Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-05-24

ing apparatus for buildings. The warm wa
'ers, he says, " which are confined in the Gull
OF Mexico, is such heating apparatus for
treat Britain, the North Atlantic, and W estern
Europe" Instead of attributiong this stream
to the waters of the Amazon, he SAYS, :" the
furnace is the torrid zone, Il Q Mexican Gulf and
caribbean Sea are the cauldrons; the Gulf
stream is the conducting pipe, and its heat is ia,
ken up by the genial west winds, and dispersed
throughout Britain and the west of Europe. y
In another place he says, q 1t is the influence of
this stream upon climate that makes Erin the
Emerald Isle, and clothes tho shores of Albion
in evergreen robes while in thesame ATTITUDES
on this side, the coasts of Labrador are fast
bound in fetters Of ice." In an article in the
american Journal Of Science, Vol. As, Mr.. Red
feld says, In June, 1881, the harbor of ST.
Johns Newfoundland, was closed with ice vet
who ever heard Of Che .harbor of Liverpool %
degrees further north, being closed with ice, even
in the depth of winter /"
It is, indeed, a peculiar arrangement of Him
who rules the winds and waves, that the tenn
perate climates Of different countries in Europe
are dependent on hot water sea bason, situated
near the American continent, and that this hot
water should pass by large tracks of county on
this side Of the Atlantic; leaving them bound in
icy fetters and dispense its favors to nations on
the other side of the Atlantic. But 80 it is,
and it requires the winds as well as the waters
to distribute those genial favors to Western.
Europe. During the past winter this was dis
played in a remarkable manner. For about four
weeks easterly winds had prevailed in Great
Britain and Ireland, during which period the
warmth of the Gulf Stream was prevented from
being waited to those coasts. The result was.
that the most intense cold within the memory
OF man was experienced there ; ice formed in
large quantities on the sea coast, and, as a
worlds wonder, the navigation of the river
Thames and Mersey was greatly obstructed, and
the port Of Liverpool almost ice-bound for some
days. In Ireland the effects of this severe cold
was such that thousands upon thousands Of
small birds-larks, thrushes, &C., &c. which
do not migrate, were found dead in the fields and
on the highways. In Scotland, the effects of
this severe cold were more wonderful STILL Hugh
Miller-that eminent geologist and keen observ-
erin tho Edinburgh Witness says, " the pres
ent intense frost-coincidont at new moon with
a stream tide-has killed many of the lttoral
shell-fsh around our Shores and they now lie
by thousands and tens of thousands along the
beach. On the beach below Portobello, and for
at least mile on the western side of the town,
they are chiefly of two species, Solen Sibqua, or
the edible spout-fsh OF razor fish, and Mactrd
Stutorum, or the fool l's cookie, both of then
I mUiiuscus, which burrow in the sands above tn,
low water line ofstream tides. The spout-fshos
when first thrown ashore, were carried away by
pail and basketful by the poorer people ant
yet of their shells enough remain in the space
Of half mile to load several carts; but the
fishes themselves, devoured by myriads of birds.
chiefly gulls, have already disappeared 1t is
probable that both species will be less common
on our coasts than heretofore for years to como
and their wholesale destruction by frost few
degrees more intense than is common in our eli
mate, strikingly shows how simply, by slight
changes of climate, induced by physical causes,
whole races of animals may become extinct. II
exemplifes, too, how destruction may fall upor
insulated species, while from some popularity o
habit, or some hardness Of constitution, theiI
congeners escape"
Had the genial west, instead of the dry east
winds constantly prevailed in England during
the last winter, the atmosphere of that countr,
would have been moist and warm as usual, ant
no such severe frosts as those described woult
have been experienced. From these few fact
we can form some new and more correct ideas O
the effects of wind and water upon climates
and how they effect the destiny and welfare O
nations, and living creatures on the land and il
the sea.-Sci American.