The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-02-05

PaovnSsoa Gurox8 SeoS@1 LsefSrs as the Afke'
u1sm, 81 Tsssssy Esenisg, = 1tke Distyibufioa Of
Tie Heat cvey tie Earfks Surface and the CiycEla
fion Of Winds and Marine CHrrsats"-A large and
attentive auditory convened TO hear Professor G's
seconG lecture He stated at the outset that In his
Introductory lecture he had spoken Of the structure
and external forms Of the great terrestal masses
combined in the New and Old World. The great
value of the study Of the forms and surface of cur
globe consisted in the fact that they were the real
foundation of all those physical phenomena which
gave to each of the countries it contained different
character The internal structure of the New
World was very simple in its character The
elongated form of the New World and its situation
between two oceans-forming kind of isolation
from the rest of the of dry land-was charac-
ter peculiar to the New World, and as he would,
therefore, show, of immense influence
The structure of the Old World on the other
hand, was exceedingly complicated, and very much
indented It was divided, it were, into two vast
portions-the northern portion very cold, and ma
king world by itsef Barbarian settlers, and dry
and verdureless land characterized the North-ciyil
lied communities and great fertility the South. In
the New World there was simplicity of forms in
the Old World they were complicated-an apparent
indication of the character and destiny of their nha
bitants. This was the anatomy of the two hemis-
pheres. Yet the two worlds composed one grand
organization They acted mutually upon each
other, and this system of action and reaction was
the ouy means of explaining the beautiful physical
phenomena exhibited in our world. In order to
understanding of the physiology of nature, we
mustbecome acquainted with the great laws of eli
mate.
There were three great elements constituting es-
pecialy the climate. The fundamental phenomena
was heat-one of the first consequences of heat
the Withstand thea the consequences of BOTH the
moisture, the rains To these motions of the waters
of the ocean, should be added the great marine cur.
rents, which modified, to some extent the different
temperatures of the world by transporting warm
water to cold regions, and cold water to warm re-
gions.
The principal source of heat was the sun, and as
this globe was spheroid, the distribution of the
suns rays was unequal. Those rays were feeble in
the frigid zones-covered the temperature-and
thickly filled the tropics. As consequence, the
amount of light and heat diminished in going from
the equator to the poles-but augmented in going
from the poles to the equator This distribution
gave us the different zones. All physicalife seemed
to spring up from this influence OF light and heat
Look, for instance, at the frozen regions of the
North, for nine months of the year, perpetual win
ter. Lichens, moses and small shrubs composed its
feeble vegetation. No vast forests were there The
ground was frozen many hundred feet under the
surface. As you proceed southwark, towards the
equator-n the temperate regions were found vigo-
tation-yet this vegetation deeayed at certain
seasons Not so, however at the tropics. The vegc-
tation lasted all the year. Immense forests and
trees Moses and lichenS, which in the frozen re-
gions were like shrubs, were there like trees
While in the temperate zones there were but 1000
different varieties of plants and vegetation in the tro-
pica regions there were $4,000. So with the animal
kingdom. In the north few animals and cumbersome
in tropics the highest and lowest types ofevery
variety existed One of the peculiartes of the tempe
nature of climate was, that the temperature of like
attitudes was at certain points entirely different
This fact he had already noticed, in comparing Or
egon with the Canadas and the New England
States
The learned Professor then referred to a map,
covered with lines, to represent the Isotherlnal
of country for the whole year, and were the sum
of all the observations of the year. taken at diierer
times as divided by the number of observations
Mr. 6. here traced these lines upon the MAPS exhi,
biting the detection occasened by extrsneous inilu-
ences, which he would mention. Taking the paral-
lei of As Degrees north latitude, in Oregon and car
rying it forward-the same mean temperature was
found in ascending and descending line. For
instance, in the middle portion of Ireland and in
London and descending at the Black Sea-ascend-
ing, at Japan. Thus some Is to 90 degrees diff.
ferenceof latitude in the temperature. Other lines
drawn by the lecturer, exhibiting this astonish-
ing phenomena and difference of temperature in the
same parallel By this parallel Europe was made
out the hottest country Asia the coolest, and Amer.
lea between. The largest portion, however, of the
temperate region in Europe; the smallest in the
interior of ASIA and the middle portionof the con-
tincnt of North America. So the greatest tropical
region was in Africa while South America and
the East Indies were of the middle condition. This
description gave one an idea of The anomalous dis.
uibution of the temperature which from powerful
causes, not in accordance with the mathematical
laws for the distribution of heat The temperature
also governed by the seasons. Although the mean
temperature of two countries might be the same yet
their climate at different seasons would be different
and also their productions. New York and England,
for instance, had the game mean temperature, yet
different climates and vegetation. They had slight
winters, and no extreme heat to ripen fruits in Eng
land. In New York veiy summers, and
very cold winters. This arrangement of the sea.
sons made the mean temperature Of the year about
the same in the two countries, Reproduced different
climates and vegetation.
Mr. G. then alluded to the striking distinction
between the continental and maritime climate
The heat of ocean water scarcely ever exceeded
so to 86 degrees Fahrenheit while that of the IN.
terror of the con inent sometimes exceeded la0
degrees. Water was tempered slowly, and fused
temperature slowly. As it became cold, il sunk
down and was replaced by the warmer and lighter
water. Water had equaizing influence, and
hence its effect upon the climate Of the lands it
washed was, to give an equal distribution Of tenn
perature during the whole year. This was great