Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1851-06-10

waters into ice for SIX months Oh tue year
fand even her ice, has, through the enter
prize Of her people, become an element 81
commerce, aud is carried with advantage, il
is said even to the torrid shores Of the Last
Indies
Why should not the mountains Of the
Southern states produce teasY Why should
not our sunny plains. covered With the vines
Of our woodlands improved by cultivation,
furnish to us the wincs for which we now pay
largely to other countries Why should We
always send to SMYRNA for figs? And or
Malaga for grapes Aad 10 Sicily for aud
apres? And to China for silk stufs- to-
porcelain Our great couotgy is an aggre-
CATION Of many lands and climates, extend
lug from Mexico to Maine and from ocean
TO ocean. A chest Of tea was recently pre-
scented 10 the President; which, By the Cal
ifornia rontc, came from China In two months
and one week eco days.) How long would
u take to bring it around by the Cape of
Good Hope? Three times that period
Already do We see, that we here, between
the two Continents between the two coasts
Of Asia and Europe; midway, on the worlds
map are destined to be the entrepot Of a
commerce, now in It's infancy. Our Atlantic
Coast, fronting upon Europe; our Pacific
upon Asia and her Islands and doubtless,
at no distant period, the rapid Steam Car
upon its iron road, viii be speeding across
The Continent, in one uninterrupted fight,
like the blessed Sun itself, which even now
by It's morning rays Furnishes the broad
stripes. that are mirrored in the Atlantic.
while his parting beams as he dips into the
Pacific, light up the 3 stars, Of the flower
flag Of cur country
Our CLIMATES, too b. the reccntacquisition
of the Pacific coast-la lands, Oregon and Cali
fornia unite the characteristics Of all the eli
mates Of the earth, cfectng the products Of
the earth, aud the health and condition Of its
Inhabitants, in various countries.
1t has long been observed, that the coun-
tries fronting on the Eastern shores vary in
their mean annual, and range Of temperature
from those that have their front ON the Wes-
tern coasts. We here for example, are in
the latitude of Lisbon and Madrid, whore the
orange ard the olive flourish. And their
winters paas almost without frost while, in
the same line of latitude the climate of CHI
ma, corresponds with our own because
China, like the Atlantic States has an ocean
on her Eastern borders But then when we
90 to Oregon and California we find climat-
ic characteristics similar to the coasts oil I1u-
rope The spring there, as in France Eng
land and Italy, might be tue theme Of the
poet: as the season Of delightful temperature.
Long before the violet, here, ventures to
open its blue eye to Sur, their fields on the
Pacific, further North than we are, are green
with ample pastarage; their trees are in
leaf, and vocal with the song of birds, as ours
are in summer Then again, we have our
mild and lovely autumns, lingering into the
winter months-our genial and sunshiny No
venbcrs, while Europe is chilled with cold and
damp winds, aud fogs until November has
become proyerbally the month there for sui
cides | have long thought that very suf-
fcient reason may be found for these pecu
larities, in the fact, that Westerly winds
greatly prevail over all others. It is said by
observers in mcteorology that on an average,
Westerly winds prevail, for, PA days out of
the 365 in the year These winds come to
as in the Spring months from ice covered
lakes and snow covered lands, North and
West Of US: and long after the Sun is noun
ting towards the tropic of Cancer, these winds
come freighted with cold, from those tracts
of ice, aud snow, over which they pass
Hence our cold Spring months generally.
but, I0CSc same " tSlGIlN WINS rpitlS W ibN
coasts Of France, Spain, Italy and fngland,
as we'll as Oregon and California, warmed by
the cqualizing effect Of the ocean, where
even the african Simeon can temper the arc
tic blast by It's unobstrueted sweep over the
waters; and when the waters themselves of
the ocean have, by well known principle
the power to equalze the temperature of the
air have frequently expressed these views !;
aud was grati6ed, on procuring that great
work Of Humboldts, Cosmos, to find this
idea sustained by this great master Of natural
philosophy, and carried out and elaborated by
him in his views of the Tsothcrmal lines, which
so singularly deyiate from, and disregard, Gas
it were) the parallels Of latitude, upon our
globe. TO recommend such book to the
student Of natural science, would, | presume
be almost work Of supererogation. Who
is it that wishes to see the very summary, yet
the clear exposition Of AL the natural sciences
with their latest discoveries, and advance
meuts, that has not looked into Cosmos,
and It's appended work "Humboldt's aspect.
o. natme?"
Thus besides our peculiar geographical
and geological advantages, chastity touched
upon) we have for the completion and iinisl
o. our various blessings, every variety Of eli
mate known in that best region OF the earth
the North Temperate Zone
have thus, Mr.. President aud Gentle
men, given q rapid imperfect, but trns
somewhat striking, view Of the singular posi-
ton Of this great country Of ours which com
pares rather curiously with other regions Q
christendom. Our people too, came here an'
conquered this continent from the abcrigines
under circumstances, and at a period in th
history of our species, which has given sin
gular character to our progress and standirl
among nations. We came here people
matured in the civilization Of the old world
at period, when the Raleghs, and Penns, AM
Celverts, and Oglethorps, Of England; anC
the stern puritans Of New England had th
enterprise and daring as we'll Us the ciyiliza
ton Of their country 1t demanded men 0
some boldness, and Intelligence too, whel
our country first was settled, to hnoas erel
of such country and to venture upon 10
Il I 10. f,f T.tI