The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1841-06-25

| ucAt fcstihS pi'oc' IL hot caTElcu W great
distance. In that case they will proba-
bly, be left behind, as a consequence of
their greater specific gravity.
Now did northern Illinois lie in the
latitude of Egypt, with her present soil,
surface, and other attending circumstan-
ces; like Egypt, we should probably have
no rains, having neither mountains nor
extensive woodlands to condensc vapor--
Even now, though considerably removed
from the equator, the rains of the summer
season generally occur during the night /;
as the sun pouring upon an extensive
! plain does not admit descent of vapor
during its presence. From this last cir
cumstance, we should naturally expect
that successive days of heat would carry
large share of the vapor to other regions
of hills, woodlands, and other condcns-
ing causes.
In accordance with these positions, du-
ring three-lourths of any period of pleas
ant weather in summer, the horizon is
belted round in every direction with col
lection of vapor of cloudy aspect, extend
ing upwards as nigh as the sun one hour
after rising. A portion of the cxlalations
of the day, must, of course, be arrested
by the return of night; and as condcns-
ing causes are few in this vicinity, where
they do exist, vapor will gather in to
spend the night, where they can find
ailintics of cold and moisture combining.
The soil of this extended plain being gen.
orally dry aud warm, the repulsive inilu-
cncc from these circumstances, hastcns
the vapor to the point to which it is drawn
by attraction: and if you descend four or
five feet from the common level, in eros
sing slough or water course an hour
after sunset, YOU feel chill and change
of atmosphere, which suddenly arrests
your attention, as something you have
never experienced in countries Astounding
with cOndcnsing causes. A gentleman
who was resident here before me, has cX-
pressed a confidence that in an evening
ride, he could discern his near approach
to timber were he blindfoldcd; and this
by the chilling influence of the atmos-
phcrc. From these circumstances, we
naturally look for results in point Of
health answering to the regions of Africa
and Arabia; healthy on the plains and
sickly on streams, and i'll the vicinity of
timber lands.
The timber in northern Illinois is gen.
orally found on rivers and smaller water
courses, where the land is lower than the
common level, and where portions of the
soil are attended with a greater degree of
moisture. Not knowing the legitimate
result of these circumstances, or disre
garding them, the inhabitants have usual
ly settled in, and at the edges of the tim
Der, and are consequently sickly with the
return of every dry season; while settle
mcnts upon the elevated prairie have en-
joyed good health, even during the last
three summers which by prevailing
drought, have been attended with more
ill-hcalth than any former years. Some
Of the inhabitants on hearing a statement
of the above theory, have supposed they
could point out the cases of sickness on
dry and elevated prairie, which would
prove these statements to be incorrect
But have taken the pains to visit the
places to which they have referred, and
where the cases of disease were few, the
subjects were found on inquiry to have
spent some part of the summer in other
ncighborhoods, either upon a stream or
timbcr-havc been journeying by day
and by night; or have spent the season
in breaking prairie; and when the pitcher
of pure water failed them, have drank at
the slough; or the subject of disease has
been exposed to other circumstances not
attending the settled inhabitants.
In other cases quoted against these ar
rangemcnts, whole neighborhood are
found to have been sickly, although lit
tie removed from timber, and on prairie
rather elevated. But on examination they
are found to have a stream near at hand
on the one side skirtcd with timber, and
on the other an extensive slough of last
ing staguant water; and though the
ground occupied may be little elevated
vet it is found to be considerably lower
: than the general range OF prairie, furthe
, back from the stream or they are iount
r on bluff at the commencement of prairie
, land, contiguous to large stream, and a
f, suitable distance to catch the tallin!
a miasma at night, which during the hca
c of the day was raised from the stream
and its vicinity. And it should be re
II mombcrcd that sluggish streams, althoug
IS attended neither with bayous nor marsh
y grounds leave collections of alluvial dc
G. posite exposed to the action of the sur
lg as the streah is narrowed down by a Ion
NJ drought. In Irooi Of the greater amour
MS OF vapor, and consequently of miasma,
r. the borders of timber. and at places d
n pressed considerably below the commo