Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-09-27

|
diminished. lie demonstrates this pro-
position by the experiment of the pump
iot Verra, in which the quantity o!
water furnished appears more considera
bic IN proportion TO the qrickness Of move.
ment, although always he same, If he STU
lperior reservoir pours mo he inferior he
explains it further by the appsren, riches
OF country, calculated, not upon the
Quantity oil money existing, but upon the
quantity IN circulation Men, ir digging
Canals and narrowing The beds If rivers
I 10 iac'hia,e communications, in draining
! ponds and marshes for the benei, Of aesi
culture, IN cutting down forests, have d.
minlshed the means OF evaporation and
Consequently the rains, the sources and
currents ri ,ivers: il is above all by des
! troyinS the woods that men have diniin-
ished the circulation Of u q err, for trees are
the most powerful conductors Of This ele
men,: and simple glance east upon the
81, be, sushces % prove IA the countries
where The vegetation IS the most vigorous
are also the riches, in rusning waters
From Diminished circulation OF waite,
results two cOnsisn, phenomena the one
is the impoverishment Of vegetation, the
other the variation of temperature in
countries long tine un!urrisled with
woods; finally, from these effects result
the depopuiatlon of countries in which
formerly hou'ished The most powerful en-
pres. ButR will he asked what becomes
ot the portion of wafer which no lon.
ger crculaies? Eusebus s ap,w.rs
mis- question. by an idea new, By Il sys
lem which IS lns- itnus, ana which il We
~ plausible. If. says he, in vast cxten,
OF country, all the trees are dsstreved. the
vapcrs Of the earth will be attracted only
| by the mountains; q portion IF the clouds
will be-arres;ed upon their elevated tops,
which despoi!ed Of the .,ees that defcp
ded hem will present eHly naked peak,
almost lmpermeable 20 water, and unoro
vided with the warmth which maintained
vegetation; these clouds viii condeDse
INTO ice al their summ,,s instead of fil.ra
ing to form sources at their feet: the
resi- OF the vapors and clouds, become III.
sppr, oil every Current ofthe air, will.
bove all, participate Of the continual mo
| non which tie cen rifugai force, arisipe
from the rotation ri the globe, irnpre>se.
upon the atmosphere the clouds VIII l..
| driven towards ih- poles, and will ,he,,
add 10 the triehtful mass ofice. The All
thor supports this theory by observations
ard conclusive experiment. he proves,
| hat he higher giacieres of Switzerland
AID The polar seas augment daily a par,
OF Green'a d IS no ipnger accessible, AID
| he Straits Of Fon shtr is new so oh
struGted that no vessel can find passage
We should be obliged 10 copy his wo, k
entlre' TO follow Eusebius Salverli in his
| ph'iosophic reasOnIngs, which he presents
with an order, clearness and an elegance
very rare amongst writer's who occur,
themselves with physical sciences. In or
der to Judge Of his stale we cannot refuse
10 tra"scrihe a least one paragraph
Run over" says he " with an attenuSe
| eye, the entire surface Of the globe con-
template al frs; the enormous piles of
ice which load The two hemispheres the
mass is almost double in the sou,hefr
hemisphere which, possessing a mnch
less terrestrial surface, can only recolie6
upon IFS few elevations am all part cfaIl
he water which is evaporated from it's
vast seas IN proportion as the LOWERING,
- 49, '''NofN'fiaiS WIN TIC dC.lfN OI VIZ
ters ard OF years in proportion as the
/ destruction Of forests, d-vougsd by the
| mproridence and p-odiga OF man, die
minIsh the means 0y which nature car.
RES back upon our soil the waters dissolv
cd IN The atmosphere, portion IF water
carried oHby evaporation from the seas,
and rivers, comes there TO FIX Itself forever
and TO add to these shapeless masses al
ice, the solitary abode of silence and
death. Or will you, upon another view
OF the picture, look over those unf"ruu.
nate lands which have lost such considera
bic masses % water beheld those burn.
ing deserts which separate ASA from
Africa see Ibe mouTnIul ruins Of Balbec
and Palmyra. there also and forever.
! dwell, dea h and silence where nov are
the innumera5lc palm trees of ancient
Fadmore Where now are the fountains
once shaded by their foliage The sor.
rowiul eye perceives far srnund only an
aid sand, naked, INCREASINGLY fufrow.
ed by the Winds never does the wster
al Heaven come there to refresh the wan.
1etrng traveller, aud the earth, which he
opens with his hands, offers, reioE,apt.
y, his devouring thirst but few drop.
OF water luaded with the bnterest salts !;
these are The only remains of he var;o,,s,