Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-08-06
NAISCELLANEOU
DOES THE MOON INFLUENCE
THE WEATHER?

) th, following extract. The inllufhc
which the changes of the Moon are e u
orally supposed TO exert upon lie "ea,h
er, we ,hi K, are very clearly show n D,
The DOCTOR 10 he ialacluus:
"Among the many Influences "hIef
the Moon is supposed. by The w"rid II
general, 10 exercise upon our globe. on .
those which have h. en- ~ orr than nai'
yersalIy believed, in, all ages lad III ill
countries. is that vt ich Is presumed II
exert upon the changes oi lhe "ratner
Although The particular de'ails OF ltis 10
fluence are sometimes pretended 10 be
described, The only general principle OF
rule. which prryaIis Hiin the w"rld III
general is, that a change uf weather may
he looked for at the epnchs ot ne" ano
| uIl moon: that is 10 say. II the weather
be previousl, fair il " i'll become fou', and
if foul v III become fair. Similar chauses
are also, sometimes. though not 50 c"nn
deutly louked fur, al the epochs OF the
quarters.
A question of this kind may he regard
ed either as question Of science or q
question of fact.
If it he regarded as a question OF SCI
ence, we are called upon TO explain no"
and oy whal properly of matter, or "hal
law OF Nature or attraction the MOON a.
a distance of a quarter of nilllen oil
miles combining its effects with The Sun,
a, four hundred times that distance, can
produce thuse alleged changes! 10 'h's
il may be readily answered that no known
law or principle mas hitherto explained any
such phenomena: The Mnon and Sun
must, doubtless, aft CT The ocean OF air
which surrounds the gluhe. as they effect
The ocean nf waIer-prmIuclng effects an
alngous to tides; but when the quantity
of such ei1tc. is estimated, it is proved 10
be unerly inappreciable, and such as
could BY no means account for The meteo-
rnlogical changes here adverved TO.
Blu. in conducting investigations of This
kind we proceed altogether in The wrong
direction, aud begin at the wrong end
when we commence with The investga:
lion of the ply scal cause Of The supposed
phenomena. That method of conducting
physical inquiries. which was bequeathed
to us 10y The illuslrious Badon' and which
has led 10 such all immense extension oil
our knowledge of the universe, imperl
ously requires that before we begin 10
seek for the causes Of any phenomena,
VIC must prove beyond the possibility OF
doubt, 'he reality of the phenomena, and
ascertain with The utnos precision, all
The circumstances attending them. In
other words, we are required 10 consider
all the inquiries of The kind now adverted
to, as mere questions of tuct, before we
take them as questions of science.
What, then. let us see, Is the present
question? l.! is ascertained that the Moon
produces such an influence on the weather
AS To cause il To change at the new ana
full Moon and al the quarters. But III
This mode of stating the proposition there
are implicitly included TWO very dIs'mel
points. one of which is simple matter ol
fact, and the other a point Of physical
science.
First.-Ii is asserted that at the epochs o
new and full Moun, and at The quarters
rherc is generally chang" "I weather
This is mere statement nf ALI sed tact.
Second.-It is asserted that the phases
,.f the Moon or in other words. the rela
i've position of The Moon and Sun in re-
gard 10 The Earth IS The cause of these
changes.
Now i, is evidently necessary To settle
the first question before we trouble our
selves will the second. for if it should 81
happen that the first statement shnult
prove to be- destitute of foundation lt'
secoud falls to ih' ground.
The question Of fact here before US i
one mos, easily settled. In many meIeo
rulogical observations tiH"nghouI Europe
a resis,e, of the wealher in all Respects
has been kept for long period OF time
Thus the helghl Of The barometer m
condition of the thermometer, The HYDRO
meier and The rain guage, The lorm an
character Of The clouds. The TINS OF IN
falling of rain. hail and SNOW. and il
shurl, every parlic .laI respecting b
e weather his been duly registered. frnrl
day 10 day, ant "lleu from hour to hour.
D The period of the lunar phasts, II
needless 10 say, has alsu been registered
and II is, therefore possible 10 compar
one sci oi changes WIN Inc Other.
e This, IN fine, has been done. We ca
i'm asiue. placed in TWO parallel column
in juxtapos,lion, the series of epochs
the new aud full Moons. aud the quarler'
), and the corresp ndiug conditions Of tn
e weather al these times, !or iiIiy or on
hundred years back, so thai we nay h
enabled 10 examine, as mere matter
: fac,, the conditions of The weather for TN
E thousand or tw elve hundred full and ne'
Moons and quarters. The result Of sue
an examination has been, that no CORE:
poudence whaleve' has been found to eS
isl between the Two phenomena. Thu
; ler US suppose that o'.e hundred and twrr
t ~ FIVE full Moons be taken al rando'
from the liable; if The condition ol IN
"alhvr al these several epochs he exam
med i, will he found, probably, that
< sixty lhre' cases lhere was /" change
wealth, r, and IN sixty two there Vas no
co that under such circumstances tbe o.