Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-08-31
ON TIE CLIMATE.

h IL needs no ghost nom the grave to satisfy Us
thai our climate has undergone and is undergoing
several chang l.
As the county is opened, the woods cleared a.
| way and the morasses dried up, the sun acts
! With more power-th- spring will encrosch upon
/ The viIier. aud tie summer upon the spring i've
shall have less aud frost, and move heat and
/ drsness Winter will gradually transfer her en-
pre- 10 higher atitudes, and Vegetables will grow
/ where the summer was once too short TO cherish
/ them.
! We may judge ofthese effects by those which
| have taken place in the Eastern world. We know
! that the climate Of Europe las grown warmer than
ii formerly was-that the reindeer wss once found
in the Hercynsn Forest, thu, the Danube wss
frozen firm enough 10 sustqn loaded e9risges; and
| that was no curiosity in It,iy Horace In his
second Ole informs uFitcr that they had had lam
! so as ENTHUSIASTICALLY Sno1v enough. Our authority
! IS indeed that OF poet but OF poet who had az
| that moment no inducement to resort to fic,i-
! On.
! The change is not only confessed, but explained
! by The philosophers OF Europe-in tne same wsv AS
has been mentioned above the clearing ofthe coan-
tiy OF woods and sVamps, and ayinsi its bosom open
| to the beams Of the Sun.
II we compare the same ATTITUDES in the old and
new Woiii, The difference Ct climate is very stri-
| king. Il is warmer in the same degree Of latitude
| in Europe than it is in America-and We have rea
sops TO conclude that the same causes here will pro-
| dee the effects
I-deed, if listen to the descriptions Of the old
1
occurred within their ovn recollection We have
shorter winters and more summer with the suit
able UaiGtlons in the ccembaiinesis OF each sea-
| son.
We must regard these things in a general point
OF view, without descending to all the particuIars-
we must take the RHle & not the Execution We
ioust not suppose, from any one years being cool,
that our climate was becoming for, it is not
very swallow that makes summer; it is not every
variation that constitutes the general pliacipe.
| " must have [ a ,ono succession &c
sons, ard take the average Of all-this is the only
nea' by which we can come az the truth.
Were we 70 reason, for instance, from the pres
seW season, we should be APT to suppose that our
Climate was rather falling than rising 90 the scale
OF the thermometer--tbe spring has been so cool,
the summer so slow, frost late - u have fallen
about tour weeks sgo and vegets;ion so backward.
lsut every body excaims, how strange is this how
| singular how surprising whc,, EXPLANATIONS on
" serve to shew beyond dispute, that this phenorn-
ena IS new TO us; aud therefore not consonant WI
the qsua' ccur5e & things No one is surprised AZ
whst.s common it's thng's being erirG-ortiioary
That mskes us oder at it. Besides, we have the.
same accounts from the other side Of The wafer Ia
England, the spell Of cold weather has been Jus, a,
strsngs as L IS here. Frost AMI snow have faI.
'e" III sufficient quantities TO astoniSh tie na-
Take il III in sll," the pr sent year 10, indeed.
oN o. tie o'tiIIaU coarse o. things The cool wea-
l"sT IS SO consts that OFT scarcely conceive Il
10 be August. If a day comes il is frequently
| followed by coid.-lt was but tn other night
(be 2lst) thatrt realty comfortable 10 sleep
under blanket !. IS also rs dry IS il is cool The
James River is slmost low - !. was in 1896 and
every day ii is falling II s cow so shallow, that
At cAnno; iioat all tie boats Through the lcoIs.
Rain and heat are scarcely to be s,en together
| When 1t rains, i gets c,oi-and when lot, the
| weather beconesdry. Y sist:on, therefore, {.
efs. The corn Is verg ctgagd--;.ud j; is &c ucI-
ally supposed, will be ai naco.5raoriy short crop.
| Inc same COS perhaps afa ls0co
What IS tie csase OF t.i- unc3nmol'y cool sum
! mer Many suppose t.ai is bl attributed to
| very distant cause, VIZ t5 stste ~ NE S,,
iieisehel seems however, DO hGv- airblif.a rather
| hcN and cyuterant vrg iatoa 90 th.se cpots-
- Imagining; that he luminous strl- lh.r, e the
Sun is the ,gi0n oflgi,t AID heat. he concluded.
| that ~cn the ridges, eoraeaGors and ope. ines in
! lns at@o1here are numerous, fi,at tne heat emit
| ted b. he Sun must be proborNgy0iy incredsed,
/ and that ts augmeniaGO must D. psreeDtibie bv
i 40 ctiects o vegetation. lie exp cted therefore,
that N those years, when the solar spots would be
| more bppei ors vegetation would be most luxuri
! ant ani iliri L'is eject might lie ssscrtsincd fon
ne pice NJ 1eteGf,as marking The produetyeness of
! lie season. iiY Comparing the solar appearances.
/ AZ given by ia inndc with the table Of the price Of
| wheat IN Smiths Wealth Of Nations, he oiaaineJ
results. which. on Tie whole, appeared favorable 20
bis l,ypoiACsis."