The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1839-06-01

which does not allow them to condense and fall
in rain, these accumulate in passing over London,
and either remain as dense fog, or drop in
small rain all day Icing, scarcely clearing once;
1.-THE country at little distance having very little
rain"
The bad philosophy of supposing the air SO
light on these occasions as to let the clouds on
passing sink down in it over London, does not
linvalidate the evidence of the principal fact.
From these remarkable facts alone | think it
will be acknowledged that there is some connec-
ton between great fires and rains other than mere
coincidence. even if that connection remained a
mystery. Humboldt acknowledged this in the
case of Volcanoes when he speaks Of the mysfe-
rious connection between volcanoes and rain, and
says that when Volcanoe bursts out in South
America in dry season, it sometimes changes
it to rainy one. But now when it is demon
straled by the most decisive evidence, the evil
dence OF experiment, that air in ascending into
the atmosphere in column, as it must do over
great fire. will cool by diminished pressure, so
much that it will begin to condense its vapour
into cloud as soon as it shall rise about as many
hundred yards as the temperature OF the air is
above the dew-pon in degrees of Fahrenheit, it
amounts to very high probability that creatures
have sometimes produced rain That great fires
and even volcanoes should not Always produce
rain is manifest from the circumstance that they
break out accidentally, they may sometimes oc-
cur when the state of the atmosphere is untavora-
| bic and even adverse 10 rain. First, if they
should break out when there is a current of air,
either near the surface of the earth, or at con-
siderable distance above, of some strength, the
approving column would be swept by it, out of
the perpendicular before cloud Of great density
could be formed, and thus rain would be prevented
Second, they might break out when the dew
point was too low to produce rain at all; and third,
there may sometimes be an upper stratum of air,
containing much caloric that its specific lcvity
would prevent the up-moving column from rising
into il far enough to cause rain.
These three things | conceive are the only cir
Icumstances which prevent great fires from pro-
ducing rain at all times when they occur. The
first two can be asceralned without much diff
Guilty by means of small balloons and the dew
point-the last in the present state of science
cannot always be known, and failure on that
account must be risked by the experimenter-
This lisll am willing to run, if Congress or the
State Legislature will promise sufficient reward
IN case Of success.
1t has been objected to my project that pro-
pose too much, and that it is utterly absurd to ex-
ect to make rain in time of drought, when there
is such a scarcity of vapour in the air.
norance of the fact arising from want of due
consideration. For there is generally more va
pour in the time OF summer drought, than at any
other time, as | know by experiments constantly
made almost every day for these last ten years;
and this is reasonable in itself, for the vapour is
rising into the air and increasing every day of dry
weather, preparing for another rain. quiet
state OF the atmosphere is also more likely to
occur, to great ghts, i'll time of droughts, than
at any other time, for Immediately after rains
there to be cross currents of air. produced
by the inward motion of the air at the lower part
OF the cloud and an outward motion in the upper
part, which require some time after the rain to
come to rest.
II have succeeded in showing that there is
any the least ground to hope that an attempt to
produce raln might sometimes succeed under
favorable circumstances, and that those favorable
circumstances are more likely to occur in time of
drought than at any other time, then it follows
that the experiment is highly interesting one,
and ought to be Immediately tried. If it should
be successful, who can tell the mighty results
which may follow in its train.
| have many reasons and facts which induce
me to believe that if very large cloud is once
generated, the rain will become general or at
least spread over wide extent Of territory; and
who can tell, q priori, that this will not be the
case when it is now known that an immense
steam power is let loose in the formation of such
cloud; power which can be calculated with as
much accuracy that of the steam engine itself,
and in part on the same principles.
Gentlemen have made their puns on this pro-
ect, and had their laugh, and am sorry 10 see
by letters which have received, that my friends
and relations al distance are much troubled at
these innocent laughs; but let them be consoled;
have laughed too, well knowing, that those who
laughed the most heartily would be the most
willing to encourage the experiment, as soon as
they discovered they had nothing to laugh at As
proof that was right in this anticipation, may
be permitted to say that have lately received
letter from highly distinguished member Of the
American Legislature, Who laughed as heartily as
ary one, when my petition was presented there,
containing many kind expressions, and promising
me by way of amends for his levty, ''to avail
himself of the earliest opportunity of being better
informed on the subject of my new philosophy"
Such conduct as this is all want; fear not the
strlcest scrutiny.
If | should be encouraged to go on with the
experiment, mean to have large mass of COM
busdbles prepared ready for use, and when Ihave
found all the circumstances mentioned before IA