Dhio Valley. ant1 t.he Early Sett.lenient of the Ni-ii-khwest Territory. 11. 493.
6:! Shirley ( Tauclinitz edition j, ii. 9W. Cited in E. 0. Brewer's Dic-
tionary d Phrase and Fable. 18Y5. p. 653. This rtslmne contains nunieroii~ allusions to
the Iniliitn ~U I I I I I I (I ~, and it will he of interest to ohserve the days on which Thtireau not,ed Indian-suniiiier weat.lirr. They are : Sept.eniber
35t.h. Deceiiihc~r 7th. 1Ot.lt. nnd 13th. Thus. at n single loi*ality (Concord.
k s s . ). ill a single vidunie. within a peril-id til' ten yeam (1851 to 1861)) a
single writ.er'a dlusions t.o Indian siininier run all t.lte way froni Sept.em-
1&97tli t,n D~cWiibrr 1:3tli. or seventy-swen days. Nothing c.c.iuld hett.er
3 1 1 0 ~ the r1iraticit.y ani1 t.he ut.ter indefliiitrni~ss of tlie t.wm in the popti-
Iitr niiiid. TWli Tlli,re:m*s i:Jistm-at,ions may hc compared sii~iie niatlt? I J ~
z st:irnt.ific investigatw. PI r Hiiiil prints in his Narrative of the C'nnntlian Rrd River Espluri ledititm. 18W. ii. 3R4. a t.able furnished
I I ~ 311.. Jniiiea Wiilker. -4ssist.ant art t,lie Provincial OlJPelTatlwy at To-
mtit~:~. The ol.wrvationw e~nvr t% Iieriod o f twent.y years ( 1840 to 1859).
h141.a irdiiig t,cl 31r. Walker t.lie Iiidinn-suiiiiiier s~ason I.iegins I.iet.ween Oc-
tiilirr 5t.h mid Ncivelnli r 9ot.h. and piills IJetween Oztuljer 11th and No-
reillher 9:Jtl. it.s sh~ wt,e t. diiratim is t.liree days, its longest eleren days,
tilt1 it,s inean aliirnt.ia.in sis days. The season t.wice nlade it,s appearance
in t h r yrara M44 and 1857.
Tlie reader's attention niny nlsci bc called to another curious passage.
Autunin. 1894. p. 181.
37t.h. l:)cti.ilJrr 7t,h. 1Yt,lt. 14th. 31st. NnveIii~~~?r h t , 7t.h. 8t.h. 17th. %d,
28 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. JANUARY, 1902
I In 1850 Susan Fenilnore Cooper wrote: "One is lei1 to be- I suminer;" the term Go-sumnier6' was forinerlp current in
lieve that the American autumn has helpell tci set the fashim Scotliind; at the present clay one finds in England 8t. Martin's
for the sister season of the 0111 Wvorlcl: that the attention I suinmer and St. Luke's suiuiiier; and an espression appar-
which the season commanils in this countrv. has oaenecl tlie eiitlv meaning St,. Michael's suninter is said to be nsed in .I . I
eyes of Europeans to any siinilnr graces of tlie same iuontlis
in their own climates: the gloom is less heeded by them, while
every pleasing touch is noted with gratification. I n the same
way, we now see frequent allusions to the Indian siiiiiiner' by
Englishmen, in their own island, where this Irtst. sweet siiiile
of the declining year was entirely unlieedecl until its very
marked character in this country hac1 attracted ttdiiiirntion.
Our native writers, as soon as we had writers of our own.
pointed out very early both the sweetness of the Indian siiiii-
mer, and the magnificence of the nutrii~niial chmges. In fact.
the7 must have been clull and blind not to have marked both
these features of the season. as we iisunlly enjoy them. dad
here. indeed, we find bhe precise extent. of the clifierence he-
tween the relative beauty of autumn in Europe and in Aiiierica:
with us it is quite inipossiible to overlook these peculiar charms
of the autumnal months: while in Europe, though not wholly
wanting, tlieg reniainecl unnoticed, unobserved. for ages.
Had the same soft atmosphere of t,he Indian sii~iiiiie~' wariiiecl
the woods of Winclsor, year after year, while Geofirey Chaucer
roamed nniong their glades. tlie English woulil have had a
word or a phritse to express the charm of siicli clays. before
they borrowed one froin another c,ontinent. " 64
It is true that ' * our native
writers, as soon as we hacl writers of our own, pointed out, ' I
the delights of the Indian siinimer and the beauties of our
autumn foliage; but we hac1 no such writ,ers. in the sense
meant 1q- Miss Cooper. until late in the eighteenth century,
and for aliiiost two hundred years Americans had been botrh
b . clull and blind " to those. features of tlie nut.uiiin. Miss
Cooper, too. is iiiiRtakeii in thinking that the English had
no word or plirnee to espress the chaimi of such C Z R ~R ; "
they hacl and haw several such phrases. The term All-hal-
lown summerG occiirs in Shakespeare, as also does St,. Martin's
I n a letter dated "General Land Offlce, Novenil-ier SY. 1819." a pcrsim
who sighed himself ' * J. &I.'' wrote : *bItitEicoi twtitnrt-.--This iuteresting
,fneteor has had a tzanie ever since t,he earlitast, sett.1enicnt.s of oiir i*ciuut,ry.
* * * Peyfm S. Syrnnim, Esq., Registw of the Land Office at. Cinein-
nuti. has communicated inure exact, not.ioes o f this wwtcor t.liau any other of lily orrespondeuts. I present his ndiceh, u1,serring that Indiau siiiii-
nier is always in the C L M ~~O )~S C C ~ season-the falliiig of the kuf:
' 1 6 1818. Indian summer begins September 83, suspended C)ct,ober 3:
returns October 7, suspended Oct,ober 80: returus 0c.t.oher 4'3. suspended
Novenilwr 6: returiia Nvvemljer 8. sospended Deerinber 15: rrt,iiriis De-
cember 7. suspended Deceniber 88: returns Decenil:ler 99. 1Sl:I. Iualinn
suniiiier begins October 1, suspended Oi.t.ober 9 ; returns Ootolwr 23,
'. Finni this i t appears that,, of the ninety-sewn days Betwivn Reptom-
ber 83 and Deceniber 29, 1818. ei@y-l-cigh.t had the cliaract.er of 1)ztlicoi
miitwiier."
6 b Rural Hours. pp. 335. 336. This i.ic~urs u~ider dntc iif Oct.i.il:ler 11.
Under Or*tober 16 Miss Cooper wn:ite : 6 L Charming wmther: 1:iright ant1
warin. with hazy Indian suminrr atniosphere. They tire hnrvest,ing the
last maize-fields ' * (p. 344).
tx In the First Part of Henry IV, i. ii. 178. Prince Hal. in t,aking leave
of Falst.aff, says: '' Farewell, t .h u latter spring ! farewell. All-hellown
suiniiier ! ''
After quot.ing the nb<we in thv Oxford Dic.t,icinary. Dr. IIiirray ciI.isrr~es:
' * All-hallorti. Siotwtier: a stwsun of fiiw weat,lier in the latt: ~~I ~~.I I I I I I I :
also Jg. brightiiess or limuty lingering or reappwwing in d t l age. Ap-
parently O h ., )-,lit wiwthy uf revival, its much suptariiw t u its equivn1eiit.s.
St. M~wtiia's Sioiwier (frcini Freiich). iind the Iitclinii. 8tti)iiiiet- of Anierica." There is no eviilrnce t o sliiw t1in.t suc-h an exprrssion was w-er eni-
ployed either in Old Fraiiire or in New France. Lmgiellijw drt?w iimst. o f
This passage invites comment.
~
. . .. . -. . . .. . .. .
mtdi,ttqtm Oct<>ber 31.'
( Clslninbian Centinal, 1 Decernlrrr, 1819. No. 37l!l. 11. 9. )
waieS.a It ;ill be convenient to mention in this place some
expressions found elsewhere in Eurcrpe. In France the sum-
mer of St. Denis and St. Martsin's suiumer are employed
both literally and figuratively ; in Germany. Altweibersom-
mer io is current; and in several countries other espressions
are s d to be fouiiil." Thus, as the late R. (+. White re-
niarked. '' even this beautiful season is therefore not one of
those good things which are peculiarly American.' "
The term \VBR sl.ill kniwn in E11gln.iiiI early in t.he niiic~1.eent.h century.
f4.w t,liP Eiiglislinian wlio translated Volney's TtJ.ilrau said t,hat t.lir St..
&Iert.in's suniiiirr (.if Francv was '.in. Englantl. an All-li:~ll~i~ii suninlrr."
(View tif t,hit Climate ani1 Soil of t.hr Unit,rl:l States. p. 2M niit,e.)
b L Such wn.s t.hr adwiit of i~utuiun. Then fdlowerl t,hctt l>rautifiil scason.
his niat.eria1 for t.hiit, pieni. so far a.s it rclat.es t.0 Ntwa Scwt,ia. froill T. C!. Hnlihurton's Hist<iricnl aiid 8t.at.istival Account o f Nora. Mo:itia. pul,lisliecl
i n 1X20: I:iut HtLliliui-hn <hies niit. a l ~l ~r t ~r to say anyt.hing :tl.iiiut t,he sum- Liingfrl1a:w'r st.atenwnt.. then. is eit.hrr due t.o pcirt.ir
What, Sir Aduiiis in lXXli is t,o llic pint,: -6 We r11.1 iint.rlitarrr1 m-it.h Long-
The poet is not. required
HI? wnst.riivts his sti~r? as he
It is t.ii t,ruth in t,his rewI.irct,
C~.iIlect~ii.ins of the
In In17 Lungfrllciw in his Evangeline wrde:
Citlleil 1.y tlir piww dcn.dian pra,sn.nt.s the Huniiiirr vi All-Sn.ii1t.s !"
drtiwn friilll wnie ii~iknown source.
fellow 1.111 t,he givund #.if hist,orir;i.l inawuravy.
l.o wafinr Idiirs~4f hi ihe ri-gii.in vl' fiwt.s.
1.11o11ses. subject imly t,ci the rulrs (if mt,.
not. til t.lie t,rut.h o f facts. that he I:I\VI.R nllegiitncr."
NI.IY~ Si-wt,ia Hist.irica1 Swiet.y. Y, 13. I
a111 t.lir First Part c i f Henry VI. i. ii. 131:
' * This iiight the siege ass~irvdly 1'11 raise:
EXpecrb Saint Mttrt.in's sunliner, hi~lcy~n days,
Since I hare entertd int.o t,hese wars."
67 See the Oxfind Dict,it:mi.ry untler U~.~sSani~r and C;t.r-summer, nnd
III iiiipart~ t,he C:rrman Alt,weiliersi iiiiiiier.
In the sitme pleire there is LII illusit.in t t J '*All Saints' simmer." as if t.hr t.erin
WPPP s iwii in Englantl.
6+l I11 veiiteeiith century Mailnine de APviyni. wrot.r: *hNous avens un petit, 6t.C de S;tint,-Ynrt.in. frciiil e t geillnril. que j'aime nlieux clue la
pluie."
In the nilitsteent.li century S. -4. de MLcintCpin wrote: '' Que diahle
vcdez-vow? nion Pt.6 de la Saint-Martin ne reut pas flnir ! Je n'y puis
rien. ' '
Thrse extracts itre taken from P. L:L~ouM~, Grand Dictinnnaire Uni-
verse1 du S I X HiGcle. rii, 1oY9.
50 Her Brddiaus' Eii-iiivcrsations-Lexi~~~ii, 1898, i, 480, and Meyeis
Eiciiirersatioiis-Lesikon. l W 3 . i. 4.58.
7I In 1x73 the Rev. C!. Swttinsm, for the accnracy (if whi~sr statcments,
lmweva*r. I diu lick va iwh, said: 6 - In L1.111i1~~riiy the peasants a.1waj-s cs-
prct a frw fiiw di*yw t,owa.rds the niiddle of this Iiionth [October], whic=h
t h y call L'estL d r Sant.a Teresa.' i. e.. Ht. Terwn's summer. becaosc
t l i i a festival o f that saint falls tin the 15t.h; and the warm weather which
we so tiftt-n experience at this season, is in aliuost every European CCII~II-
try knuwn liy tlir ~iaine r i f sunirner. Thus tlie Gernians call it Alt.weiber Hoinmer.' or the sii~nnit?r of Rt. Gall (October 11;). or 6 of St. Maitin
(N ~I Y w I I J ~~ 11): the Swedes give i t t.he title of St. Bridget's Siim~~ier (St. Bridget's 'lay being Ochber 8 ): t.he Bc~hemians. *the Summer of Ht.
Wenceslaus ' iSepteiiiber 28): the Belgians, 'St. Michael's Hummer: '
our own i.ouiit.ry people ' 8t. Luke's little Buninier:' and the French.
* L ' W de Saint Denis ' (October 9). The Americans call it. *The Indian SIIIIII~IP~.' ''
Finn.lly. as w e shall presently see. Ht.. -Ji.iliii*s suniiuer is rcported to tie
eniployetl in t.lie Argentiiie R.epublii*.
'*Th&- C:n.lnxy. sxv. 91. 95. Wliitp also says that *'there is nothing pe- culiar in t.he Aniericvm Indim ~I I I I I I I I ~~ but the ridi dt-iring o f its fdiage,
and perhaps the wa.rin g d d m hnze which her^ t.hen fills the air." White plac*rfi the RC~,SOII b L in the iniclille (:if Novemlwr."
See NcittaF; and Queries, 1W4, Fift.11 Heritw. ii. 381. 177. 518.
See a.lso Littrb.
(,Hatndbdi of Weather Fok-Lore. p. 131. )
[Tan l w rmrludrd i i i Frluruary REVIEW.]