Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-03-07
From THE SAr1o.aL rsrELLrenScnR.
SKETCHES OF ILLINOIS.

TIE climate Illinois, in geographic
cal sense, is the Si1th north OF rather
1t comes under zone number six, which
in Ricciolus' table of climates compri-
SEES all that part of the northern hemis
phere which lies between latitudinal
parallels s. deg. SIS min. and 40 deg.
81 min. The longest day of this climate
is S hours though that fthe inhabited
portion of Illinois, cannot exceed IL
hours 80 minutes.
In a popular sense, the climate Of IL
linois, is, perhaps, the finest in the
worid--that of places under the same
parallel of latitude in Europe hardly ex-
cepted.f
The climate of Italy, (Which is the
only one that can form a proper sub
ject of comparison,) owes its present be
nightly to adventurous causes altogether;
for there is abundant evidence to show,
that change OF temperature and soil
has taken place there since the time of
Caesar.
The causes Of this change are found
in the continual labors of human indus
try, which has gradually progressed in
clearing the earth's surface of woods,
draining it Of surplus water which the
numerous ponds and marshes afforded,
and carrying it to high state OF Guilt
walton.
What industry has done for Italy,
(and indeed for most other parts Of Eu-
rope nature has done for Illinois. The
great portion of Prairie land in this
state, (supposea, by some, to constitute
one fourth part of its superficial con-
tents the paucity Of bogs and marshes,
and the mellow looseness and warmth OF
its soil, render its climate mild, genial
and wholesome.
Il is we'll known in the Atlantic States,
that the clearing of the lands of woods
produces sensible change in the tenn
perature of the climate. Large and
thick woods prevent the suns rays from
penetrating into, and warming the soil;
and the fallen leaves, branches, and
other vegetable matter, rotting on the
ground, form kind of crust, which
binders the escape and diffusion Of the
| internal heat.
| There is here such an uniformity IL
the state of the atmosphere, that one ex-
periences none of those sudden changes,
from heat to cold and from cold to heat,
which are induced by proximity to
mountains, marshes, and seas, and by
variableness of winds. Indeed, there is
great uniformity in the climate of
America, taken as a whole. M. de Paw,
in his g Recherches Philosophiques sur
les Americans" concludes, as the re-
suit of his observations on the subject,
that our climate is less variable than
that of Europe.
During the winter season here, the
mercury ranges between 2o0 and 500"
seldom lower than 900. The mean
summer heat is about 80. As in the
latter season l have never heard of
death by idiohathick hhrenetis, so in the
former to have ones ears, fingers, or
toes bitten by the frost, is very unusual,
not to say unheard of.
Inland lakes doubtless have great
tendency in making the climate of the
country which surrounds them, harsh
and unfriendly to the objects of human
Iculture. But the state OF Illinois is SO
far removed from the great chain of
lakes which separates the United States
from Canada, that this cause does not
affect us. We are peculiarly happy in
this respect; for, being placed at that
point where the waters OF the Ohio,
Wabash, Illinois, Mississippi, and Mis-
souri, rivers (Which have their rise in the
lakes or mountains at the distance of
from one to two thousand miles above
us) commingle, and from which they
descend, in one great channel, to the sea,
(about fifteen hundred miles belozY us,
we escape, on the one hand, the frost
and SHOWS of the uhher country, as, on
the other, we do the contagious vapors
and strength destroying influence of the
lover.
Vines flourish in Illinois, and yield
their fruit in as great abundance as the
same species do in southern France or
Italy. And l have not the smallest
doubt but that hereafter it will be- as
much famed for good wines, as either
the countries above mentioned.
saw large apples in November, the
second product of the same trees, this
last season.
During my residence in this state,
1.-TWO years. have never seen the earth
covered with snow to the depth Of two
inches.
Englishmen remark, thai we have
here none of those long, dribbling, JOY